MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2019) Europe must use the increasing number of threats as an impulse to change and thus survive, Spain's acting foreign minister, Josep Borrell, said on Monday.
From Thursday to Sunday, the European Union will be holding elections that will determine the new composition of its Primary legislature.
"There is a growing awareness that Europe cannot continue functioning like up until now. It has to change in order to survive. Europe is more necessary than ever, but it is threatened as never before - from within and from without. Many enemies emerged: [US President Donald] Trump, [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orban, [Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Matteo] Salvini, China, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, Brexit," Borrell said in an interview to El Mundo news outlet.
He added that these threats could serve as an opportunity for the European Union to improve some of its existing policies, including those relating to trade affairs, economic models, defense, political alliances, human rights and rise of populism.
Borrell, who was the president of the European Parliament from 2004-2007, is running from the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party. A number of right-wing European party leaders, including France's Marine Le Pen, Hungary's Viktor Orban and Italy's Matteo Salvini, have arranged for rallies ahead of the election. Euroskeptics currently hold 256 of the 751 seats in the European Parliament.
