On Thursday 1 September 2016, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, paid a working visit to the Grand Duchy and met with Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, in his offices in Luxembourg's city centre.
The meeting was primarily a preparatory discussion ahead of the informal summit of the leaders of 27 of the EU Members States in Bratislava on 16 September when they will discuss the future of Europe in the light of the recent Brexit vote in Britain; this is one of a number of bilateral meetings Xavier Bettel has organised in the lead up to the summit.
"The European Union is currently facing enormous challenges. The purpose of the Bratislava meeting will be to find common solutions to allow a more efficient operating mode for the EU," the Prime Minister said. He continued "It is imperative to find common solutions for 28 (Member States), or 27 tomorrow, concerningthe challenges the European Union faces. Should this prove impossible, however, we must not hesitate to find other ways in which to overcome these challenges, such as enhanced cooperation between Member States to take necessary decisions."
About Brexit, the Prime Minister said that "the negotiations should not begin until the United Kingdom has invoked Article 50". Xavier Bettel stressed that the Bratislava meeting is an important event for the European Union, where it will determine the roadmap and the steps to take to bring the European Union and its instruments to the expectations of its citizens."
Photo by Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, SIP
