LISBON, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Monday that his country aims to seek unity among European Union (EU) member states when it takes over the presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2021.
Speaking at a conference at the Catholic University in Lisbon, Costa stated that "there are two visions that today permeate the different countries of the European Union," with some wanting "common values" and others having an idea of integration only economically.
According to the prime minister, it is necessary to know if the EU "is a union of values, or if, on the contrary, it is above all an instrument to generate economic value. This distinction is very important, because the misunderstanding of this distinction has certainly led to the departure of the United Kingdom."
"We have to ask ourselves if the best way is rigidity, or if we should look at the European Union with a spirit of greater flexibility," pointed out the prime minister.
"In 2007, the biggest ambition was to open borders. But today, opening borders is not seen as a moment of freedom, but as a threat to one's own security and identity. There is no point in eluding this debate and it is necessary to do so in order to move forward," concluded Costa.
One of the biggest debates currently in the EU is how economic aid for recovery after the pandemic will be distributed and how doses of vaccines against COVID-19 will be purchased and divided.
As the world is struggling to control the pandemic, countries across the globe -- among them Germany, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- are racing to find a vaccine. Enditem