Europe after Covid 19: How €750 billion could reboot the EU
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French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel might well hold the future of Europe in their hands. Or maybe more accurately in their cheque books.
Building on their video conference on May 18, the two leaders met at a château near Berlin this week to discuss how a €750 billion package could reboot the EU in a post-pandemic world.
Germany’s efficiency in mitigating the human cost of the Covid-19 pandemic is impressive: just over 9,000 deaths compared to over 29,000 in France. In Italy and Spain the death toll was higher still. Merkel's skilled handling of the health crisis along with the major strength of the German economy makes her an obvious choice to lead Europe’s relaunch initiative.
So what exactly does France bring to the table? Macron’s economic savoir-faire is well reported, but without any overwhelming evidence, so far, in his mandate.
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