German government should stop blocking progress
Future of Europe
At the occasion of the visit of the German chancellor Angela Merkel to the European Parliament, Greens/EFA Co-Presidents Ska Keller and Philippe Lamberts call on the German Chancellor to revive the European engagement of the German government and to unblock important files in the European Council.
Ska Keller said:
"As Greens/EFA we stand for a strong and united Europe that defends democracy and rule of law in and outside the Union. This future of our Union lays also in the hands of the German chancellor. It is also her task to make the Union more social and a frontrunner in the fight against climate change.
"For too long the internal fights of the German government have been blocking progress on European level. The German government has a huge responsibility in and for the European Union and the member parties of the government have to finally put aside their power struggles and come back to the European table. A lot of good law initiatives are right now blocked in the Council and the German government is one of the biggest problems there; be it the fight against climate change, for tax justice or the reform of the Eurozone. The worst example is climate policy where Berlin still seems to be the lobby of the car and coal industry. We need an ambitious European offer for the UN Climate Conference in Katowice and the German government has to push for more ambition instead of bringing it down."
Philippe Lamberts added:
"Germany has been the biggest beneficiary of the currency union; but this currency union has no future unless we fix the basic design flaws it has. Having your cake and eating it is not just a British obsession; it seems to be Germany's as well when it comes to the currency union. So far, Merkel's Germany has refrained to engage in a serious discussion on what it takes to make the Euro viable: completing the banking union, a common budget funded by common taxes and a common safe asset. One may like or dislike the proposals of the European Commission or the French President Macron, but they have the merit of attempting to break the stalemate. If Germany does not engage in good faith, the fate of the single currency hangs in the balance"
You can watch the livestream of the debate with Chancellor Merkel from 15.00 CET here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/plenary/en/home.html
