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EU Council President Charles Michel: "Today is an opportunity to rejuvenate our transatlantic relationship, which has suffered greatly over the past four years"
Photo: JOHN THYS / AFP
A few hours before the inauguration of the future US President Joe Biden, EU Council President Charles Michel proposed a “new founding pact” to the USA for joint cooperation.
He should make Europe and the USA "stronger" and the world "better," said Michel in the European Parliament.
Michel named five priorities for the joint restart:
promoting multilateral cooperation in the world
the fight against the corona crisis
the action against climate change
rebuilding the economy with ensuring fair trade and digital change
and "joining forces for security and peace".
"Today is an opportunity to rejuvenate our transatlantic relationship, which has suffered greatly over the past four years," said Michel, referring to the years under US President Donald Trump.
It is clear that not all problems in the mutual relationship would "miraculously disappear".
What Europe and the United States have in common, however, is "much bigger" than the differences of opinion.
Michel referred to the long tradition of both sides in the fight for democracy.
He again condemned "the shameful attempt" by supporters of the outgoing president to overturn the election result by storming the Capitol in Washington.
But US democracy has shown its resilience.
He now hopes for a peaceful handover day.
Trump will soon be history - his supporters will remain
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was also openly relieved at the end of President Trump's term of office.
The world is waiting "for the US to return to the circle of like-minded states," she said.
But von der Leyen also warned: “President Trump may be history in a few hours.
But his supporters remain. ”More than 70 million people would have voted for Trump.
A few hundred would have stormed the Capitol a few days ago.
Von der Leyen linked this to hate messages and false reports on social media.
Europe is not immune from such developments either - here too there are people who feel disadvantaged or who cling to an "often confused mélange of completely absurd fantasies," she said.
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mfh / AFP / dpa
