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Slovakia wants to be at core of integration in case of multi-speed EU: PM

Xinhua, March 4, 2017 Adjust font size:

Slovakia wants and must be at the core of European integration in the event of a multi-speed European Union (EU), said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Friday.

"Slovakia certainly wants to be in a higher category of states, as it considers the EU to be a project of vital importance," stressed Fico.

A so-called multi-speed EU, also known as "those who want more do more," is one of the five scenarios included in European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's white paper on how the EU could evolve by 2025. The multi-speed EU scenario is supported by France and Germany as well.

"Therefore, Slovakia is behaving responsibly in terms of fiscal management, and it also managed to carry out its presidency of the Council of the EU in a respectable manner," added Fico.

Juncker's white paper sets out the main challenges and opportunities for Europe in the coming decade, presenting five scenarios for how the EU could evolve by 2025 depending on how it chooses to respond. The possibilities are as follows: carrying on as before; focusing on nothing beyond the single market; a scenario for "those who want more do more"; doing less more efficiently; and "doing much more together." Endit