Date: 2020-05-27
Mr President, honourable Members, thank you for giving me the opportunity to say a few words on the EU Recovery Package submitted by the Commission today. This is still very fresh and the delegations are studying it as we meet. You will therefore understand that I am not in a position to address the substance of the proposals. There will be other occasions for that. At this stage, I would like to recall the delegations' expectations and tell you how the Presidency intends to take the work forward. First, I will start with the expectations. At the end of April, leaders agreed to work towards establishing a Recovery Fund, and I quote, 'which is needed and urgent'. Their expectation is that this fund should be of sufficient magnitude and targeted toward the sectors and geographical parts of Europe most affected and be dedicated to dealing with this unprecedented crisis. The Commission was therefore tasked with analysing the exact needs and to urgently come up with a proposal that is commensurate with the challenge we are facing. The Commission was expected to clarify the link with the MFF, which, according to the leaders, will need to be adjusted to deal with the current crisis and its consequences. As a response to this tasking, the Commission prepared a comprehensive package of horizontal proposals, which is presented today. The political guidance was clear. Delegations will assess the package in this light, and work on the details starts now. Turning now to how the Presidency intends to organise the work, the key word is urgency. Last month the leaders emphasised their commitment to reaching an agreement as soon as possible. We all know that time is running out, and we need to move ahead as fast as possible. Our economies require it; our citizens expect it. It is therefore the Presidency's responsibility to take work forward on the Commission's proposal without delay. In line with that, the Ministers of European Affairs held a discussion on the comprehensive economical and social recovery of the EU, including an adjusted MFF and a recovery instrument, at an informal video conference yesterday. Furthermore, we put this as a topic on the agenda of COREPER for a first discussion immediately after the presentation of this package today. Technical work will also be required to understand the proposals before leaders can have a meaningful discussion. To that end, we will mobilise the Council at all levels, both physically and with help from technology. Throughout, we will be attentive to the Parliament's views. In this spirit, we reviewed carefully the resolution you adopted at the last plenary on the new MFF, own resources and recovery plan. As mentioned on that occasion, continuous cooperation between the Council and the European Parliament will be an essential part of the process, either at horizontal level or at sectorial level. I take this occasion to remind you that, beyond the MMF agreement, there are dozens of other negotiations. They concern programmes that turn EU support into actions on the ground. There too, time is of the essence. We have to make as much progress as possible at sectorial level. We need to make the most of the time available now. We owe it to all the future beneficiaries of these programmes, including students, small businesses, local authorities and others. Now more than ever, they will need our support to get their projects off the ground. This will help the recovery of our economies, our regions and our cities, and we look forward to working with you to meet these expectations.