German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday called for a speedy agreement on the coronavirus recovery fund for the European Union.
The two Germans held a joint virtual press conference where they outlined the goals for Germany’s six-month presidency of the EU, which Germany officially took over on Wednesday.
“We have an unprecedented crisis and it needs an unprecedented response,” von der Leyen said.
“Every day we lose will see people losing their jobs, companies going bust, the weakening of our economy. Every single day counts,” she said, calling for urgency on the agreement.
The EU is currently in negotiations over an economic stimulus and investment program worth €750 billion to be controversially financed through shared debts.
Von der Leyen said talks in recent weeks had shown there was common ground in many aspects, but that the details were proving difficult.
Source: Reuters
FINANCED BY
This project was funded in part through a U.S. Embassy grant. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the implementers/authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Government.
PARTNERS
