During a European Parliament plenary debate on the G20 meeting to be held in Hamburg at the end of the week, MEPs were of the opinion that the European Union will not be able to respond alone to the challenges it has to address – the migration crisis, climate and defiance to globalisation.
Obtaining results on the many current challenges "is in the interest of people all around the world", European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans stated at the start of the debate.
The migration crisis is "a challenge with us for quite some time, decades", he said. "A comprehensive global response" is needed to tackle this phenomenon, he added. Of course, he said, it would make a "world of difference if Europe, if every single member state lived up to their commitment and showed solidarity with the member states most affected by this challenge". "We cannot leave Italy alone", he said.
His compatriot, Sophie in’t Veld (ADLE, Netherlands), made similar comments. "We are the most prosperous continent in the world. If we cannot manage this [migration] influx, then who can?", she asked. She seemed particularly critical of the code of conduct for NGOs put forward by the Commission the previous day (see EUROPE 11822). On Tuesday, Timmermans had said that the code of conduct would enable clarification on the missions of different actors in rescue operations, and would enable clarification on misunderstandings on the real activities of NGOs that are subject to many attacks regarding NGOs' supposed links with smuggler networks. Italy has recently threatened to shut off access to its ports for NGO boats that rescue migrants at sea. "We cannot blame NGOs for saving people’s lives", in’t Veld stated.
"No one in the Commission is accusing NGOs of anything. The intentions of the NGOs are noble", Timmermans replied, adding that a code of good conduct "could be used to avoid accidents at sea".
With regard to the climate and energy, Timmermans called for the cohesion of what he now calls the G19 (the G20 minus the USA, which has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement) to be maintained. He repeated that this agreement could not be renegotiated.
Yannick Jadot (Greens/EFA, France) said it was not enough to say the Paris Agreement had to be respected when, in his view, the EU is not on the trajectory of respecting its commitments. He called for the G20 to promise to put an end to public subsidies for fossil fuels.
Timmermans also said the EU would present its international partners with its reflection paper on globalisation "because we all agree on the fact that there is no protection in protectionism but there is isolation is isolationism".
A joint letter on the G20 from the presidents of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and Council, Donald Tusk, calls on this group to monitor and assess developments on the digitisation of the economy, with a special focus on a coherent approach to taxation. The EU intends to adopt a firm line as regards the international list of tax havens, which it does not consider to be sufficient. (Original version in French by Élodie Lamer)