During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels (08-10 July 2020), Angela MERKEL, German Chancellor presents the programme of activities of the German Presidency. Opening statement by Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the European Commission

Brussels

debate

plenary session

EU - Germany (T)

German Presidency of the EU (T)

VON DER LEYEN, Ursula (DE, EC)

Presentation of the programme of activities of the German Presidency: Opening statement by Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the European Commission

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, We truly look forward to the beginning of the German council presidency. You don't choose council presidencies. Of course they are allocated by a strict rota, and Germany now has its term during a time that with challenges that nobody could predict the expectations of German. You, the German Presidency are high. But that is a positive thing because it means that we place our trust in you. Ladies and gentlemen, the corona-crisis has caused so many things into question. On the economic side, the social side, and so many things that we have been taking for granted, the way we perceive ourselves and the way we perceive our relationship with others.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, And all of this takes place against a backdrop when the structures that have existed for so long are becoming gradually fragile. We are called upon to think about the value of solidarity community. We are beginning to read through, think about the future of our Europe that needs to be reshaped on an ongoing basis. And it's true that at the beginning we tended to look at the small things and lose sight of the big picture. But we pulled ourselves together and Sue saw the situation through European eyes and felt the situation with a European heart. So Madam Chancellor, it was also because of the German contribution to the discussions that responsibility for everything as a whole once again came into focus.

<p>SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, We've heard the words and seen actions that give us hope across the continent. And everything that is good for Europe must also be good for us. And when I hear that, I see that this is the guiding principle. This is the zeitgeist we're living in now that's been rediscovered. This responsibility for the whole I think that is going to be a very sound basis for a presidency and it will set the course for the future of the union. </p>

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, The challenge ahead of you, the rotating presidency and the head of us all in the next six months could not be more extraordinary. And in the last six months, more than 100000 lives have been lost in Europe because of Covid-19. We have entered the worst recession since almost 100 years. The summer forecast from yesterday shows a contraction of more than 8 percent this year, with only a partial rebound next year. This crisis is deeper and it is way broader than the one 10 years ago. But the one 10 years ago is still vividly present in the memories. And some of our members states during that crisis and your sky rocketing youth unemployment, they saw young people leaving home in droves to search for job opportunities elsewhere.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, They saw an unprecedented drop in public investment to a historical low levels, all of which ultimately damage public programs and public infrastructure severely. And for many, this was a traumatizing experience, but it does not have to be that way in other parts of our union. The economy was supported by strong public investment from the very beginning of the crisis. People were able to stay in their jobs. That was when the concept subside, was implemented on a large scale, and this allowed some to come out stronger from the crisis. Then they went in it and we should draw lessons from this and this time we should do it together. If we do it right, we can also emerge stronger from this crisis thanks to a common European purpose and thanks to next generation EU.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, And this presidency has chosen one word at the core of its programme, reminds them together to sound sombre. And that's the engine of our union honourable members. They are two points I want to emphasize. First of all, solidarity means that those who need it get more support. But what it does not intend survives is a lack of action. And that is why in next generation, EU investment is linked to reforms based on our existing country specific recommendation of the European Semester. And let me tell you, each and every member state has a homework to do. There is not one member states that has not country specific recommendations that should be linked as reforms to the investment. And if we want to come out stronger from this crisis, we must all change for the better.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, There is not a single member state that is exempted from that. We must all change to the better. And this is also what European people expect from us. They are certainly very different in their individual expectations, but they are completely united in wanting to drink clean water, to breathe fresh air, to see their children grow up a nature. And what they certainly not want is that politics contributes to increased flooding, to heat waves, to droughts and to the loss of millions of species. And this is a very real scenario in case of non action. And therefore, economic recovery is inseparable. From the European Green Deal as well from digitalisation and as well inseparable from resilience.  And my second point is, do not neglect the core MFFour seven year budget over next generation EU. We need them both.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Next Generation EU is for the acute crisis, but the MFF is there to stay. It is the most important tool to implement our long term goals. Research, innovation, migration, foreign policy, security. Just to name a few. And these policies need real European added value and they need a strong seven year budget to bring all that to life. Honourable members, all this has to be agreed now in the next weeks to clear the path for all the other topics that we want to tackle by the end of the year. We will have to chart the path towards a goal of our goal of a climate neutral Europe.  In September we will propose the European Union's new 2030 climate target, underpinned by a robust impact assessment. And here cooperation with the European Parliament and the European Council will be vital. We will also aim to click the digital transition into a higher gear.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Honourable members. Over the course of this Presidency, we will do our utmost to ensure that an agreement can be reached with the United Kingdom in order to ensure that we can respect the core principles that bind us in Europe. And it's, of course, important for us to maintain strong transatlantic relations, even if there are many problems. And partnership with Africa is at the very heart of the council presidency, as it is also at the very core of my own commission programme, it's at the front line of this virus, but we must show very clearly that our partnership with Africa is not a good time partnership, but that solidarity prevails even when things get tough. And we should continue to work with China to establish a partnership that is more balanced at long last. The time has come to open a conference on the future of Europe. We all want to get it started as soon as the health conditions are right. And it's for all those reasons that I am truly pleased to be able to count on the experience of Germany.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, And the Council meeting last week showed us very clearly that this is the time to come together. Thank you very much.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, Thank you to President Von der Leyen. We now hear from the political group presidents starting with Manfred WEBER for the European People's Party.