NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) 鈥 Europe must 鈥渞e-industrialize鈥 to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on third countries for energy and key raw materials, Spain's prime minister said Tuesday.
Prime Minister Petro Sanchez said after talks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in the Cypriot capital that Europe needs to be 鈥渟trategically autonomous,鈥 especially in the wake of .
Sanchez, whose country assumes the European Union鈥檚 rotating presidency Jul. 1st, said this push toward less reliance on others for defense, as well as high-tech hardware such as semi-conductors and microchips doesn鈥檛 mean regression to a state of economic protectionism.
The Spanish premier said the EU needs to reach out to key regions such us the Caribbean and Latin America as well as nations on its southern periphery including Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.
A summit between the EU and the so-called southern neighborhood countries is set for December.
Sanchez called a reduction on coal use in energy generation an 鈥渁bsolute priority鈥 for Europe, as well a balancing out the cost of energy between producers and consumers.
Christodoulides said both leaders agreed to seek out alternative energy routes as well as nudging forward the EU鈥檚 pivot toward 鈥榞reen鈥 energy. that the eastern Mediterranean with its substantial natural gas deposits could offer the EU an energy alternative.
Christodoulides said the 鈥渢ime has finally come鈥 for the EU to come at an overall agreement on dealing with migration which is a key issue for both Spain and Cyprus as front-line states.
