Sākums Dace MELBĀRDE

I strongly welcome the agreement on the EUR 1.8 trillion recovery package — consisting of the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) worth over EUR 1 trillion, combined with the 750 billion Recovery Instrument — for the next seven years. This is an unprecedented amount of money in the EU’s history which will help the Member States’ economies not only weather the current crisis, but can also contribute towards sustainable and future-oriented growth objectives of the EU as a whole. I specifically welcome the boosted funds for the EU’s education, cultural and research objectives, primarily through the Creative Europe, Erasmus+ and the Horizon Europe programmes. Similarly, I highly regard the fact that despite the initial differences of all parties, in particular, among the Member States, they were able to reach the terms of the above package in due time. At the same time, I consider that the unanimity requirement in the Council regarding the adoption of the MFF is still the correct approach not only for now, but also going forward as this way legitimate concerns of all Member States involved are properly considered and dealt with in order to reach the best possible outcome for everyone involved.