EUCO: Investment plan and structural reforms are two sides of the same coin

“By presenting the Commission’s investment plan, Jean-Claude Juncker has put forward a new method. The plan bridges the gap in the debate on flexibility versus budgetary discipline, so that we can finally put it behind us”, said Manfred Weber MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, during the debate in plenary on the preparation of the European Council of 18 and 19 December. “I hope that Member States will support the investment plan by putting forward their own contributions and give the European economy the investment push that is needed. The ball is now in the Council’s court”, he said.

“Investment and structural reforms are two sides of the same coin. They have to go hand in hand”, Weber underlined. Referring to the situation of the French economy, Manfred Weber called on the French Government to make more efforts to prepare its country for the challenges of globalisation. “Without a strong France, Europe will not have a future”, he said. The Chairman also stressed that “as far as efforts are concerned, all countries, big and small, should be treated the same way”, in reference to the efforts undertaken by countries such as Greece, Portugal and Ireland.

On the European Commission’s work programme, Manfred Weber said: “The EPP Group will support efforts to concentrate the work on the most important tasks. Vice-President Timmermans has our full support to this end. His fellow Social-Democrats should support him as well”, Weber said.

Concluding on the situation in Ukraine, Manfred Weber said: “The economic situation in Russia proves that sanctions do have an impact. We want to make it clear to Mr Putin that the path followed by Moscow is not the right one.”