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European Parliament will call for improvements in research, health and climate

No consent in the present form / Very important step for Europe but not good enough for unconditional consent


EPP MEP Peter Liese describes the outcome of the EU summit on the budget and recovery plan as a "very important step for Europe". "It is important that Europe is able to act in this difficult time and that we help the countries most affected by the Corona crisis. It is also essential for the EU economy that these countries get back on their feet. That is why I am sure that the European Parliament will support the agreement in principle, but we will of course exercise our rights and demand changes in those areas where the result is simply not good enough. I am very grateful to Angela Merkel for not only helping to bring a compromise in the Council, but also for making it clear in the morning, after the end of the negotiations, that the European Parliament must give its support before the package can enter into force," Liese said.

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Peter Liese and Lídia Pereira:

Young generations should not only inherits a huge amount of debt but a modern infrastructure / Investment in climate and digitalisation / Letter of ENVI committee members

“It is very important that ‘Next Generation EU’ does not mean that the young generations inherits a huge amount of debts but that we invest in future proof infrastructure” say Peter Liese, environmental spokesperson of the largest political group (EPP/Christian Democrats) in the European Parliament and Lídia Pereira responsible rapporteur for the EPP in ENVI and chairperson of the young EPP (YEPP).

The two EPP ENVI members support a cross-party letter of influential members of the ENVI committee ahead of the Council. “It is very important to show solidarity and give a clear signal to the market. That is why we support the Commission’s plan for the recovery. However, we want to be sure that the money is really spend on fighting climate change purposes. We encourage a recovery that is strongly supported in the European Green Deal, digitalization and European reindustrialization.

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Corona-Apps should work across EU borders / Interoperability of systems especially during holiday season indispensable to guarantee freedom of movement


The European Commission today presented a Communication setting out short-term measures to be better prepared for further corona outbreaks and to avoid further lockdowns. This Communication also launched a concrete measure to ensure the interoperability of the various European Corona warning systems across national borders.  

MEP and health policy spokesperson of the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP-Christian Democrats), Peter Liese, strongly welcomed the proposal. "To prevent further lockdowns, the use of modern technology such as Corona apps is of enormous importance. The treacherous thing about the virus is that many people transmit it without showing any symptoms. With our traditional method of identifying contacts and trying to inform and warn them through regular channels, we cannot effectively control and contain further, severe outbreaks. Therefore, an app that warns anyone who has had contact with an infected person is extremely important. That the Commission now also wants to ensure that the various national apps are compatible with each other is long overdue. Interoperability is crucial to maintain freedom of movement throughout the EU in the event of further corona outbreaks," Liese explained.

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Cross-party support for German Presidency priorities

In the European Parliament, the Members voted a resolution concerning the future of European health policy. Amongst others, an important point here is the strengthening of pharmaceutical production in Europe. In a controversial vote, MEPs also adopted an amendment of the EPP on the importance of intellectual property. "Greens and Social Democrats had initially opposed the wording. I am glad that it was adopted, because we need incentives for research and innovation especially in the current situation. Companies that are not prepared to share their knowledge and produce vaccines or medicines will have to expect compulsory licences. However, this should not fundamentally call into question the need for patents. Without patents, we will not get the breakthrough we need. Neither for treatments and vaccines for Covid-19, nor for other serious health problems”, said Dr Peter Liese, MEP and health spokesperson of the largest political group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats).

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