Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 23 June 2021 - Brussels

Preparation of the European Council meeting of 24-25 June 2021 – Relaunch of the Malta Declaration and the use of an effective solidarity mechanism (debate)

  Ivan Štefanec (PPE), in writing. – European leaders meet during the sessions of the European Council to discuss current challenges of the highest importance. COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many important topics to the background of the agenda and brought many challenges on the regional and global levels. Together, we face new challenges related to new variants of the virus, distribution of the vaccines and usage of the recently adopted EU Digital Covid certificate. These topics should be addressed during the meeting of the European Council in June. At the same time, we shall not remain hesitant and address upcoming long-term challenges. We need to be prepared for the potential future pandemics and better protection of the internal market. Due to the negative impact of the pandemic on the economic prosperity of the European Union, we also should also use the potential of the Next Generation EU programme and support the Member States in the initiatives to adapt to digital and climate transitions.