Estonia, EU Regional Policy, EU – Baltic States

Estonian president Kersti Kaljulaid and the president of Finland, Sauli Niinisto, said at a joint press conference in the Finnish capital that the EU is multi-speed already, since not all countries are participating in all formats of cooperation.

What matters is that member states would work together namely on the cross-border issues that individual countries are unable to solve on their own, Kaljulaid said. It is also important for the different forms of cooperation to remain open to all member states, she added.

The president of Finland agreed, and highlighted Finland's experience with various forms of cooperation. This kind of cooperation must be open to everyone who meet necessary criteria, he said.

The European Commission last week presented five scenarios for the future of the EU, one of which calls for faster integration of some member states. Germany and France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg have expressed support to that idea already earlier. The leaders of four EU member states who held a mini-summit in France on Monday also expressed their support for a multi-speed EU where some member states can deepen their integration faster than others.

Both Kaljulaid and Niinsto pointed out at the press conference that not all EU member states are members of the euro area, and the president of Estonia highlighted the decisions of several countries to opt out of some other EU common policy.