• Ursula von der Leyen's apologies: "Italy we are with you"
  • Coronavirus, Conte a von der Leyen: "More courage is needed"

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03 April 2020 "Eurobonds? We are in constant contact with governments. We know that they are preparing proposals and the French one is already on the table. The Commission has made it clear: we are open to every option, we need an ambitious response , coordinated and effective against the crisis. We are ready to facilitate this work ". To say this is the executive vice-president of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, in an interview with Repubblica and other European newspapers.

"We are working on the Recovery plan to restart the economy. An important element will be the budget. The next financial framework - explains Dombrovskis - must be ambitious and must contain a strong investment component to support the recovery. If we will work following the business as usual, it will be at least a year before these funds are released into the economy. We cannot accept it, we need solutions to put the money into circulation immediately ".

For the former Latvian prime minister "it is logical to use the Mes as the next line of defense because it is already capitalized and already has lending capacity. We have to find a pragmatic compromise, a tailor-made solution for this crisis that allows us to activate it. Some form of conditionality is legally necessary, but we are not talking about a classic macroeconomic conditionality "

In the interview Dombrovskis talks about the "Sure" plan against unemployment and other measures put in place. "We mobilized 3% of the GDP of fresh money and 16% in guarantees. In addition, governments continue to announce new measures and update estimates of the impact of the virus on the economy," he notes. "We are putting in place several measures capable of helping countries with a high financing cost, others are under discussion. The Union and the governments - he assures - are determined to do what is necessary to ensure a rapid recovery".

Conte, "It's time for courage"
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte replies to the President of the EU Commission , published by Repubblica, in which he relaunches the idea of ​​the 'European recovery bond'. "European solidarity has not been felt and now there is no more time to waste. It is time to show more ambition, unity and courage."

Le Maire, "Now decisions, don't chat"
"Decisions, no small talk": this is the warning sent to the partners of the European Union by the French Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, who interviewed this morning by France 24 and RFI underlined the crucial need for the meeting of EU finance ministers next Tuesday may lead to "decisions" and do not remain to "chatter", in a context in which Germany and the Netherlands oppose the introduction of Eurobonds invoked loudly by countries such as Italy and France.

The French minister was confident "There are good decisions that are beginning to be made". But "now we are at the crossroads", he warned in the midst of the health crisis linked to the Coronavirus and behind which the fate of Europe is also at stake.

Schulz, "Supporting Italy. The German coalition is divided over the coronabonds"
"In Italy there are regions such as Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Piedmont which are very affected by the coronavirus but they are also the regions for which Italy is in the G7. If we want this G7 state to remain stable we must also support Italy in the long term in securing its public funding ": said Martin Schulz, former President of the European Parliament and Social Democrat Member, in an interview published today in the weekly Der Spiegel.

"In these conditions, the Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz does well: we must lighten Italy and Spain financially with the Mes umbrella in the short term," he continued.

Compared to the growing anti-German sentiment in Italy, Schulz says to justify it in part because "he is inflamed by the debate on the Eurobonds" and to understand "the desperation of the Italians. But the ranting of a Matteo Salvini does not represent the opinion of the entire Italian people ". On the coronabonds, he commented, the German coalition is divided: "the Union (CDU-CSU) is blocking. The SPD with Norbert Walter-Borjans is in favor".