EU discusses ‘road map’ for future after Brexit

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia

European Union’s 27 member states began discussions Friday to draw up a new road map for the future after U.K’s decision to leave the bloc.

EU Term President Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico said the informal summit in Bratislava would create an opportunity for honest discussions among the member states, as the EU project faces growing skepticism among member states.

“After Brexit and the risks that are associated with it, it is absolutely necessary to meet and to be very honest,” he told reporters at the entrance of the historical Bratislava castle, where leaders of 27 EU member states gathered, without the U.K, to discuss the future of the bloc.

The U.K vote for Brexit in June has sparked fears in European capitals over the future of the EU project, displaying an increasing public distrust of the European institutions, and growing support for the Eurosceptic parties.

Fico said the EU leaders would like to show unity in the Bratislava summit and prepare a road map to design the way forward for the EU, which would address the concerns of its citizens.

He said the “Bratislava process” would continue for the next six months, with leaders of 27 member states scheduled to meet again in December in Malta's capital Valletta, and next year in Rome, to hammer out the new vision.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel underlined that the Bratislava summit was the beginning of a period of reflection.

“It should not be expected from us to solve all the problems of Europe in one summit. We are in a critical situation,” she told reporters.

Merkel said the leaders would work to address the major concerns of European citizens, on the issues of migration crisis, counter-terrorism and economic welfare.

“We should show with concrete actions that we change things for the better in the fields of internal and external security, the fight against terrorism, cooperation in defense, and the issues of economic growth and employment,” she added.