Angela Merkel presents German Presidency priorities to the European Parliament.
M2 PRESSWIRE-July 8, 2020-: Angela Merkel presents German Presidency priorities to the European Parliament
(C)1994-2020 M2 COMMUNICATIONS
RDATE:08072020
Under the motto "Together for Europe's recovery", the German presidency is determined to tackle the huge challenge posed by the pandemic, Mrs Merkel said. She highlighted five areas that Europe needs to work on if it wants to emerge unified and strong from the current crisis: fundamental rights, solidarity and cohesion, climate change, digitisation and Europe's role in the world. "Germany is prepared to show extraordinary solidarity", she underlined, to build a Europe that is green, innovative, sustainable, more digital and competitive. "Europe is capable of achieving great things if we work together and stand together in solidarity", she concluded.
View Merkel's full statement here.
"The challenge ahead for all of us could not be more extraordinary", Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. "But we can emerge stronger thanks to Next Generation EU. Germany chose the word: together. That is the engine of our union". She underlined that Europe needed both, a new EU long-term budget (MFF) and Next Generation EU. The Commission will do its utmost to make sure we will reach agreement, she said.
Manfred Weber (EPP, DE) said that the EU stumbles from crisis to crisis because of fear. "Fear is the enemy of solidarity, future and freedom". There are high expectations for the German Presidency, he continued. "The EU needs now courage to show solidarity: We need a solution this month for the Recovery Fund", Weber insisted. "No community can survive without community spirit. For us, this is simply the European Way of Life."
Iratxe Garcia Perez (S&D, ES) offered to work "side by side" with the German Presidency to overcome North-South and East-West differences and divisions in Europe, for the benefit of citizens. "We have to prove that it is possible to create a fairer and more sustainable society, which thinks about the environment and future generations (...), protects workers, values diversity and manages migration flows with solidarity", she added.
"The priority right now must be the adoption of the recovery plan and the new multiannual financial framework", said Dacian Ciolos (Renew Europe...
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