Germany, as the interim chairman of the Council of the EU, intends to work not only on restoring the European economy in the short term, but also guaranteeing the EU’s preservation of its place in the international community, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, presenting on Wednesday the European Parliament’s deputies for the next six months.
“The priority of Germany in the EU presidency will be to strengthen European unity to overcome the crisis. We want not only to stabilize Europe in the short term, we want to create a Europe of hope, a self-confident Europe that is attentive to innovations that will preserve its place in the international arena”, – said the German chancellor.
In carrying out these tasks, she proposed to rely on a joint German-French proposal, which provides for the creation of a fund for the restoration of the EU economy, which should amount to 500 billion euros.
“Our task is to come to an agreement as soon as possible, we cannot waste time. We will have to reach compromises in all directions”, – Merkel said.
On July 1, Germany began a six-month presidency of the EU Council. The chairmanship mechanism allows the EU member country for six months to take on the role of the union leader in resolving topical issues on the agenda.
The German presidency program focuses on the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences, with the emphasis that the EU response, especially in the area of economic recovery, should be strategic and future-oriented, in particular, take into account climate protection goals and adapting the economy to green technologies and further digitalization of the economy with an eye on “digital sovereignty”.