In presenting the programme of the German EU Council Presidency, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas focused on partnerships with China, the USA and Africa.
Faced with a “constellation of great powers” - China, the US, Russia - Europeans must work together to defend their values and the EU must become part of the competition on foreign and security policy issues, he explained at a virtual press conference. Otherwise, he said, Europeans will be weakened and will not be able, in the medium and long term, to defend their own interests in the world.
Relations with China will therefore be one of Germany’s priorities. “We are going to look at the Chinese file in a very specific, in-depth way”, the Minister notified, adding that there is a need for an EU strategy for China also in regards to the situation in Hong Kong.
And while the September 14 summit in Leipzig has been postponed, the Minister said he was in favour of holding it before the end of the year, “because we need this engagement with China to express what is important to us. It’s not just about trade and economics (...) There are also foreign and security policy issues that need to be addressed”. “We are aiming for concrete progress in the negotiations on a bilateral investment agreement and on the issues of climate, biodiversity, global health and cooperation in Africa, and we are also seeking joint solutions to the problems associated with the Covid-19 pandemic”, says the work programme of the German Presidency.
For Mr Maas, the EU needs to look at its strategic relationship with the United States. According to the Presidency’s programme, comprehensive and active cooperation must be implemented through a broad political dialogue and a positive transatlantic trade agenda. “We must be prepared. Whatever the outcome of the November US presidential election, there will not be a return to normalcy where they were the global policeman”, Maas said. “Of course, the results will have an impact on our cooperation. I hope that many things can be done in a more constructive way, but I believe that the United States is on a path where we Europeans need to reflect on how to become stronger in defending our interests in terms of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and to take more responsibility for ourselves”, he said.
Another highlight of the German Presidency will be an EU/Africa Summit from 28 to 30 October. This summit could be an opportunity to adopt a Europe-Africa programme and to deepen the political cooperation partnership with concrete joint initiatives, according to the Presidency. Strengthening cooperation with the African Union, the consequences of Covid-19 and economic cooperation will also be on the agenda.
See the programme: https://bit.ly/2YRWQ71 (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)