Federal Minister Altmaier presents priorities of Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU to the European Economic and Social Committee

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier presented the priorities of Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU at the plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in a video conference today.

The Covid-19 pandemic is the greatest challenge for Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. Economic Affairs Minister Peter Altmaier said: “The next few months will be particularly important for the European economies to lastingly recover and regain their strength. This requires the cooperation, solidarity and competitiveness of all the EU member states. And this is what Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU is committed to under the motto ‘Together for Europe’s recovery’.”

Economic Affairs Minister Altmaier called upon all parties involved to harness the opportunities which this crisis also offers. He said: “We need to press ahead with the modernisation of the European economies now, including a ‘clean economy’, a competitive industry and digital sovereignty. Let me be clear: after the crisis, our enterprises do not need less but rather more open markets, and a level playing field. To reach this goal, we will be working closely together with the European Economic and Social Committee during Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU.”

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is an advisory body of the EU which provides support to the EU institutions (the Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament) and submits proposals for legislative initiatives. The Economic and Social Committee comprises 326 members from the 27 EU member states, including 24 members from Germany. Within the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy has the lead responsibility for the cooperation with the Committee.