Debate: Conclusions of the Special European Council meeting of and October  - Preparation of the European Council meeting of  and  October
Date: TUESDAY, 6 OCTOBER 2020
Speaker: Maroš Šefčovič
Language: EN

First, I would like to underline the fact that President Michel covered quite extensively the issues linked with foreign policy, but I feel that it was very much present in a lot of interventions, so let me add a couple of points on behalf of the Commission. First and foremost, I would like to underline the unity which was achieved in this European Council: the unity which, as many of you said, took us quite some time. Therefore, I would also refer all of you to the clear statement of our President that, clearly, if comes to human rights and to sanction regimes, we would prefer in the Commission to use the passerelle clause and to move to the qualified majority vote, because I believe that in this case we would be much more action-based, more operational, and it would allow us to be much faster in adopting sometimes very difficult decisions. I would also like to do one more thing. I would like to send a very clear and positive message to the people of Greece and Cyprus: we have your back. You have our unconditional solidarity and strong support, and we stand united in defence of your sovereignty and of your legitimate sovereign rights. I think that it’s also important to underscore the fact that the EU leaders have made it very clear, in the case of renewed unilateral actions by Turkey, that we are ready to use our restrictive measures. That message was also very clear. But we want to reach a solution through dialogue. Many of you – I think the last was Mr Biedroń – made reference to Belarus. I think here our unity was simply a moral obligation, and therefore I am so glad that today the European Union is united at the side of the people of Belarus and that we would fight and push for the right of all Belarus citizens to elect their President through new elections, which would be free and fair. This is the European Union’s position. Therefore, I would underline once again the gradual approach in the case of sanctions against the concrete persons of Belarus. The leaders of the European Parliament – Mr Weber, Mr Cioloş, Ms García Pérez – have made very important reference to the fact that the EU must remain a global player, that we have to make sure that the European Union is a geopolitical union as well, and that we have to reduce the dependencies on third countries – as was underlined by Mr Lamberts – and that what is very important is the jobs, jobs, jobs in this crisis. I want to tell you that we in the Commission hear you loud and clear, and all our actions are aimed at making sure that the European Union remains a global economic superpower, a green and digital transformation leader and a social model for the rest of the world, and that we are the first major economy to put competitive sustainability at the core of our policies. We are working very hard to achieve what Madame Loiseau described so well as the strategic autonomy of our economy. To achieve that, we are strengthening the pillar of social rights. Very soon we will come to present to you our proposals on the minimum wage and on pay transparency. We are going to use the Just Transition Mechanism in a very efficient way to make sure that nobody is left behind in this very demanding twin green and digital transition. We will introduce the concrete steps in applying the new industrial strategy, where we will use fully the convening power of the Commission and the economic strength of the European single market. I am sure you have noticed, because many of you are working on very concrete projects linked with the forging of our new European alliances to make sure that the EU will be the leader in all key technologies of the 21st century. With Mr Ertug we are working together on the European Battery Alliance and, within two and a half years, we have completely reversed the table where Europe is now the number one direction of foreign investment when it comes to batteries. We are investing three times more in Europe in the battery sectors than in China, and we want to achieve the same result when it comes to hydrogen, quantum computing and critical raw materials. We are also very conscious that, to achieve all that, we need to cut red tape and reduce the administrative burden. We will come very soon to you with very concrete proposals in that direction. Ms Geese referred to the importance of a state aid review and Mr Jurzyca underlined the importance of the single market. We are working very hard to remove as many obstacles as possible on the single market to re-energise and revive it, and we are currently undergoing the most in-depth review of the state aid rules in the history of the Commission. Very soon, in the middle of October, we will start to receive the first recovery plans from our Member States, and we clearly want these plans to be focused on people, on their jobs and on the twin transition. We want 20% of the financial support to be used for digital means, 37% for green goal deals, and we want to use this unique chance for every single Member State to leap forward, to build new economies, not to restore the old ones. And I believe that, with the help of all of you, we will achieve that. I would like to reassure Ms Marques and Mr Mureşan that the Commission will do all in its power to be the best facilitator to achieve the speedy agreement on the next multiannual financial perspective and the Next Generation EU Mechanism. Last, a word to Mr Silva Pereira on Brexit. I really would like to thank this House for the strong support which we feel in every step of the negotiations and in every round of talks. I would like to reassure you that Michel Barnier on his track and I myself on the Withdrawal Agreement implementation will negotiate in good faith until the very last minute possible, despite very difficult circumstances.