European Union: Berlin hands over presidency to Lisbon amid the Covid-19 crisis
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa.
Portugal will take over the rotating presidency of the European Union from January 1, 2021 © Reuters / Rafael Marchant
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
Like every six months, a handover took place this morning within the European Union.
Portugal will hold the presidency of the 27 for the next six months.
Lisbon takes over from Germany at the end of a long-awaited mandate which was turned upside down by the pandemic.
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Manage crises.
This has been Angela Merkel's specialty for 15 years, recalls our correspondent in Berlin,
Pascal Thibaut
.
The financial then economic crisis at the end of the last decade, the crisis in the Euro zone, that of refugees, Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.
No head of government or head of state has such experience in Europe.
Angela Merkel
has avoided the Union "
shattering
" underlines the German press.
Berlin's historic compromise on a European common debt for the solidarity fund, the marathon summit in July, negotiations with Hungary and Poland, which some believe bitter to avoid an implosion: this is to be credited to the German presidency .
Like this ambitious commitment for the climate by 2030, the implementation of which remains to be monitored.
Universal European vaccination
The
agreement on the future relations
of the European Union with the United Kingdom was negotiated by Brussels but Berlin can only welcome it.
And Germany pushed for an agreement in principle EU / China on investments to be reached at the last minute.
Despite everything, the pandemic turned the long-awaited German presidency upside down.
To its liabilities, we can register the lack of agreement on the migration file or the conference on the future of Europe at a standstill.
However, in Brussels, one wonders who after the departure of the Chancellor will play her role in the event of a major crisis.
►Also listen: International guest - China-EU investment agreement: "Xi Jinping is offered a diplomatic victory"
For its part, Portugal is taking the rotating presidency of the European Council for the 4th time.
The presidency will be strongly marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and Lisbon has already set the tone.
Antonio Costa, the Portuguese Prime Minister, made universal European vaccination one of the priority axes of his mandate at the head of Europe, explains our correspondent in Lisbon,
Marie-Line Darcy
.
A social Europe for Lisbon
A sign of the times, Portugal's governmental hierarchy has been changed for the six-month European presidency.
To the head of government the management of the Covid-19 and economic issues, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva the day-to-day management of the presidency of the council.
Under the motto "time to act for a fair, green and digital recovery", Lisbon sets the tone for its priorities.
With the establishment of national economic recovery and resilience plans in order to accelerate the arrival of aid in countries in difficulty.
But, despite or because of these economic imperatives, Lisbon does not want to forget social Europe and will organize a summit on this issue, involving civil society.
Finally, in addition to the delicate post-Brexit issue (when the divorce is pronounced), Portugal fully intends to carry the issues that are close to its heart, such as relations with Africa and the Indo-zone. peaceful.
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European Union
Angela Merkel
Coronavirus
Germany
Portugal