Foreign Policies

Pellegrini Discusses European and Domestic Policy with Michel and Von Der Leyen

Parliamentary Chair Peter Pellegrini (stock photo by TASR)

        Brussels, January 24 (TASR-correspondent) - European issues as well as events in Slovakia were high on the agenda of the talks in Brussels on Wednesday between Parliamentary Chair Peter Pellegrini (Voice-SD) and European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen and EC Executive Vice-President Maros Sefcovic.
        Pellegrini pointed out that the negotiations were mainly dominated by European and budgetary topics, which the leaders of the member countries will talk about next week at the EU summit. As part of them, the EU is expected to approve a financial injection for Ukraine worth €50 billion.
        "The package also includes funds for countries with the Schengen border, it isn't just about changing the EU budget for Ukraine," he explained.
        Pellegrini expressed the hope that a consensus of all 27 countries will be reached at the summit, despite Hungary's current reservations. "There's still time for Hungary's demands to be negotiated so that no special system of 26 or 25 countries is sought, which would be very complicated," said Pellegrini.
        The Slovak parliamentary head also spoke with Michel about support for the European military industry, where he pleaded for the billions that the EU gives to the defence industry to be spent in Europe to support the domestic industry and reduce the dependence on overseas suppliers. He added that if the European Commission comes up with a proposal to create a fund to support the arms industry, including modern weapon systems, Slovakia will apply for such resources.
        With reference to the Slovak political events, Pellegrini informed Michel and von der Leyen that from next week, a government-appointed diplomat will be available in Brussels, who will be in direct contact with the EU institutions and answer all questions related to the upcoming changes to the penal codes. He emphasised that this approach was highly appreciated by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the head of the European Commission and the European Council president.

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