Europe beyond COVID-19
The recovery plan agreed upon by European Union leaders in July 2020 is unprecedented: for the first time, it creates a common debt that will help revive the economies impacted by the pandemic.
This plan results from the Franco-German dynamism and the European Commission's renewed ambitions. In a context of heightened international tensions, France needs Europe to keep its sovereignty. The European Union (EU) must continue to evolve in order to assert itself as a power and fulfill its citizens' expectations.
Clément Beaune is Secretary of State for European Affairs of France.
Article published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 85, No. 3, Autumn 2020.