The coronavirus pandemic was a great shock and the European Union's initial reaction may not have been well-coordinated, former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told the Delphi Economic Forum on Friday, but it eventually adopted a good stance, ANA reports. In a fireside chat with Kathimerini executive editor Alexis Papahelas, Juncker was reported by the organizers as noting that Greece's recovery plan was among the best of the proposals submitted to the Commission by fellow EU member countries and would upgrade the Greek economic model. Juncker also spoke of his meeting with then-US President Donald Trump and his effort to explain to the American leader the role a strong EU-US relationship plays for global stability. Trump's different handling of defense issues created obstacles to the EU-NATO relationship, which improved after the American president's term ended, the former Commission chair said. Speaking of EU-China relations, Juncker pointed out the attempt to approach China was too hurried, as the Asian country "is a competitor and enemy" and the relationship "requires caution and we must not be naive." As for his personal relations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, he said they were always somewhat difficult but were facilitated by the fact that Putin spoke German very well. The EU has greatly differing views, "but there is no security without Russia," he noted, and there must be other ways of approaching it as a neighbor, including through culture and to a certain degree through trade. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the other hand, had better relations with the EU but gradually distanced himself, partly also because of the Cyprus issue.  RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: European People's Party Adblock test (Why?)