Slovak and Austrian presidents share views on the EU

If the European Union becomes divided into a multi-speed block, Slovakia wants to remain at its centre, stated Slovak president Andrej Kiska after a meeting with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen, who paid an official visit to Slovakia on Wednesday. According to Kiska the first and foremost necessary is to define what the centre actually means. Van der Bellen opposes the emergence of a multi-speed EU because, as he said, "the person ahead does not hear the person behind him. But if you walk next to me, we can communicate and exchange our views." Van der Bellen added that there are different speeds in the EU already, but these differences should not be further deepened. "However, if the EU is to be divided into a specific core and a circle, Austria wants to belong clearly, like Slovakia, to the core," said the newly elected Austrian President.