During the plenary session (12-15/11/18) of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs and Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, debate on the future of Europe with Angela MERKEL, German Chancellor. She is the twelfth of EU heads of state or governments to debate on future of Europe with MEPs.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

speech

future of the European Union (T)

EU - Germany (T)

MERKEL, Angela (DE)

Future of Europe: extracts from the closing statement by Angela MERKEL, German Chancellor

SOUNDBITE (German), Angela MERKEL, German Federal Chancellor, <p>I would like to say that the community method as far as Germany is concerned has always been strengthened and will always be strengthened. But in the European Council at the moment we're in a situation where it's almost a motto that the European treaties can never ever be changed. Let me be frank with you that if you're going to align yourself with that thinking then Europe is going to become sclerotic. We have a community which faces new challenges and must react to them and must therefore be able to face the future with treaties that can be changed.</p>

SOUNDBITE (German), Angela MERKEL, German Federal Chancellor, <p>And now the whole of Europe 500 million people have said in the face of the 6 million Syrians, Iraqis we've taken 1.15 million and we've helped them in a very dramatic situation where many Europeans were helped in similar way in previous times. Do you really think that that is something which has put us in a position of being unable to act. Obviously we must ensure that where you've got illegal migration people spending all their money on traffickers that we don't end up there. This is where we entered into the agreement with Turkey.This has been much criticised. It was precisely to try and turn illegal migration into legal migration.</p>

SOUNDBITE (German), Angela MERKEL, German Federal Chancellor, Let me round off with climate protection. I've just said a little about gas, we've got very ambitious climate objectives and we will be trying to attain those objectives, and in 2030 we really do need to make sure that we've attained those goals. We've got the climate legislation in place as Mrs. Keller well knows. Let me say that it was Wolfgang Sch&auml;uble in the G20 and in the Presidency of Germany who tackled tax avoidance, who tried to put together a BEPS international agreement, this is precisely now what's been implemented and I think Germany has paid a very important contribution in bringing that about.

SOUNDBITE (German), Angela MERKEL, German Federal Chancellor, We want to extend a hand to Italy, I say this clearly, Italy is a founding member of the Union, but Italy also agreed to all sorts of rules that we have at the basis for action in Europe and so they can't just tear them up and say, we are not interested in this anymore. The Commission here of course has an important role and I hope that solutions will be found. That is my passionate wish and I have expressed this to Prime Minister Conte.

SOUNDBITE (German), Angela MERKEL, German Federal Chancellor, I think all of those who are convinced that essentially the multilateral project of Europe, of European unification was the right answer to the lessons of history, is the right answer to the challenges of the future, all of those people must stand shoulder to shoulder in this conviction and work together in a respectful way with one another to find solutions. And that is the spirit in which I will continue to work.