At the end of 2020, Germany will hand over the EU Council Presidency to Portugal. Its tenure has taken place amid two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in the deepest economic recession in the EU’s history. Germany has had to hold the EU27 together under these extraordinarily difficult circumstances and lay the groundwork for an adequate crisis response. Given the immense expectations to deliver quick and efficient results, Germany was left little room for its own policy priorities.
At this Web Talk as part of the event series “Project Presidency” by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and the European Policy Centre (EPC), panelists take stock of Germany’s achievements during its six months at the helm of the Council and assess how much it could address other policy issues beyond crisis management. They also looked ahead identify the biggest challenges for the EU in achieving a sustainable economic and social response to the crisis, upholding European values and the rule of law, and strengthening the EU’s international role in 2021.
Speakers:
Ambassador Michael Clauß, Permanent Representative of Germany to the European Union, Brussels
Janis Emmanouilidis, Director of Studies, European Policy Centre (EPC), Brussels
Dr. Daniela Schwarzer, Director, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Berlin
Moderator:
Jacki Davis, Meade Davis Communications, Brussels
