Merkel calls for EU solidarity to tackle historic challenges

Bloomberg

Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the European Union to pull together to face the historic challenges stemming from the coronavirus and changes threatening the bloc’s economic standing.
In Brussels after Germany assumed the six-month rotating EU presidency this month, Merkel called for solidarity to tackle the pandemic as well as the risks posed by climate change and the transition to digital technologies.
“Europe will emerge stronger after the crisis if we strengthen the common spirit,” Merkel said in an address to the European Parliament.
“Nobody makes it through this crisis alone. We are all vulnerable.”
The EU’s 27 member states are grappling with a proposed $845 billion recovery fund, financed from joint borrowing. The ambitious plan — to be discussed at a summit on July 17 — has met with resistance from a handful of member states concerned about the cost. She called for an agreement this summer, but to do so “will require a lot of compromise from all sides.”