Independent, Innovative, Fast: Angela Merkel Sets Out a New Role for Europe

“For one and a half years the Coronavirus pandemic has held the world in its grip,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the Brussels Economic Forum. “We are facing unimaginable challenges.”

Moving forward, we must now “not only make Europe more resilient to crises but also create more opportunities.”

“Europe must be better equipped to act faster and take faster decisions than in the past,” she said. “These challenges existed before the pandemic but they are now more visible.”

“It’s about how we as Europeans want to live, to work, to do business. About how globalisation should be.”

Merkel was delivering this year’s ‘Tommaso Padoa Schioppa’ memorial lecture. Padoa Schioppa was the Italian economist considered to be a founding father of the European single currency.

Working together as the EU has shown its value during the pandemic, Merkel said. “The fact that we decided to procure vaccines together is and remains the right decision,” she said. The European Commission agreed to negotiate vaccine supply deals with pharmaceutical companies on behalf of all 27 member states, in the hope that this would secure lower prices and avoid smaller member states missing out in the rush to acquire emerging treatments.

Merkel added that “European scientists” had developed the vaccines taking us out of the crisis.

We now “need a more independent Europe,” she said. “A more innovative Europe. A more capable Europe. Europe needs to become more independent.”

Our role in the world is also changing. Between the US and China, we see ourselves as a responsible partner. We are a liberal democracy based on the rule of law to the benefit of the people.”

This does not mean setting the EU against other economies or becoming protectionist, Merkel said. It means “We want to build on our strengths and become better where we have shortcomings.”

This could mean developing new EU competencies to promote clean hydrogen, Artificial Intelligence, or quantum technology, she suggested. “Europe must become more innovative.”

“In Europe it is going to take some time until economies are back on track and strong again,” Merkel said. “It’s important that the Brussels Economic Forum is going one step further and demanding we build the economies we need.”

“I would go even further,” the chancellor said. “Let’s not only build the economy. Let’s shape the Europe we want.”