Preparation of the European Council meeting of 25 and 26 March 2021 – Digital Green Certificate (debate)
Speaker: Martin SCHIRDEWAN (Germany, The Left group in the European Parliament - GUE/NGL / DIE LINKE.)
Date: 2021-03-24

  Manfred Weber,  on behalf of the PPE Group. – We are in the middle of the third wave, and Europeans are dying every day. There are a lot of concerns outside, a lot of people are afraid, even scared. We have new lockdown measures all over Europe and a severe economic crisis, probably the biggest since the Second World War.
That’s why our main message to the Council is: please stick together, please act together – we need unity in this critical moment of European history. Stop playing games, and we together have to do whatever we can do to vaccinate as many Europeans as soon as possible. That’s why the increase of production capacities is key. We really appreciate the work of Thierry Bretton in this regard.
The certificate is a good step. I from PPE Group point of view can already clarify that we are in favour of a fast-track procedure, we want to bring this certificate as quick as possible alive. But allow me to also express that the idea of a certificate is not a new idea. We already discussed it in autumn last year.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis already presented this in Council in January this year, and now we are in March, and the Commission is coming forward with a proposal. I like the proposal, but it is too late. And now you’re coming with a fast-track procedure. Normally, we all should really speed up in this process.
The most important thing is that we have to keep our summer promise to offer every European a vaccination. The credibility of the European Union is already under pressure. We know this, and that’s why this promise is about trust; we have to deliver whatever it takes.
I’m also proud, like a lot of colleagues - I think, about the reality, and the situation that we share the vaccines with the rest of the world. But we have to see the reality – the rest of the world is not doing the same. The rest of the world is egoistic. The rest of the world is cold. And that’s why we Europeans should not be naive. That’s why I, on behalf of the PPE Group, welcome the revision of the export authorisation mechanism; reciprocity and proportionality are key criteria for the future.
We’ve sent 9 million vaccines to the UK, and they’ve delivered zero. We’ve sent more vaccines in the last three months to the UK than we have given to Spain. Dear colleagues, that is a reality, and that’s why we need to be loud and clear – the priority must be the European Union, the priority for the next month must be the Europeans. We cannot not endanger the lives and health of our fellow citizens anymore.
The implementation is now key. We see now the news from AstraZeneca. 29 million doses stockpiled in in Italy. I don’t know about the background but we need immediate clarification on this. If this is true, Vice-President, then I think the Commission must immediately prepare a breach of contract procedure as regards AstraZeneca. I would also say that it is unthinkable that we from now on export any kind of doses from AstraZeneca to the rest of the world until the company is ready to fulfil the contract, which they have with the European Union.
The export has another element which I want to mention, and that is about the question of who gets then the doses. We’ve sent to Saudi Arabia more doses in the last three months than to the Baltic countries combined. Northern Macedonia has the highest death rate per capita in the world, and they get zero doses from Europe. Zero currently.
Today the decision who gets the exported vaccines is a business question. It is decided at international level by headquarters of big companies, of pharmaceutical companies, but it is not decided by the question where is the biggest need, and by geopolitical questions like the region of Northern Macedonia. That is not a criteria currently, and that’s why we have to go further. We spend money for COVAX, but we have no vaccines for COVAX. That is the reality today, and that’s why we need a general revision of this procedure of the European Union. We are not in normal times.
I want to also focus on external affairs. I want to thank our President David Sassoli and all colleagues who contributed now to the China developments. From a Chinese point of view, some colleagues see now sanctions. I say, they’re our heroes in the fight for human rights, and I applaud them, they have so full support of the whole Chamber and we are proud of them that they are doing such a great job. 
The same guiding principle that we fight for the European way of life, for human rights, freedom, democracy, rule of law, equal treatment of men and women in regard to Turkey. That’s why we welcome also the statement of the Commission towards Turkey.
That is a step in the right direction.
And on Russia, let me underline that there is a need, obviously again, to discuss Nord Stream 2 when Joe Biden is there. This House was always clear in the last years that is not in the interests of the European Union. Nord Stream 2 harms our neighbours like the Ukraine, like our Ukrainian friends, and gas is financing the Putin system, which is not in the interest of the European Union. That’s why Nord Stream 2 is not a business case at all. We need a political discussion on this. 
That is at stake when it is about the decision of the European Council, and if you allow me finally, Mr President, I know that we have tomorrow a discussion about Malta. I only want to express, having in mind that Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered years ago, because she simply did her job in the fight against corruption, and her weapon was her pen.
Having this in mind that now of one murders said publicly that two ministers were involved in Malta in this process, I think that is an issue which we all have to be aware of and have to be concerned about. I say today because I wish that, for once, the European Council would also have the strength to discuss these rule of law questions also in the format of the Council, and not just leave it to the Commission.