On the Morning of the Brussels agreement the foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, the next European themes in the view. The Minister discussed in Athens with his Greek colleague Nikos Dendias and Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the tense of the Greek (and European) ratio in relation to Turkey, the efforts to European Unity during the asylum law, the war-crises in the Mediterranean. This Wednesday Meuse meets in Kent, the British foreign Minister, Dominic Raab, and again a whole theme bundle will be on the consultation table, to work through the German presidency of the EU in the next few months: the new rules of the Euro-British relationship in accordance with the Brexit, the attitude of the Europeans on the Iranian nuclear issue, in General the way in the UK in the European security politics involved can stay and wants.
John Age
Political correspondent in Berlin.
F. A. Z.
In Athens Maas shows easy on the Brussels Deal to Corona-aid and budgetary questions, however, remains in the foreign office, the concern that the cost of this agreement could weigh on the German presidency’s strong. This concern is not so much on the financial consequences for donor countries and grant recipients, but on the intangible price of the agreement on the table of the European Council, on personal moods, which were in the course of the four nights of Negotiations, according to, but also on the political breaklines were among the participants.
In the weeks prior to the Corona summit has been the Meuse, The Hague and Vienna; all of the efforts in the European departments of the Chancellery and the Federal foreign office were directed to the solution of the allumspannenden European financial question. Now, a brief Moment of pride remains the fact that this is a political Problem, the master would have, under normal circumstances, the whole of the German presidency of the time, it can be deleted after only three weeks from the completion list.
His optimism and let Maas do not take. He also used, as previously President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, the label “historical”; it was a compromise, “the many of the EU would not have even believed of”. At the same time, Maas weakens the success of pressure on the German presidency, at least in the question of a single European migration rules. The German presidency will work in this field “intense”, but he did not want to predict that on the Basis of the new asylum law-proposals, which wants to present the EU Commission in September, could be found up to the end of the year, an agreement. It is the ambition was, however, “significant steps forward”.
Maas warns of the danger of a further escalation in Libya
in the meantime, it remains for character volunteers accommodation: In Germany, a contingent are expected on Friday and a further 100 refugees from Camps on the Greek Islands – medical treatment of needy children with your close relatives, to their inclusion, in addition to the Federal Republic of Germany, a small circle of other EU-found countries.
Maas speaks in Athens of a “great Confidence for all the other tasks that face us.” In his joint appearance with the Greek host is immediately clear how difficult these tasks are. “We want the EU in its external relations, strategic acting,” says the German guest and the First the ratio of EU to Turkey. Progress in relations with Ankara – which were hoped for from the Turkish side recently expressly to be only possible, if Turkey were to “let their provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean”. Germany had formulated “in a very clear requirement” that the Turkish holes would have to be completed according to the raw materials in this Region and no new started are likely to be.
