During a virtual meeting of the European Council, Prime Minister Robert Abela stressed the importance of the vaccine in the fight against COVID-19. He reiterated the need to accelerate vaccine production and distribution with a view to further vaccinating people. The Prime Minister explained that with more people vaccinated, tools such as the vaccination certificate could be exploited to be able to return to normalcy in terms of the movement of people.
Another topic on the agenda was the single market which in the words of the Prime Minister is the key to the competitiveness of our country. The Prime Minister spoke about the need for investment in the digital field and the need to eliminate remaining barriers, in particular those related to services.
During the discussion on the Eastern Mediterranean, the Prime Minister acknowledged the positive developments coming from Ankara. He recalled the importance of an ongoing and structured dialogue with these partners. However, Dr Abela noted with regret Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, in particular for Malta as the European Union signed this convention after a historic agreement was reached by the Maltese Presidency of the Council. of the European Union.
In a positive exchange with US President Joe Biden, the leaders of European countries discussed the renewal of relations with the US and the new impetus given to them after the last elections. During the talk it was agreed that work will continue between the EU and the US in the fight against climate change and for strengthening transatlantic trade relations.
The discussion at the Eurozone Summit focused on the role of the euro worldwide, with Malta’s position being on the importance of the green economy and the digital euro becomes more competitive.
