EUCO: more pressure on Member States is necessary

"Last Sunday, it became clear that the European Commission is the true leader of Europe. We are ready to support it, with additional means for the EU budget or a fast-track mechanism. We are ready to provide the political answers to enable Europe to act", said Manfred Weber MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, during the debate in plenary on the outcome of the last European Council, and last Sunday's EU-Balkan meeting.

"It is the Member States that are not delivering on their undertakings. They must now implement what they committed themselves to do", underlined Weber. "The European Council should be debating pragmatically, and we need to see you put pressure on the Member States", he told European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

"With the crisis, we have seen the failure of nation states, and national selfishness. This is the Europe of Mrs Le Pen and Mr Farage. Faced with the current rise of populism, extremism, the spreading of fears, we need to show that we are ready to shoulder the responsibility that is ours. This means applying a humanitarian approach while securing our borders. I am calling on all democrats, everywhere in Europe, to work together towards finding solutions", he concluded.