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A united health Europe. This is the objective that the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pointed out during her first speech on the state of the Union in the European Parliament in Brussels. “With Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the Italian presidency of the G20,” Von der Leyen said, we will organize a world health summit in Italy to show that Europe is there to protect citizens.
“Continue protecting lives”
The president then recalled how because of the pandemic “Europeans continue to suffer. It is a time of anxiety, “he said, and citizens” are worried about how to make ends meet. The uncertainty has not yet been overcome and the recovery is still in its initial phase: our priority is to overcome this phase and Europe can do it. A Europe that, therefore, according to Von der Leyen has all the tools to “continue protecting lives”. Because at this time of pandemic, with Covid still a living threat, we must “handle with prudence, act with responsibility and unity.” The president also said no to the individualistic race of nations for future accumulations of vaccine nationalism. “It is not enough to find a vaccine, but we must make sure that the citizens of Europe and all over the world have access to it. Vaccine nationalism puts lives at risk, only cooperation can save lives ”.
A new strategy for Schengen
“We have a new strategy for Schengen.” Von der Leyen explained in his speech that this will strengthen the European internal market. All of this given the recovery of the continent’s economies “after a 12% drop in GDP.” But given that “the virus continues to circulate,” it is necessary “to find a balance between guaranteeing financial support and budget sustainability,” said the president, who then stopped on the problem of minimum wages. “Everyone in the Union should have a minimum wage,” he said. “They work and the time has come for the work to pay off.” “Wage dumping destroys the dignity of work and penalizes employers, distorts competition in the internal market. We must end this situation. Therefore, the commission will present a proposal for legislation to support member states and “allow everyone to have access to minimum wages or through collective bargaining and legal mini-wages.”
“37% of the Recovery Fund funds for the Green Deal”
European Union emissions “have fallen 25% since 1990”, but “our economy has grown 60%” during the same period. “We are already moving towards a circular economy with neutral emissions of carbon”, says the president who then announces that “37% of the funds of the Next Generation EU plan” will be used “in the implementation of the Green Deal”. The President of the Commission also highlighted the primacy of the EU for the issuance of “green” bonds and announced the objective of “finding 30% of the 750 billion (from the Recovery Fund, ed) thanks to green bonds. This time of global emergency is “the best time to invest in the European technology industry”. Von der Leyen is sure of this, as he announces that 20% of Next Generation Eu funds (the Recovery Fund) will be invested precisely in digital. The president announced the creation of a “European cloud” for data retention, “within the framework of GaiaX”, and explained that it is focusing on the “development of 5G, 6G and fiberglass” to achieve “digital sovereignty of Europe”. And establish “a secure European digital identity”.
