It«s Time for Europe to Move to the Next Steps - Silina 0 93

Only by working shoulder to shoulder can the governments of EU countries and the European Parliament achieve what society expects from them - security, growth, and well-being, said the Prime Minister.

The main issues discussed during the meeting were competitiveness, support for Ukraine, and security.

Silina and Metsola also talked about Ukraine's progress on its path to the EU and the European Commission's proposals for using frozen Russian assets to support it. The Prime Minister and the President of the European Parliament agreed that progress is necessary in the negotiations on Ukraine's accession. "Ukraine is ready for this," emphasized the Prime Minister.

During the meeting, the development of the defense industry and readiness for new potential threats, including challenges related to drone technologies, were discussed. "In recent years, Europe has become more vigilant and determined, but now it is time to take the next steps - to strengthen the military industry, defense capabilities, and readiness," said Silina.

For her part, Metsola noted that the Baltic countries recognized threats from Russia much earlier than many other states. She also spoke about this on Friday at the security and foreign policy forum "Riga Conference."

"It took us too long to hear this. Let me assure you - we are listening now. We hear you clearly and unequivocally," said Metsola.

She noted that the European Parliament is taking steps to strengthen defense, for example, very quickly adopting regulations that will help coordinate defense planning and procurement more effectively across Europe. The European Parliament is also working on reducing bureaucracy in defense and speeding up the issuance of permits, Metsola added.

The President of the European Parliament emphasized that the security of Europe is guaranteed only by ensuring the security of Ukraine, and Europe must finally adopt the 19th package of sanctions against Russia, stopping the import of Russian energy resources.

"The path to a sustainable and genuine peace in Ukraine is long and difficult, and strength, determination, and cooperation are needed along this path. And I know that we can rely on you, just as your country can rely on Europe," said Metsola.

After the talks, Silina and Metsola went to a military base in Adazi, where the President of the European Parliament was briefed on measures to strengthen the presence of NATO allies in Latvia.