The Presidents of the French National Assembly, Richard Ferrand, and the German Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble, called for close consultation between Member States in order to achieve a gradual return to normalcy in the European Union after the Covid-19 pandemic in a joint declaration on Tuesday 26 May.
“France and Germany must work towards the immediate restoration of free movement within the Schengen area once the conditions are met”, Mr Ferrand and Mr Schäuble stressed in the statement. Germany and France have already announced the gradual reopening of their borders with their neighbours from mid-June, except for Spain’s border with France. Italy is also aiming for 15 June to return to normal.
The two leaders also support the Franco-German position that “the European Green Deal is the EU’s new growth strategy and the roadmap for a prosperous and resilient economy on the road to carbon neutrality by 2050” (see EUROPE 12489/1).
There was also emphasis on the need to initiate “a reflection on the post-crisis period and on ways of making Europe more united, more responsive and more sovereign” in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The question of a modification of the treaties must be part of this, the two signatories believe.
See the statement (in French): https://bit.ly/3bX1Qe4 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion and Solenn Paulic)