During the EP plenary session (11-14 September 2017) in Strasbourg, Matti MAASIKAS , Estonian Deputy Minister for EU Affairs, expresses himself on the State of the Union 2017.

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

MAASIKAS, Matti (EE)

state of the Union 2017 (T)

State of the Union 2017: extracts from the statement by Matti MAASIKAS, Estonian Presidency

SOUNDBITE (English), Matti MAASIKAS, Estonian Deputy Minister for EU Affairs, <p>We must keep looking for issues, initiatives and ways  that unites, and not those that cause a risk of dividing member states. We should look for initiatives that balance things and build bridges, for instance, it is much easier to talk about the EU Social Pillar, something that the Estonian Presidency will duly take forward. We will simultaneously take real steps in deepening the single market  in particular in the field of services.</p>

SOUNDBITE (English), Matti MAASIKAS, Estonian Deputy Minister for EU Affairs, For the last several years, we have all been working on building a digital single market, the free movement of data is one of its cornerstone. We need to ensure that European citizens and businesses are able to benefit from data and that we create no new barriers to the single market. As with the EU other freedoms, free movement does not mean a freedom from rules. Next year, new EU personal data protection rules will come into force and we look forward to starting work on the EC new proposal on the free flow of data.

SOUNDBITE (English), Matti MAASIKAS, Estonian Deputy Minister for EU Affairs, We of course welcomed the message that we can now proceed with the free trade agreement with Australia and New Zealand and to expand the network of liberal trade relations in this globalised world. The EC has done a long part with its reflection paper of harnessing globalisation and deserves to be commended for that. With the regard to the proposal about the investments and the multilateral investments court, as Presidency, we will make efforts to proceed in the best possible way to build a consensus among member states.

SOUNDBITE (English), Matti MAASIKAS, Estonian Deputy Minister for EU Affairs, The Estonian Presidency is working hard on migration issues not least while carrying forward work with the Common Asylum System. On legal migration we equally started working with the EP on the Blue Card Directive. On security we are ready to engage with the Parliament on ETIAS and hopefully on EES initiative, and of course we are confident that an inclusive and ambitious permanent structure cooperation in the field of defence, can be launched by the end of this year.