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  • 22-02-2021 17:54

EU/Presidency: EU recovery programme has 'great potential' for 'fairer, more sustainable future' - UN


Brussels, Feb. 22, 2021 (Lusa) – The UN Secretary-General on Monday said he looked forward to working with the European Union's (EU) "vital leadership" to develop a fairer and more sustainable post-pandemic future, highlighting the "great potential" of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism agreed by the EU bloc.

António Guterres was speaking at the opening plenary session of the "European Parliamentary Week", an initiative that is always held in the first half of each year in Brussels and whose 2021 edition is co-organised by the European Parliament and the Portuguese Parliament, as part of the parliamentary dimension of the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU.

"The Union's leadership will be vital and only if we work together can we have a more resilient, fair and sustainable future", said the representative, who during a video intervention listed some of the dimensions and challenges currently facing the world.

For the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), the international community is currently facing an opportunity to be more ambitious and achieve important goals.

"We have to be ambitious. We have to invest in the health system, in social protection, we have to have resilient infrastructures, support education, green jobs, reduce debt pressure", said Guterres, stressing that no country should be forced to choose between helping its population or serving debt targets.

He said that past formulas should not be repeated, especially when the world faces threats such as climate, biodiversity and pollution.

"The Recovery and Resilience Mechanism has great potential. Putting the Green Deal at the heart of our efforts is not only the right thing to do, it is a smart investment in the future," he said.

Endowed with €672.5 billion in grants and loans, the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism is the main element of the recovery package agreed in 2020 by the EU to address the social and economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 'NextGenerationEU'.

For Brussels, this mechanism will play a crucial role in mitigating the economic and social impact of the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus and in making European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the ecological and digital transitions.

"We must adapt to complex situations through effective, inclusive and articulated multilateralism", reinforced the UN Secretary-General, also encouraging a strengthening of "diplomacy for peace", building trust between institutions and fighting discrimination and misinformation.

Alongside climate issues, one of the flagship themes of his current mandate, António Guterres used this speech to reinforce calls for a coordinated global effort on vaccination against Covid-19.

"Support for the global distribution of vaccines is crucial and it is unacceptable that only 10 countries have already administered 75% of all Covid-19 vaccines. This is not only unfair but also dangerous," he concluded.

The "European Parliamentary Week", which this year takes place under the theme "EU Economic Governance from a Parliamentary Perspective", annually brings together Members of the European Union (EU) to discuss economic, budgetary, social and environmental issues.

This year's edition is dominated by the impact of Covid-19, the economic recovery and recovery plans.

SCA/AYLS // AYLS

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