EU President proposes new EU minimum wage rule and even greater reduction in CO2 emissions

Below we present the main elements of the speech, our article is constantly updated.

The population of the European Union has experienced many difficulties in the last six months due to the coronavirus epidemic, many have died, many workers have had to go home and many have realized how vulnerable life and work can be. well-being, said Úrsula at the beginning of her speech. von der Leyen. At the same time, he pointed out how fragile the EU itself and the community of member states can be in the event of an unexpected shock, but Europe, the community of values, has come together to take action on the coronavirus epidemic. This referred to the EU budget for 2021-2027 and the coronavirus recovery fund at the extraordinary EU summit in July, which covers a package of 1820 billion euros at 2018 prices and a dialogue will be held tripartite on the details in these months between the Commission, Parliament and Council.

In a letter this morning, the President of the Commission informed Parliament and the head of the German Presidency, Chancellor Angela Merkel, of the Commission’s plans for the next 12 months and described some of them, but recalled that the Commission had been confused in recent months. You have also made significant strides during your periods. More than 600,000 EU citizens were repatriated from the world when states closed borders, created green corridors to ensure the smooth flow of goods, and although member states imposed an export ban on key medical devices, this practice was abolished.

Suggestions, important messages

• It is time to strengthen the EU health system, so it is proposed that the European Medicines Agency (from the EU4Health program) and the European Epidemiology Center (ECDC) be strengthened, he said.
• The Commission also proposes the creation of a new European Agency for Research and Supply of Medicines so that critical medical equipment and active substances can be supplied to Member States without difficulty if necessary.
• EU health competencies should also be discussed in the future of Europe conference series
• The Commission is organizing a world health summit in Italy next year, when Italy will chair the G20 anyway.
• He also thanked EU leaders and the European Parliament for creating a labor market guarantee fund called SURE and recalled that more than 14 million people had enrolled in part-time programs during the crisis and many were deprived. That is why the Commission is putting a new proposal on the table, which will provide a framework in each Member State so that everyone has the right to access the minimum wage. It is time for people to receive fair pay for their work and minimum wage systems are adequate for that, she declared.
• The EU single market must always function and it is important for the Schengen system to function smoothly, which is why the Commission proposes a new strategy for the future of the Schengen system.
• As already leaked in yesterday’s Commission decision, Ursula von der Leyen has announced that she is proposing to raise the EU’s carbon reduction target for 2030 from 40% to at least 55% compared to 1990 figures. This it will be proposed by the board in the EU climate law and will have to be approved by the EP. She acknowledged that this 55% target was too high for some and too low for others, but stressed that it was key to the future of the Earth and that an amendment to the European CO2 trading scheme would be proposed by the summer of 2021 to achieve it. She also noted that 37% of the € 750 billion in the NextGenerationEU fund decided by Member States in the summer would be turned green, and announced that the Commission had earmarked 30% of the € 750 billion. It will be financed by issuing green bonds. She also indicated that substantial resources from the NextGenEU framework should be allocated to implement the European hydrogen strategy.
• The rule of law is extremely important, it is the basis for the functioning of the EU, which requires a free press, and the Commission will adopt its first report on the rule of law before the end of the month, the results of which will be the starting point for debates on the subject. He stated that the existence of the rule of law is extremely important, the misuse of EU funds is not a basis for negotiation and violations of the rule of law are not tolerated. He added that the Commission considers this to be one of its main objectives, the functioning of a free press, the independence of the judiciary and the cessation of abuses of the “golden passport” system (for example, establishment vouchers) because citizens from the EU can not be sold.
• There is a need for a new European sanctions mechanism (Magnitzky Act) that allows the United States to effectively impose sanctions on companies, institutions, and individuals in many parts of the world.
• The daily poisoning of Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russian opposition politician, with neurotoxin was harshly condemned by the President of the Commission and a mysterious expression that this Russian behavior, which has been repeated for years, will not change by “any line” . He suggested that the German government should seriously consider closing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to reduce Russians’ dependence on gas and set an example that such moves would also have serious financial consequences for Russians.
• After Brexit, the chances of trade negotiations being reached on time decrease every day because there is not enough talk, action and agreement, and at the same time, full compliance with the exit agreement that has already been reached. He recalled that the British would be harmed if they did not comply with this law (and the British government had introduced a bill that violated this, which first passed through the British House of Commons).

More details coming soon.

Cover Image Source: Geert Vanden Wijngaert / Bloomberg via Getty Images