EU leaders see change to Corona

Where to with the EU billions? Italy's Prime Minister promises a more modern country at a top-class post-corona future conference. EU Commission chief von der Leyen and others make demands.

Rome (dpa) - Greener, more beautiful, more digital: EU leaders see the world in the corona pandemic at a turning point and have called for overdue reforms from countries like Italy.

The billions from the planned European reconstruction fund would have to be used sensibly and used for reforms, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a video message at a future conference in Rome. "We will not borrow money from our children, as our Member States sometimes did, just to spend more today."

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte invited high-level speakers to the multi-day conference, which were brought in by video. Among other things, he wants to advise on how the "Next Generation EU" EU structural instrument recently proposed by Leyen can be used after the corona shock.

Conte promised an "ecological turnaround" and a more modern country. "We cannot afford to (...) return to the status quo before this crisis," said the independent politician. Italy must build on its beauty. "If we plan to restart, we have to make sure that the whole world can draw attention to the beauty of our country."

Bureaucracy, too long legal proceedings, corruption and the impact of organized crime on the public sector have long prevented growth in Italy. "The decisions that (Italy) makes today will shape tomorrow's Italy," said von der Leyen.

The debate forum in the splendid Villa Pamphili in Rome is known as the assembly of the "General Estates", the "Stati Generali". Representatives from politics, business and society will be there. There were minor protests outside the villa. "While you are robbing our future, you are celebrating," it said on a poster. Italy's government is criticized for the fact that promised Corona aid has still not been received by many citizens. The opposition had criticized the event as a show for the prime minister.

With Covid-19 officially more than 34,000 people have died in Italy so far. Economists warn of catastrophic economic effects in the already heavily indebted country.

The head of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, said that the EU reconstruction fund could only be effective with modernization. "We will get a bigger bang for every euro spent when countries tackle structural reforms at the same time."

At the end of May, the EU Commission proposed a debt-financed development program worth 750 billion euros as part of the next seven-year EU budget. According to the EU authority's proposal, around 173 billion euros have been reserved for grants and loans for Italy alone. However, difficult negotiations of the EU countries about the program are still pending.

"We have to tell ourselves, dear friends, that these enormous European means will put the Commission (...), but also the individual countries and the individual governments to the test," said EU Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni.