On the creation of budgetary capacity for the euro area, the new Finnish Prime Minister, Antti Rinne, endorses the line defended by his predecessors: ’yes’ to a limited budget, intended to finance investments and integrated into the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework.
“No change in our policy. Each country needs to take its responsibility on fiscal front”, Mr Rinne said on Wednesday 26 June, during a press conference, a few days before the launch of the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 12283/2).
According to him, the future fiscal capacity for the euro area must be “small”, used to support investment in the beneficiary countries and included in the post-2020 EU budget.
Italy. Asked about the possibility of an excessive deficit procedure on the basis of the debt against Italy, the Finnish Social Democrat said that “in each Member state you need the respect of rules you have made together”. Even if governments change after elections, the rules remain, he argued.
Compliance with the rules applies not only to economic and budgetary issues, but also to fundamental values. Mr Rinne thus welcomed the legislative proposal which makes the granting of European funds conditional on Member States' respect for the rule of law.
It is “not possible for me in Finland [a net payer-country] that we give money to countries that do not follow the [rule of law]”, he justified.
Asked about the appointments to senior European posts – presidencies of the European Commission, the European Council, the European Parliament, the ECB and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – to be filled by autumn, the Prime Minister hopes that a global consensus will be reached on Sunday 30 June or Monday 1 July. He recalled that two Finns – the Governor of the Bank of Finland, Olli Rehn, and his predecessor, Erkki Liikanen, both former European Commissioners – were running for the ECB's presidency.
For the first time, the Finnish government has appointed a woman as European Commissioner to the post-Juncker Commission in the person of Jutta Urpilainen, former Minister of Finance. She will replace Jyrki Katainen.
Climate. Wishing to get involved in the fight against climate change at European level, Mr Rinne will try to convince “the three countries” still reluctant to set the objective of climate neutrality for the European Union at 2050, by showing them that such an objective will also enable them to stimulate their own economy (see EUROPE 12279/2).
According to him, these countries are not totally opposed to taking the step. First, they want to know what the impact of this objective will be on their national economy.
Adopted by the Finnish government and presented on Wednesday to the National Parliament, the programme of the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU for the second half of 2019 can be found on the following page: http://bit.ly/2X0WiYB (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)