On July 1, Germany will take over from Croatia as the semi-annual chair of the Council of the European Union. This gives Chancellor Angela Merkel a number of major EU issues to handle.
Initially, the main themes during the German presidency were primarily expected to be the Green Deal, Brexit, the European multiannual budget, and the migration issue. But the coronavirus pandemic demands so much attention that ambitions had to be adjusted, including the financing of the massive corona recovery fund. The priority now lies with coordinating the easing of measures and addressing the economic consequences of the pandemic.
In the coming six months, it is up to Germany to get all European member states on the same page. It has often been demonstrated that the European Union is far from united. But the corona crisis could turn out to be a lever. Because of the financial necessity, it has suddenly become acceptable to discuss the EU taking on joint debt (although it must not be called that), the EU introducing taxes (although it must be called something else), and that a Future Conference must consider new tasks and powers (though hardly anyone dares to say this out loud yet). Merkel announced that she wants to draw lessons from the corona crisis and come to a joint approach.
Both the Brexit negotiations and the multiannual financial framework must be finalized in the six months that Germany chairs the Council. The year 2020 serves as a transition year for Brexit, in which all agreements on, among other things, trade treaties must be made. Nevertheless, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems, despite the circumstances, unwilling to agree to an extension of the negotiation period.
A highlight of the German presidency was supposed to be the EU-China summit in Leipzig. Initially, it was expected that the meeting in September would take place via videoconference. But the summit has been postponed, which was announced recently. To when is still unclear. For Merkel, it is of great importance that Europe finds a unified stance toward China.
The world also ‘needs the strong voice of Europe to protect human dignity, democracy, and freedom,’ Merkel said during the presentation of her EU plans. The Conference on the Future of Europe could be a suitable format to discuss reform proposals, for example in the area of foreign and security policy.