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Germany takes EU hot seat with big challenges, expectations

2020-07-02 09:43:52       source:CGTN

July 1, 2020


Germany, the European Union's biggest economic power, is taking over the rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc from July 1 amid massive challenges and huge expectations as the continent grapples with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Berlin's six months in the EU hot seat will likely be Chancellor Angela Merkel's last big turn on the international stage.


Berlin, which will chair meetings of the 27 EU countries' ministers, will have to help prevent new rifts emerging as the pandemic's damage is increasing and warnings linger about a potential second wave of the pandemic infections. There are more than 190,000 confirmed virus-related deaths in Europe, nearly 40 percent of the world's officially reported deaths, and is easing lockdowns in many states that weighed severely on their economies.


In the first place, the bloc would seek agreement on a huge package to pull its stricken economy out of the coronavirus crisis, and on its future budget, said Merkel.


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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-07-01/Germany-takes-EU-hot-seat-with-big-challenges-expectations-RLTPu2WE6s/index.html