Germany and France call on EU countries to support the establishment of an economic recovery fund

　　Germany and France call on EU countries to support the establishment of an economic recovery fund

　　Xinhua News Agency, Berlin, June 29 (Reporter Zhang Yuanrenke) German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Macron on the 29th called on the EU countries to support the establishment of a "strong and effective" recovery fund to help countries' economies recover from the new crown epidemic.

　　Merkel met with visiting Macron on the same day in the small town of Messeberg in northern Germany. At a joint press conference held after the meeting, Merkel said that he hoped that the EU countries would finalize the plan for the establishment of a recovery fund in July to help countries whose economies were hit. She said that the German-French joint initiative sends a signal that the two countries will be in step in the next few months, "injecting momentum in the right direction for the future of Europe."

　　Merkel believes that the unity of Germany and France does not mean that the EU countries are united, and there are still some obstacles to be overcome when setting up a recovery fund. She said that countries that are skeptical about the recovery fund “should show our desire to weather the crisis together”.

　　Macron said that the current crisis of the new crown is a "critical moment" and the two countries should change the "critical moment" into a "successful moment." He called on the EU countries to make a decision together to support the regions most in need.

　　In May this year, Germany and France proposed that the EU establish a recovery fund totaling 500 billion euros. At the end of May, the European Commission announced an economic stimulus plan totaling 750 billion euros. This plan must be approved by 27 EU member states and approved by the European Parliament to take effect.

　　This plan has been opposed by Austria, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands at this stage. The four countries opposed the EU's allocation of funds to several southern European countries and advocated the use of loans to provide assistance. (Participating reporter: Tang Ji)