French Minister of State for European Affairs and chair of the PES GAC Ministers network, Harlem Desir stated: ‘Only by working together can we tackle the issues that affect us all in Europe. Fighting terrorism, managing the refugee crisis, completing the Economic and Monetary Union, or promoting environmental responsibility require a common European mobilisation. Europe must take the lead on promoting solidarity, respect for human rights, economic sustainability, social welfare, environmental responsibility, according to values that are at the heart of our common project.’
Harlem Désir added: ‘Europe is currently facing many challenges, yet as we saw at COP21, when united behind clear goals, it can achieve great results. The European Union’s unanimous support of the French COP21 Presidency was pivotal in concluding this truly historic Paris Agreement. After more than twenty years of negotiations, for the first time, 195 countries expressed their commitment to climate action in a legally binding text. We will work hard to ensure that Europe remains a leading actor to keep global warming well below 2 degrees and to support developing and emerging countries in their climate protection efforts.’
The meeting was also attended by German Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth, Portuguese State Secretary for European Affairs Mergarida Marques, Maltese Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg and PES Deputy Secretary General Yonnec Polet
