Special European Council - “We’re entering the consultations with plenty of vigour”
EU Heads of State and Government are meeting in Brussels for a special European Council. Their talks will focus on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the recovery fund to fight the impact of coronavirus.
EU Heads of State and Government are meeting in Brussels for a special European Council. Their talks will focus on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the recovery fund to fight the impact of coronavirus.
Before the start of the meeting, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel i underlined that “everyone (was) entering the consultations with plenty of vigour”. For the first time, the Council would talk “about the combination of the recovery fund and the Multiannual Financial Framework”, Merkel said.
A “great willingness to compromise” is needed from all sides
She said that the differences in the positions were, however, “still very, very big”. It was thus not possible to predict whether the Council would achieve a result this time. To do so, a “great willingness to compromise” was needed from all sides. The Federal Chancellor said that Germany, together with France, wanted to support the President of the European Council, Charles Michel i. “We will now have to work hard,” she said.
Focus on finances
This is the first time that the members of the European Council are meeting in person since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. The question of how the economic and social impact of the pandemic can be mitigated is a clear priority on the agenda. In concrete terms, the European Council will discuss the Multiannual Financial Framework and the €750-billion emergency recovery instrument, Next Generation EU.
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The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) lays down how much the EU can spend during a stipulated period, usually seven years. The MFF does not contain concrete programmes, but merely defines the upper thresholds for overarching issues. The next MFF will apply from 2021 to 2027 and will be decided under Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Aid or loans?
One important question concerns the amounts of funding that will be available to the member states as non-repayable aid or as loans. Speaking on the topic of European solidarity in April, the Federal Chancellor said: “Germany can only fare well in the long term if Europe fares well.” This is also the motto of Germany’s Council Presidency: “Together for Europe’s recovery.”
Further background information on the topics being discussed at the summit and live streams of the participants’ arrival and press conferences are available here: