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German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday presented a basic outline and goals of Germany's presidency of the EU Council starting in July, setting tackling COVID-19 as the "leitmotif" for its term.
"Europe needs us as much as we need Europe," said Merkel in a speech to the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament. "Europe is something that we can and must create. It is a dynamic order of peace and freedom."
She said that Germany would assume this responsibility at a time when Europe was facing "its greatest challenge" in history.
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how "fragile" Europe is, stressed Merkel, saying national action would have to be flanked by European action.
She said that it was important not only to overcome the consequences of the crisis, but also to make Europe more resilient.
The COVID-19 pandemic should not be allowed to drift apart EU member states and create a weakened internal market, said Merkel. It would be important to prevent "a deep rift running through Europe."
"Our Europe is vulnerable. Cohesion in Europe has never been more important than it is today," Merkel stated. "No country can face this crisis in isolation and alone."
Merkel announced that a special focus would be placed on Africa during the German EU presidency.
The aim would be to find common responses to the coronavirus crisis and to avert the consequences of the pandemic. It is necessary to "look at Africa as a continent of the future," added Merkel.
