This is a victory for Europe, made possible thanks to the hard work of socialists and democrats in the Council, Parliament and German Presidency. In particular, Minister Roth who guided this process and found agreement when many said it would be impossible.
The new legal instruments and funds set out in the deal must now be put in place as soon as possible so there is no delay for Member States as they work to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and its socio-economic consequences.
PES President Sergei Stanishev said:
“This is the moment socialists have been pushing for. We have a bold recovery plan and MFF which is tied to the Rule of Law. There have been many challenges along the way, but European solidarity and fundamental values have prevailed.
“This has certainly been a challenging year and this good news gives me hope that a better 2021 is around the corner. We are on a good footing to tackle Covid-19 and we have paved the way for a more sustainable and fairer Union in the future. We look to the incoming Portuguese Presidency with confidence that Europe’s progressive journey will be advanced even further.”
At a PES European Council preparation meeting last week, PES prime ministers, leaders and European commissioners urged the European Council to agree the recovery and MFF with Rule of Law conditionality. Agreement was reached and today S&D MEPs voted to give consent to the MFF, and backed resolutions on the Next Generation EU recovery plan and the Rule of Law.
