Riga at the helm of EU28

“During the period in which Latvia will hold the presidency “of the EU Council of Ministers,” Christians in our country will be able to recognize not only the political, but also the spiritual bonds that unite us to Europe “: Msgr. Zbignevs Stankevics, Metropolitan Archbishop of Riga, thus commented for Sir Europe the leadership of the Baltic nation for this semester. “800 years ago, in 1215, Pope Innocent III entrusted our land to the protection of the Virgin Mary and for the first time reference was made in written sources to our country with the name of Terra Mariana. Thus we rely on the help and intercession of the Virgin to give spiritual and material prosperity to Europe. “The Church, therefore, stands with her country at a delicate stage of extreme responsibility.Defending the values of humanism. The debut of the Government of Latvia at the lead of the EU rotating presidency could not have been more difficult. In addition to inheriting the problems of the past few months and years (from the economic crisis to anti-European nationalism), came the terrorist attacks and the deaths in France. Thus, the two days (7 and 8 January) planned in Riga to review the six-month program together with the Juncker Commission has become a time of reflection on security, peace, integration in the present multicultural society. “It is a time for of us in the European Union to show that we are prepared to defend the values of humanism, the values included in the motto liberty, equality, fraternity,” Latvian premier Laimdota Straujuma told journalists. Although the priorities that the Baltic republic had been sharpening in recent months were encompassed in the phase: “A competitive, digital Europe engaged in the global arena”, the dramatic events of Paris have forcefully placed on the semester’s agenda “issues related to internal security, terrorism and related issues”, Straujuma pointed out. The Prime Minister plans to highlight these same points during the presentation and discussion of the six-month program at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, January 14.”Religions do not commit criminal actions”. “It is necessary to prevent terrorism from destroying mutual trust among us and faith in the values we share”, Straujuma said. The fight against terrorism was amply debated in Riga and the Prime Minister mentioned a range of proposals to strengthen the fight against terrorism and step up international cooperation. These issues will be discussed in the coming days and weeks, also in the meeting of the Council of Foreign Affairs on 19 January, when “the discussion will be resumed,” announced Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, in Latvia, supporting the need to create an interconnection with the efforts that the ministers of the Interior and Justice will carry out in the area of security. “We must completely detach the word ‘terrorism’ from the word ‘Islam’: no religion could be used to commit acts so cruel. This cultural challenge will also be at the heart of our engagement in Europe and as Europe”, said the High Representative. The demonstrations in France on 11 January confirm it.The Country passed with flying colours. “Latvia’s Presidency of the Council of the EU symbolizes reconciliation of history and geography”, said Jean-Claude Junker, hailing “Latvia’s first time at the lead of the EU-” Junker pointed out that “small Countries often have greater success at the presidency of the Union than larger ones, because they focus on essentials.” The “well-prepared Latvian government” received full endorsement, along with the “priorities of the six-month presidency, capable of giving concrete relevance to the important items of the programme recently presented by the Commission”, with a “millimetre-perfect correspondence, Junker underlined. It was confirmed by the head of the Latvian government, who announced Latvia’s full support to the Commission’s plan to focus on the legislative definition and the launch of the European investment plan in the coming six months. For Latvia this would constitute “one of the most significant results”, Straujuma pointed out.Giving new impetus to the dialogue with Moscow and Kiev. Ukraine was another theme at the heart of the dialogues in Riga, from where President Junker announced the Commission’s intention to make available to Ukraine another 1.8 billion euro in the course of 2015 and early 2016 through a new “macro-financial assistance program” to further economic recovery. “The solidarity of the EU with Ukraine is not an empty word. Indeed, it reflects a reality of everyday life” said Junker. Full support to Latvia on this front: Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics travelled to Kiev and Moscow “to seek  renewed political dialogue with Russia concerning the crisis in Ukraine.”