European leaders in Porto highlight climate change as a major challenge

President of the Republic of Bulgaria Mr Rumen Radev, President of the Republic of Estonia Mr Alar Karis, President of the Republic of Finland Mr Sauli Niinistö, President of the Hellenic Republic Ms Katerina Sakellaropoulous, President of the Republic of Croatia Mr Zoran Milanović, President of the Republic of Ireland Michael Higgins, President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic of Latvia Edgars Rinkevičs, President of the Republic of Hungary Katalin Novák, President of the Republic of Malta Georga Vella, President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar meet in Porto at the invitation of the host, President of the Portuguese Republic Mr Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

In the first debate, where the Presidents discussed how to jointly address internal and external security challenges in the context of the current situation in Ukraine and the European Union, the President of the Republic of Slovenia stressed the importance of solidarity with Ukraine, respect for international law and fundamental European values. She expressed her strong support for the efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace and stressed that "no solution will be lasting if it is not based on dialogue and an agreement reached by negotiations".She added that the unity of the European Union is crucial in this regard. "We will continue to provide assistance to Ukraine in accordance with our capabilities and for as long as it is needed," the President added, also welcoming Ukraine’s progress in implementing the European Commission’s recommendations.

In the second debate, the President of the Republic focused on the need to jointly face climate change and its consequences, such as the catastrophic floods that have recently devastated parts of Slovenia, Greece, Libya and other countries. Here again, the President stressed the importance of solidarity and mutual assistance, and she expressed her sincere thanks to the Presidents who have offered us help in difficult times. European leaders were unanimous in highlighting climate change as one of the major challenges.

The climate crisis has reached epic proportions, and we are already talking about "climate emergency" that is destroying the ecosystem and threatening our lives, the President stressed. United and immediate action is therefore essential, she said. She believes that joint and immediate action is therefore essential. "It is our duty to act in line with efforts to mitigate climate change and to take concrete actions that will make these efforts a reality," President Pirc Musar was clear. She also characterised the joint statement by the leaders of Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Malta and Slovenia – the Mediterranean countries and members of the Arraiolos Group – as one of the steps in the fight against the climate crisis, in which in early August, they pledged their full support to the joint action initiatives and called on the European Union, other Mediterranean countries and the international community to keep this issue high on their political agenda.

In the debate, the President noted that we must also take into account the human rights and gender equality aspects when planning climate action and involve civil society in the discussions. "We must spare no effort in realising the right to a clean and healthy environment," she said, informing the participating Presidents that climate and water security will be among the priorities of Slovenia’s membership of the UN Security Council 2024–2025.

This meeting of the Arraiolos Group Presidents comes at an important time, when the European Parliament elections in June 2024 will be followed by a change of European leadership, a new composition of the European Parliament and the formation of a new European Commission. In this context, the President drew attention to the problem of disinformation, which can have a major impact on citizens’ decision-making and thus on the results of the European elections. "In the age of algorithms that determine our timeline, fake news spreads quickly, much faster than verified facts from credible sources," the President stressed, underlining the need to fight disinformation in order to preserve the democratic processes in the EU. She also spoke about the issue of migration, which, in her opinion, will be one of the main issues in the upcoming EU elections. The President also stressed the importance of solidarity in addressing this challenge.

In this context, President Pirc Musar supported the further strengthening of a unitary, solidary, strong and resilient European Union. She advocated the implementation of the central commitment of this year’s Bled Strategic Forum on the preparedness of European and Balkan countries for the enlargement of the European Union by 2030. "My view is that we need more EU, not less EU," she stressed, adding that all of us, EU and Western Balkan countries alike, must do more to enlarge the European Union. "Democracy, respect for human rights and freedoms, and the rule of law are our guiding principles for a better society and a European future for all," she added.

During bilateral talks with the Presidents, the President also exchanged views on other topical international issues.

The 18th Arraiolos meeting concluded with an official dinner, also hosted by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.