During the plenary session to coordinate the EU’s action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences in the European Parliament in Brussels (16 April 2020), Opening statement by Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council. The following transcription is the result of an automatic process. Check Against delivery.

Brussels

debate

plenary session

MICHEL, Charles (BE)

Coronavirus outbreak (T)

EU coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences: Opening statement by Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Opening the debate

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, I would like to adress to all those who were directly or indirectly affected by this crisis. There's global crisis. We express our gratitude to all citizens who are working, who are also accepting these severe restrictions on their liberties, which have such an impact on their everyday lives. For every one, each and every one of us.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Now, there can be no doubt. The only option right now is to come together, shoulder to shoulder, to come together as different regions of the world and to work together. And that's exactly what the European institutions will help to help us to do.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, So let me just give you some information about how the council has been acting in this crisis. That we've had three council meetings with via video conference that were focussed on this crisis and trying to provide solutions and answers and coordinating actions, finding ways to coordinate and cooperate amongst countries.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Now, when We understood the scale of the crisis, we took action immediately to try and slow down the contagion so across borders. So, of course, that has an impact on the single market. So we were trying to ensure that research could continue on treatments, vaccines.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, So together with the European Commission, we're trying to really redouble those efforts so that we can speed up and fast track this research so we can find a scientific solution to the treatment problems that we currently have. Now, to give you some concrete information.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, The council and commission have a double mandate when it comes to working on a roadmap. We need to work on this roadmap to come up with good practice recommendations and foster the best possible level of cooperation between the member states and together work on an exit strategy, a strategy that will allow us to gradually come out of the restrictions we're living under. And using specific criteria to determine this.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Secondly, it's going to be about helping heads of state and government in the short and medium term when it comes to relaunching their economies. And it's not just relaunching, but also transforming their economies, because we have to come out of this crisis and be aware of the fact that we want economies to be resilient, to be stronger and capable of coping.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, What are, in my opinion, the full shift us for, which is very important to try to open the debate and to try to take some decisions together, to take steps together. The first priority, in my opinion, in order to to succeed in such a recovery strategy is certainly the single market. How is it possible to weed bear the single market as soon as possible?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, But it's not only that. It's also. How is it possible to strengthen, to deepen the single market? Because it's our first strength at the European level. And it will be it will be essential to try to consider that the European deal and the digital agenda will be no doubt, in my opinion, the first priority.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, It will be a very strong leverage in order to be successful in that in the next months, in the next year. I think also that it would be very essential to to build a very strong industrial strategy and also at the same time to consider the network of the European SMEs as a very strong pillar. It's important. It's essential to continue to support our SMEs and to give them the possibility to build a strong strategy for the future.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, I also think that the question of the circular economy will have to be further developed. Now, there were some very good, solid proposals that had been discussed in parliament and that had been put forward by the European Commission because looking to the future.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, We'll need to further develop that idea of a circular economy so that we're able to transform the structure of the economy in the wake of climate change and make some strategic changes that will take place here in the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, So that's something that we'll have to consider. We'll have to be have solid European assets involved in this. And that's going to have an international dimension.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Of course, the possibility to develop a very strong strategy in order to invest, to invest massively. We saw current approach with a national dimension, with also with a European ambition. And it's certain that we will continue all our political efforts in order to which agreement we do in the next European budget.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, We had the occasion to discuss a lot the last two weeks, the last months about this very difficult topic. But maybe it's a unique occasion. The next seven years. How is it possible with this European budget to dish some to some posibilities in order to develop this traunch strategy, which we which we need for our common future?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, The European Investment Bank as a key instrument that we must use as well. You will have seen that even before the coronavirus struck. I'd been arguing for boosting the capital of the European Investment Bank to increase the leverage that we have through that.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, So the ECB, the EIB is going to show solidarity. It's going to be a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to guaranteeing a level playing field and ensuring that all the member states and all European citizens can look forward to succeeding and have the same kind of ambitions.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, So the third point now, and I think this is essential is external action. So beyond the European Union's borders. So this strong European position is going to be more important now than ever to promote European principles. And here, European external action is going to be very important indeed. And we'll need a specific focus. And the Europe the African continent, continent will play an important role.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Understand I know that European leaders, together with African leaders, made statements to say that they would work together to support healthcare systems in Africa, to talk about debt relief as well, which is a major burden on countries in African continent

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, And to push forward with smart investment in everybody's interests. In a way that's coordinated together with the digital agenda, with the green deal with climate action. So here it's going to be absolutely and everybody's joint interest to work in this sense in the coming months and years. And the fourth point I'd like to mention.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, We need to ask ourselves about European governance and European resilience. How can we ensure that we emerge from this crisis stronger? How can we improve cooperation, procedures and processes? And I know this was discussed along a lot.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, The conference on the future of Europe, within a few months, when we can really launch this idea, we will need to create a democratic space, a political space, not just for European institutions, but for citizens across Europe to come together and shape Europe's future.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, There's clearly going to be an ambition here, too, to push forward change, to to adjust things and to to really hone in on European values of solidarity, of freedom. And those will be the core issues. We'll keep coming back to that. That will be the red light, our guiding line here. We'll need to try and.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Keep up heads above water and keep an eye on the values that bring us together. And that will move drive us forward. So in short, there are many challenges that we face right now. I think we've shown in the past that we've been able to cope with adversity in difficult times. And sometimes it takes a crisis to bring people together to really bring our creative thinking and to find solutions.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, And all of this will be necessary in the future. We will need to discuss different ideas for solutions in the short and medium and long term. And I'm I have faith in our capacity to do this, in our ability to cope and to ensure that we can make European democracy work and European institutions work and in a legitimate way.