Debate: Conclusions of the European Council meeting of  and  October , in particular the negotiations of the future relations with the UK
Date: WEDNESDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2020
Speaker: Maroš Šefčovič
Language: EN

There is a question that is on every European’s mind today: when will the pandemic finally pass? No one has the answer. The second wave has come. Infections are rising at a worrying speed again and our Member States again have to take action to contain the second wave and eventually to stop it. Since the first wave hit us, Europe has achieved a lot. Let me just name our main strands of work: vaccines, European coordination and our resilience to prevent future crises. First, progress on vaccines. We now have three contracts in place with pharmaceutical companies and three more are being finalised. This means that, if they manage to develop a vaccine, there will be doses reserved for Europeans. It also means that all Member States will get a future vaccine on the same terms and at the same time. Last week, the European Commission delivered a vaccination plan, a European framework on who should get the vaccine first. Our vaccination plan is based on science and on common sense. Health workers will take precedence. High on the list will also be people over 60, people at risk because of their health and of course essential workers, people who cannot socially distance and people who are disadvantaged because of their socioeconomic background. We want to protect these people because it’s not only a matter of social justice. We believe it’s the smartest way to ease the pressure on our health system and slow down contagion. Second, progress on European coordination. Last week, the Council adopted the Commission’s proposal on colour codes and data exchange. This means that all Member States are now speaking the same language when it comes to their citizens’ health and it means clarity for people who need to travel across the border. It is now essential to implement these decisions in full and it is also essential to agree on common rules on testing and quarantine. From Spain to Sweden, we are all facing the same disease so our precautions against it should also be the same. But we are also aware that we still have a long way to go. It will be months before a vaccine is found and distributed. We must be very disciplined and help everyone to contain the spread of the virus as much as possible in the coming weeks and months. If we fail to do so, we run the risk not only of losing the achievements in the area of health protection, but we are also risking Europe’s economic recovery, which we launched with great effort before the summer break. No one in Europe wants a second lockdown. People don’t want that and companies don’t want it either. That is why I call on European citizens to behave responsibly. Protect yourself and others. But there is also a lot at stake economically in other areas. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has just touched upon them, namely our negotiations with the United Kingdom and our climate target for 2030. Let me first update you on our negotiations with the UK. The deal we are trying to achieve would be absolutely unprecedented. This was the will of the EU and the UK when agreeing on the scope of the future partnership in our joint political declaration and it is still our will. No other economy is as closely aligned to ours as the British economy. It is only natural after almost 40 years as a part of the single market. UK companies produce the same products, within the same value chains, and with almost no transport costs to reach our market. We need to ensure that the European Union and the United Kingdom’s companies face fair competition on the EU market. This is why we have put so much emphasis on ensuring a level playing field and on governance and conflict resolution.  Together with fisheries, these are the main outstanding issues where we are still far apart. On each of these issues, we still have to test whether it is possible to find common ground with our British friends. This needs hard work. We have made it clear that we are ready to engage intensively to find solutions. There is no time to lose. Our objective is still to reach an agreement that will pave the way for a new fruitful relationship between the EU and the UK. We will continue to work for such an agreement, but not at any price. My good colleague and friend, Michel Barnier, will provide you with additional information on the subject. If you allow me, I will now turn to the Withdrawal Agreement, which must be fully operational as of 1 January 2021. Deal or no deal, the Withdrawal Agreement must be respected.  It is not only a matter of trust, which is of course key, but also of political responsibility vis-à-vis our citizens and peace and stability on the island of Ireland. Therefore I welcome that, at the last Joint Committee meeting, we managed to strike a constructive approach. Now it will be vital that this translates into concrete workable operational solutions. Finally, let me say a few words on our climate ambitions. Two weeks ago, this Parliament voted for a very ambitious recommendation. The European Council has not yet reached an agreement on targets and percentages but, rest assured, the Commission will continue to push for Europe’s Heads of State and Government to unite behind an ambitious climate objective of at least 55% by 2030 and this agreement must come before the end of the year.  Last week, we presented two more stepping stones to pave the way towards 55%, the renovation wave and the methane strategy. Our next steps will include revision of the Emissions Trading System, the strategy for offshore wind, the revised regulation for the trans-European energy networks, the mobility strategy and the new proposal for the circular economy. We have a plan that can lead us to 55% and, thanks to Next Generation EU, we have the resources to turn it into reality. We know how we can achieve this goal, but it is also important to remind ourselves why we are doing it. We are going for at least 55% because this is the only way to contain global warming. We made a commitment in Paris and we want to keep our word, but we are also doing this because it makes sense economically. If we go for at least 55%, it will strengthen our first-mover advantage in clean technologies. Our companies will be the leaders in tomorrow’s markets. We will become less dependent on energy imports from the rest of the world. As we work here in Europe, they are also engaging on the global stage so that other countries match our ambition. Europe wants to lead the way and today many others are following our example but never forget that in the near future companies will compete on international markets based on who has the best green technologies. We have to increase the pace of green innovation to remain competitive. It is the right thing to do and the smartest choice as well. Fifty—five percent is an insurance on Europe’s future. I have to repeat and underline that it’s decision time. Europe must be ambitious for our planet, for our economy and for our next generation.