Presentation by President Charles Michel to the European Council on 16...

Yesterday we had the opportunity to discuss climate change and our goals for 2030. For us as the European Union, climate change is one of the most important challenges. We have tried to identify the building blocks to enable an agreement in December. We are convinced that we need more political will to be ambitious and to play a leading role at European level. But you also need to take into account the national circumstances and starting points in different Member States. And we will work closely with the European Commission and the Member States to come to a clear decision by the end of the year.

We also had the opportunity to have an in-depth debate on COVID-19. The situation is serious and unprecedented. And we have decided to strengthen our European cooperation, especially in the area of ​​testing and tracing. We have also decided to organize regular cooperation and coordination at the level of the heads of state or government.

Today we will have the opportunity to answer international questions, particularly our future relations with Africa. In December we will have an important meeting with the African Union in Brussels. It will be the opportunity to renew our partnership and even our alliance with Africa. This alliance is natural for geographic reasons, historical reasons, cultural reasons. There is great potential if we make the right decisions together with African leaders.

We will also have an opportunity today to address some other international issues, such as the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean.

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