Competitive edge is not about raising tariffs, erecting trade barriers, or even framing China as an adversary.
According to reports from the Bulgarian BGNES news website on August 26, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed his 'differences of opinion' regarding the EU's relations with China in a public meeting with European Council President Antonio Costa in the capital Bratislava. He called for the EU to engage in 'friendly competition' with China.
Costa began his annual tour of the capitals of EU member states from Slovakia. During the talks, Fisso expressed concerns about the EU's competitiveness on a global scale. He believed that improving competitiveness should not mean imposing new tariffs or setting up more trade barriers, but rather working towards better results.
When talking about China, Fico said bluntly: "I have a different view on the relationship between the EU and China. I don't think we should confront China by setting up barriers and treating China as an enemy."
He continued, "China is a country with which we should compete in a friendly spirit. We should strive to improve ourselves and do better."
Besides relations with China, the two discussed the following topics: the next round of long-term budget for the European Union, energy prices, competitiveness, and EU's future expansion.
Regarding the EU budget issue, Fico stated that Slovakia supports maintaining a strong cohesion policy in order to reduce the development gap between different regions within the EU. He also called for more funding to be provided to the eastern EU members, especially those countries bordering Ukraine. Agricultural policy was also listed by him as another key area of focus for Slovakia.
Speaking of the expansion of the EU, Fico reiterated that Slovakia supports candidate countries who wish to join the EU, but all applicant countries must meet the required standards.
This means there can be no exceptions and we cannot take shortcuts. This applies equally to Ukraine. Said Fizzo.
He also made it clear that Ukraine should not exceed countries like Montenegro, Albania, or Serbia in the process of joining the alliance, as these countries have spent more time preparing to join the EU.
