In preparation for the European Council meeting on 20-21 October, progressive EU ministers agreed that energy security, affordability and efficiency should be the main elements of the European response.
Meeting today in Luxembourg ahead of the General Affairs Council, progressive ministers call on the European Council to respond to citizens’ expectations. On the agenda for Europe ministers from the Party of European Socialists (PES): preparations for the upcoming European Council; rule of law in Poland and a discussion on the follow-up of Conference on the Future of Europe.
Chair of the PES Europe Ministers network, Finnish Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering, Tytti Tuppurainen, said:
“The EU and national governments must do all they can to protect their workers and families and ensure that everyone can afford to heat their homes and run their businesses.
“We agree that there is a need to secure the flow of energy through reliable and di-versified suppliers and we need to set up the appropriate infrastructure and inter-connection grid for this.
“However, as with the Covid crisis, no country can go through this energy crisis alone. We need European solutions, and we need to stand together.”
PES Europe ministers also discussed the developments regarding the rule of law in Poland as part of the Article 7 (1) procedure and exchanged views on the follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Progressive ministers also congratulated Stefan Löfven for his election as the new President of the PES. Stefan Löfven was elected at the Congress of the Party of European Socialists in Berlin on 14 October 2022. The ministers reiterated their support for his mandate, and the objective of becoming the strongest party in the European elections in 2024.
The meeting was attended by:
- Tytti Tuppurainen, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering, Finland
- Jeppe Kofod, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Denmark
- Ian Borg, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, Malta
- Tiago Antunes, Secretary of State for the European Union, Portugal
- Marko Štucin, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Slovenia
