That MEPs have been less than impressed by the outcome of the G20 summit held in China at the start of September was made clear in a Parliament plenary session debate in Strasbourg on Tuesday 13 September (see EUROPE 11616).
Françoise Grossetête (EPP, France) led the charge: the G20 had delivered “a great deal in terms of statements of principle but failed to convince on what it had actually done”. She would have liked stronger statements on the refugee crisis, climate change and the war in Syria. The same line was taken by Pavel Telicka (ALDE, Czech Republic) who argued that acknowledging the problem of the refugee crisis was not enough. He also asked how the EU could retain its credibility in restating its commitment to free trade when some “in France and in Germany” are calling for EU-United States free-trade negotiations (TTIP) to be halted.
European Economic and Financial Affairs and Taxation Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said he understood the MEPs’ frustrations. The G20 was created principally for discussion and “for agreement on a number of policy directions”, it is not a forum which delivers “fully operational conclusions”, although that could happen. “I feel that we must not underestimate the quality of this meeting. We achieved results that strengthen a number of our priorities, such as tackling tax evasion”, he said. Europe, as the world’s largest economy, already carries great weight around the table. A further important factor, he pointed out, is that, in December, Germany will take over the presidency of the G20. He said he expected much of this presidency which, by definition, “is aware of and shares the priorities” of the EU. (Original version in French by Élodie Lamer)