President Emmanuel Macron was in Sofia for top U.E. – Balkans Western

The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron was in Bulgaria May 16th and 17th to take part in the top Balkans European Union Western.

On its arrival in Sofia, it had a discussion with Mr. Zoran Zaev, president of the Government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. After that, a dinner was organized in the presence of the Prime Minister for the Republic of Bulgaria, Boiko Borissov and of European leaders.

The purpose of this top is to reinforce the links between the European Union and the Western countries of Balkans on digital connectivity and to reaffirm their importance by raising the topics of security, migration and geopolitical evolution.

At the time of this dinner, it was question of the withdrawal of the United States of the Iranian agreement and their decision to impose taxes on steel and aluminium Europeans. The Head of French State also defended his creation project with Germany from a finance agency of the innovation.

Thursday morning, after a discussion with the Prime Minister for the Republic of Albania, Edi Rama, the president of the Republic discussed with the Chancellor the German Federal republic, Mrs. Angela Merkel and the Prime Minister for the Kingdom Uni Mme Theresa May.

Connectivity was in the center of a first working session; after the family photo a lunch around the topic “to take up the common challenges” followed before President Macron meets Mr. Peter Pellegrini, president of the government of the Slovak Republic.

At the time of the press conference which enclosed this displacement, Emmanuel Macron confirmed that the European Union will maintain the agreement nuclear signed with Iran in 2015; this total action plan united signed with the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany set up a framing of the Iranian nuclear activities in return for a progressive lifting of the sanctions against Iran. On May 8th, the US president announced the withdrawal of its country of the agreement and a re–establishment of the sanctions. The choice of Europe is also to widen the discussion of the nuclear power after 2025 to the ballistic and regional news of Iran in Iraq, in Yemen, in Syria and in Lebanon.

Considering that the situation of the European Union had been in fall for about fifteen years, at which time the EU passed from 15 to 25 members, the President of the Republic called the chancellor has to mobilize Germany in order to take up the challenges with the approach of the renewal of the European Parliament.

The 28 displayed their unit during this meeting, particularly on Iran, confirming their will to preserve the interests of their companies by activating as from this May 18th the regulation of 1996 as well as the support of the European Investment Bank in order to give a financial support to SME engaged in Iran and threatened of the sanctions programmed by Donald Trump, however difficult to apply considering the reports of the European large banks with the American financial system and the transactions in US dollars.

In addition, it will not be question which Europe yields in front of the American threats concerning aluminium and steel exports; Washington will have to show a permanent preliminary exemption for the European exporters in any discussion on the transatlantic trade. It is necessary to ensure stability but not to take sides with so–and–so or so–and–so. The EU will not be the ally of Iran against the United States and the American companies do not have to undergo sanctions with causes of the tensions with Iran.

Another important point of this top, the reform on the digital one and the innovation; the project to create with Germany a finance agency got support of all the Member States and that of the Commission with an experimental device within the current budgetary framework.

Balkans Western also were in the middle of this meeting, so much in term of development of digital accessibility, of development of the infrastructures like that of concrete initiatives in term of security of the companies or fight against criminality. This is addressed to the countries which try hard to transform their country, in Serbia and in Montenegro in negotiations to become members of HAVE but also in Macedonia and Albania who aspire to it.

However, the negotiations will have to take account of the migratory questions and corruption.
The next top with Balkans Western will be taken place in London next July.

Macron and Iohannis

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VERONIQUE YANG

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