Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and French President Emmanuel Macron are on the same wavelength on a strategy to combat the spread of the coronavirus between the two countries, especially during the end-of-year celebrations. They confirmed this after their interview in the Elysée, Macron’s official residence.
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It was Alexander De Croo’s first move abroad as prime minister. At the end of October, he had to cancel his visit to his Dutch colleague due to the corona crisis. After the reception on the platform, De Croo spoke for hours with the French president in his official residence.
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The two mainly talked about the corona pandemic, but also the fight against terrorism, energy, climate and relations outside Europe, especially the “new agenda” with the United States and the Brexit agreement. De Croo pointed out the many challenges facing the European Union. To tackle them, Europeans must be “the best allies,” said the Belgian Prime Minister. “Macron’s vision of a more geopolitical Europe, which plays a more offensive role on the international stage, is completely in line with my vision,” De Croo said in an interview to Belga.
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The Belgian head of government was satisfied with the cooperation within the EU in the context of the health crisis. “We’ve got off to a rocky start, but we’ve been able to maintain the functioning of the single market, and no one would have thought we could have a vaccine so quickly, with an intense collaboration that paid off in a short period of time. pre-funded and we are achieving results. The joint efforts are a real success. “
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The French president announced that after an initial phase for healthcare workers and the more vulnerable groups, such as in Belgium, a major vaccination campaign will start from spring.
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Alexander De Croo reiterated that he “greatly appreciated” the French stance on the sensitive topic of winter holidays, especially the fact that travel to ski stations is discouraged by the forced shutdown of the ski lifts. President Macron added that there will be “dissuasive and restrictive” measures for those seeking to enjoy the fun of skiing in less strict neighboring countries such as Switzerland. “Cooperation between member states, but also with neighboring countries, is necessary in this regard,” Prime Minister De Croo concluded.
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Next week, both politicians will meet again in Brussels for a European Council that must also consider the budget, a file that has been blocked by the problems with Poland and Hungary. But we have confidence in Council President Charles Michel and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to find a solution, ”said De Croo.
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