EU state secretaries, foreign affairs secretaries-general visit Estonia
State secretaries and secretaries-general in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of EU member states visited Estonia on Friday, where they were introduced to the plans and organization of Estonia's upcoming presidency of the Council of the EU at a seminar at Tallinn Creative Hub.
The seminar was opened by Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser (SDE), who spoke about the priorities of Estonia's upcoming presidency, according to a ministry press release. An overview of digital diplomacy was also given by Director of Public Policy at Google Iarla Flynn and Secretary General of European External Action Service Helga Schmidt.
The secretaries-general also discussed the Eastern Partnership as well as activities for the next six months. According to Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rainer Saks, Estonia would like to ensure during its presidency that the Eastern Partnership is and will remain at the heart of the EU's external policy.
"Our goal is to support the reforms of eastern partners in developing democracy and a functional economic environment and in ensuring their security," said Saks. "The Eastern Partnership Summit will take place in Brussels on Nov. 24 and a number of events connected to the Eastern Parternship will be organized in Estonia alongside the summit, e.g. an e-Partnership conference and business forum."
According to the Estonian secretary-general, Friday's seminar can also be considered a litmus test for the Estonian presidency team, which will demonstrate if anything still needs to be adjusted or changed over the course of this month. "But overall, we can say that we are ready for the presidency," Saks said.
Editor: Aili Vahtla