originally published on Facebook

 
Bratislava hosted (16/09/2016) an informal summit of the Heads of EU Member States. Expectations were high – at least by my side: is that legit, when the EU is hit by an almost ten-years economic crisis, with still high youth unemployment, a violent immigratory fluxes from neighbouring regions, and with a Member State that – for the first time in history – decided to leave the group.

 
“Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus” instead: the final declaration (that may be found here) contains a road map for the next months which is in my opinion weak and not brave enough, considered the seriousness of this historical period.

 
The road map is divided into five parts: the first and the last one contains general considerations on the present and the future, respectively. The remaining three parts are supposed to set the path to tackle different issues (“concrete measures”).

 
I’m going to underline what I find as the weakest points of each part.

Part II: Migration and external borders
a) the EU-Turkey agreement is supported to be fully implemented, while the reality says that the first asylum seekers were “sent back” to Turkey only one week ago https://www.geo.tv/latest/114137-Gr…
b) support to Bulgaria and other frontline States, while not specifying any concrete commitment by anyone – it will most likely stay as a text on paper
d) help to “third countries” in order to weaken immigration fluxes: again, very vague point – with no hints on which are those countries or on how to support them
e) very vague call to “solidarity” – where’s the asylum seekers redistribution scheme? A single agency for asylum seekers identification? Ideas on overcoming the Dublin regulations? Or on how to get a single foreign policy?

Part III: Internal and external security

– Internal security
a), b) call to increase cooperation in information exchanges among intelligence agencies and security services of Members States, not calling for the creation of a single intelligence agency and/or the implementation of a single database
d) call for “efforts against radicalisation through expulsions and entry bans”: very vague and misleading
– External Security and Defence
Here the declaration says that the European Council foreseen for December is called to a concrete implementation plan, but without mentioning a single defences policy or a EU army

Part IV: Economic and social development, youth

Again, most of the decisions are postponed to the following months. Some intersting hints but no mention of a proper EU / Eurozone budget to fund youth employment policies.

 

 

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going”

no toughness was showed here, though.