Spotlight: Europe's leaders call for "more Europe" amid multiple crises

Senior leaders from several European countries called for "More Europe" as the continent is struggling to cope with multiple crises.

In a plenary themed "The Future of Europe" in World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, senior leaders from France, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands discussed the major challenges ahead for Europe and searched for solutions for its immediate crisis.

Certain areas of concern dominate the debate: the inflow of refugees, the Greek economy, Brexit, instability in Ukraine, populism, terrorism and the rise of extremism.

First on the agenda is the terrorist attacks in Paris. How should Europe respond to the menace of extremism? The best option is for European nations find a solution in common, said Manuel Valls, Prime Minister of France.

"Terrorism must bring Europe closer together. It's not just Paris that was struck," he said.

In fact, it's a worldwide war on terrorism, he continued, that requires all states to act together, exchanging intelligence and overseeing flights and airports.

Meanwhile, Valls called for solidarity in solving Europe's immediate problems, including the influx of refugees, which is straining the resources of Greece and non-member Turkey.

"We look forward to working with Europe," said Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister of Greece, on addressing the refugee crisis.

He said the burden should be shared by everyone in the European Union, including resettlement of refugees in member countries.

Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, which currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency, said Europe has six to eight weeks to come to grips with the refugee crisis, which can worsen when winter ends.

He noted that 35,000 people have arrived in Western Europe in just the first three weeks of 2016. "That number could quadruple in spring," he warned.

Rutte stressed that the Schengen agreement is crucial, saying that "open borders have benefited Europe well." However, he admitted that the Dublin system at first need to be reformed

Wolfgang Schauble, Federal Minister of Finance of Germany, noted the calls for a "Marshall Plan" to help deal with the refugee crisis.

But instead of spending billions of euros in Europe, he said the better course of action is to help rebuild the regions that the refugees are fleeing to reduce the exodus to Europe.

The word "solidarity" came up several times in the session.

Schauble stressed the need for member countries to abide by all their agreements, if the European Union is to be kept intact and surmount the many challenges it faces.

As Europe slowly recovers from the longest economic recession in its history, the jarring crisis management of Greece has highlighted its weakened political foundation. The lack of solidarity between members of the European Union is evident in their inability to formulate a common solution to the large number of refugees arriving at Europe's borders.

The terrorist attacks in Paris, too, have raised questions about the values of European society and of decisiveness in foreign policy.

"Greece and the United Kingdom must not be allowed to leave," said Valls.

"It would be a historic mortal error for Europe to let Greece leave the Eurozone. For the UK to leave Europe would be a tragedy," he said.

Greece's Alexis Tsipras agreed with him. "In order for us to find a solution to the problems of Europe, we need more Europe," he said.

"This is not the right time to talk about exits - be they Brexit or Grexit. No more differentiation; now is the time for solidarity," he added.

The leaders pledged to do everything to reach a compromise with the UK that would keep it as a full member.

Valls summed up the sentiment of the room: "History is at a moment of convergence. All the parameters mentioned at the beginning - Ukraine, terrorism, the refugee crisis, separatism - nothing could be worse than to see a member state leave, as it would be a signal to others and pave the way for more populism."

"We need more Europe," he reiterated. Endit