Air traffic at Granada-Jaén airport will be paralyzed between October 4 and 6 due to the European summit. If you are looking for rooms in the area, it will be difficult to find them! After France and Sweden, Spain holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July to December 2023
Preparation has already taken place at the end of June
The informal meeting, initiated by France, Germany and the Netherlands, brought together a “geographically balanced” group of countries, including leaders from Belgium, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden.
The composition of the group also aimed to establish a balance between countries traditionally more favorable towards enlargement efforts and those more hesitant in this area.
The six Balkan countries are candidates for membership
In October, the European Commission should, as every year, present its “enlargement” package including reports on the progress made by the candidate countries with a view to joining the Union in the future.
So far, the six Western Balkan countries — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia — as well as Turkey are among the candidate countries for membership.
Discussions around Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia
For the first time, the EU executive’s package will also include reports on Ukraine, Moldova (which applied for EU candidate country status last year) and Georgia, which benefited from a “European perspective”.
Following Friday’s discussions, EU leaders are expected to deepen the debate on the degree of enlargement of the Union and the reforms needed when they meet for their informal summit in Granada, organized under the Spanish presidency of the EU, in October.
The enlargement of Europe and the opportunities for tourism
Traditionally, Europe is the number one tourist destination in the world and as such it benefits from income, jobs and better international understanding. However, according to the report, if Europe does not do what it takes to defend and improve the situation, this position could be eroded due to increased competition from other parts of the world. It is therefore necessary, at European and national level, to grant increased political interest to tourism development strategies.
