COVID-19 Coronavirus: Michel (European Council) writes to 27 leaders. “EU needs an exceptional response to this crisis”

“The central theme of the meeting will be the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the Recovery Plan. A lot of work has been done in the Council to help prepare the ground and to allow all delegations to get a clear understanding of the various parts of the proposal. It is now time for the members of the European Council” to discuss “in depth” the package put together to address the crisis caused by the pandemic. European Council President Charles Michel wrote this in a letter to the heads of state and government of the 27 EU Member States ahead of their video conference meeting scheduled for Friday, 19 June. “I think - he wrote - we are all aware of the complexity of the proposals and the time needed to deal with them. Our meeting on Friday should be a crucial stepping stone towards an agreement at a subsequent physical meeting”. Michel then listed “a number of points where I feel a consensus is emerging”: the EU “needs an exceptional response to this unprecedented crisis, commensurate with the magnitude of the challenge”; “the response should be financed through Commission borrowing on the financial markets and, to allow for that, we need to increase the own resources ceiling”; “our effort should be targeted towards the most affected sectors and geographical parts of Europe”.
Valentina Bombelli