Raimonds Vējonis
“Understanding about the concepts of solidarity, equality, and community among Europeans is a significant challenge for Europe. The Latvian society has seen huge changes over the past decade - from crisis to rapid growth, from joy of community with the other EU Member States to care for a common future in the EU, basing that on the European values. Europe must defend its values ​​on a daily basis,” emphasized the President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis while discussing the issues of utmost importance to Europe with the heads of state at the Arraiolos Group meeting on Monday, September 21.

 

The President said that the current situation had raised fundamental questions in the public: whether the European values were equally understood throughout Europe; whether refugees would accept our values; how much we were able to defend our values ​​outside the EU. Raimonds Vējonis indicated like the other participants of the meeting and asked to think how Europe could be supported in the ideals and how the European internal solidarity could be strengthened.

 

During the first panel discussion of the Arraiolos Group meeting “Strengthening Cohesion in Europe” in Wartburg, Germany on Monday, the Presidents also discussed the importance of the shared values ​​in the single EU policy. Similarly, the parties discussed the issues that unified Europe and what the unity ensured  to European citizens and to each Member State as a nation, what united Europe should stand for and how the EU could be active and decisive participant of the global politics, including solving the refugee problem.