EU Summit deal: Renew Europe welcomes historic leap forward on recovery fund, will negotiate hard to build a stronger MFF
Responding to the political agreement reached in the European Council on the MFF and Next Generation EU, the COVID19 recovery fund, President of Renew Europe, Dacian Cioloș said:
“The agreement of the recovery fund, the brainchild of Renew Europe, is a highly welcome, ground-breaking leap forward for the European Union and a tangible response to the COVID19 pandemic. It is a step change that we hope will set a gold standard for how our Union deals with future shocks. The commitment of Charles Michel and others to find a consensus and the stamina of EU leaders has been admirable, but this summit has also shown why a deeper reform of the governance of the EU is essential if we are to move our project forward. "
Commenting on the MFF proposals, President Cioloș said:
“The Council’s proposal needs consistent improvements. We have always said the recovery fund cannot be delivered at the expense of a modernised MFF, which must represent strong, long term and strategic investment, particularly on Horizon, the digital agenda, Erasmus, migration and health in times of crisis. We need a package that moves Europe forward, based on our values and aspirations for a stronger Europe that invests for the future. "
"We need an MFF, with sufficient means, that invests in the future of all Europeans. We will thus continue to press for the introduction of new own resources as soon as possible. We need a strong European capacity to repay the cost of the recovery plan. We will also press for a strong and effective way to tackle Europe's rule of law crisis, that applies to all EU member States equally."
On the need for reform of the EU’s Governance after a protracted summit, Dacian Cioloș said:
"These mammoth negotiations show that, while the spirit of compromise is alive and kicking, reform is needed now more than ever. This is why a citizen led reinvention of the European project via a Conference on the Future of Europe, a flagship policy of Renew Europe, is so important. We need to look closely at how improvements can be made at all levels of EU governance, to ensure decisions can be taken in the interests of citizens in a more efficient manner, to make Europe stronger and more resilient.
ENDS