LOC15:49
12:49 GMT
BRUSSELS, Dec 14 (KUNA) -- President of the European Council Donald Tusk called Thursday for unity in the EU and warned that "geographical divides" between EU member states are hampering solutions to the migration crisis and progress on the economic and monetary union (EMU).
"Today and tomorrow we will also deal with issues where a lack of unity is very visible, I am talking about EMU and migration. When it comes to EMU, the divides are between north and south, when it comes to migration, the divides it is between east and west," he told reporters as he arrived for an EU summit that begins later today.
"These divisions are accompanied by emotions, which make it hard to find even a common language and rational arguments for this debate. This is why we should work on our unity even more intensively and effectively than before," he added.
The 28 EU leaders will welcome today the launch of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) to boost European defence cooperation, he noted.
Tusk announced that tomorrow the first phase of the Brexit negotiations will end and added that "I have no doubt that the real test of our unity will be the second phase of the Brexit talks". (end)
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