Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (2nd L, front), Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar (3rd L, front), Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders (3rd R, front) and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel (2nd R, front) walk in downtown Ljubljana, Slovenia, during the Slovenia-Benelux summit, on Feb. 6, 2018. Slovenia made a compromise proposal for harmonizing the positions of EU members on refugee quotas and solidarity as Slovenia-Benelux summit was held in Ljubljana on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Matic Stojs)
LJUBLJANA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia made a compromise proposal for harmonizing the positions of EU members on refugee quotas and solidarity as Slovenia-Benelux summit was held in Ljubljana on Tuesday.
Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar hosted the meeting which also focused on the EU's future and highlighted the need for the bloc's modernization, according to the Slovenian Press Agency STA.
Cerar, his Luxembourg counterpart Xavier Bettel, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders established they held very similar views with the EU and discussed some of the bloc's key issues and possible solutions.
The leaders at the meeting agreed, said the STA, that the EU should be more active outside its borders when addressing the migration crisis and boost assistance to people in the countries they are fleeing from.
They called for stronger controls on the EU's external borders and for respect for the principle of solidarity.
On the issue of the refugees, Cerar presented Slovenia's compromise proposal on quotas and solidarity, which was welcomed as a good basis for discussion at the level of the EU Council, the STA said.
Bettel said the proposal was a step in the right direction, since "solidarity is not flexible" and cannot be interpreted differently by every country.
The participants also stressed the importance of the EU's modernization and within this framework of digitalization and the circular economy.
Moreover, they said the bloc needed to keep its doors open to countries in the Western Balkans, but stressed accession would only possible if the candidates met all the conditions.
The officials of the summit adopted a special declaration on strengthening cooperation and decided to continue with the quadripartite meetings in the future.
The next meeting is likely to take place in the second half of this year, said the STA report.
