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For the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, the agreement reached is the result of much resistance to the pressures that unleashed an arm fight since July, delaying the approval process in the Council and the European Parliament and consecutive ratification in the National Parliaments.
Therefore, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who, as António Costa has said, closes the rotating presidency of the European Union “with a flourish”, was moderately satisfied with the late result.
“I want to say that it is a burden to the soul that only now have we really managed, in a joint effort, to transfer the budget and the recovery fund to Parliament, including the conditionality mechanism,” Merkel said at the end of the marathon summit. Practically 24 hours.
“It was a huge job, but we can all see how the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic puts pressure on us and threatens the security of the European Union’s finances,” she said, still satisfied with “the signal of cooperation that was needed.”
At the end of the summit, the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, considered the package of one billion and 800 billion as an instrument that “will help to give a strong economic response to the crisis, while preserving the [mecanismo] The rule of law “.
“The citizens and the entire European Union need our support, more than ever, and they need it now,” von der Leyen said without referring to the political statement that affirms that there will be no automatic blocking of funds, not even from next year when a member state breaches the rule of law. This, although there is also approval for the mechanism.
The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, was satisfied with an agreement that meets the objectives he intended, because “if any state is accused of violating the rules of the rule of law, the main mechanism remains the one written in the article 7 “. , as a priority. “
“Any other mechanism like this [agora aprovado] it can only be unleashed later, “Orbán said, stressing that since July he has resisted an arm fight,” refusing to be blackmailed or to do something unacceptable for our nations “(Hungary and Poland).
“Congratulations Mateusz and a little congratulations to me too,” Orbán said, laughing with his Polish counterpart, at a joint press conference, to which they asked for a break from the summit, before the dawn of negotiations on the climate agenda.
OR dossier not closed yet. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wants to see if the mechanism complies with Community law and admits to going to the European Union court of justice. “We fight for our rights, we fight for the clarity and correctness of the laws. And we fight for the treaties, so that they are not circumvented by secondary laws, “he said.
The agreement guarantees both countries access to EU money and allows Europe to go ahead with the post-pandemic recovery plan. However, to give the green light to the financial perspective package, Hungary and Poland have reached an interpretation text that in practice avoids the blocking of European money, even if the mechanism is activated, in case of default.
The President of the European Commission believes that the mechanism provides the necessary instruments to enforce the rule of law. But it is not automatic.
“We will need some time until we have developed the guidelines for the conditionality mechanism as a whole. After the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the violations [ao Estado de Direito] It will be treated. That is, as of January 1, no case will be lost ”, he guaranteed.
“We need to finalize the approval of the package, with the help of parliament, as soon as possible,” said Von der Leyen, recalling that “it is up to the member states to also ensure the prompt ratification, which is essential to give strength to our economy so quickly” . as possible “.
Weather
During the night, the 27 debated on the climate agenda and agreed with the objective proposed by the Commission to “meet the objective of an EU with a neutral climate impact by 2050, in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement”.
“The European Council approves a binding EU target of a net internal reduction of at least 55% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 1990 figures”, read the conclusions of the Summit.
COVID-19
Prime Minister António Costa “suggested” to the European Commission and the other members of the Council that vaccination programs be coordinated and started “simultaneously” in all states.
“What is planned is that on December 29, the European Medicines Agency will be able to license the first vaccine that can enter into circulation and that can be applied within the European Union,” said the Prime Minister, admitting that January 5, the date announced by the Belgian Prime Minister to start vaccination in Belgium, is an “excellent day”, also in the case of Portugal.
“The European Council welcomes the recent positive announcements on the development of effective vaccines against Covid-19 and the conclusion, by the Commission, of previous purchase agreements”, reads the text signed by all, in which they recognize that “the arrival of vaccines does not mean that the pandemic is over” and that the epidemiological situation in Europe “continues to be worrying.”
Turkey
The 27 acknowledge that Turkey “has carried out unilateral acts and provocations and has intensified its rhetoric against the EU, EU member states and European leaders.”
“Turkey continues to carry out unilateral and provocative activities in the eastern Mediterranean, including in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus,” they say. However, they point to “the withdrawal of the ship Oruç Reis by Turkey”, contributing to a detachment that it intends “to sustain, to allow the rapid resumption and good continuation of the direct exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey.”
“The European Council reaffirms the strategic interest of the EU in developing a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship with Turkey”, avoiding further escalation of measures such as sanctions, which the target countries wanted.
