Winkler: “There is a need for an economic incentive plan to counter the economic and social damages of coronavirus.”
The coronavirus epidemic is causing an economic and social crisis in the European Union, and to overcome this, there is a need for an effective incentive plan similar to the one in 2008 when the attenuation of the world economic crisis was required, Gyula Winkler, Member of the European Parliament noted. His statement was directed at the EP plenary debate in Brussels on the crisis caused by COVID-19.
“The spreading of the coronavirus epidemic has caused a public health crisis throughout the Union. The handling of this crisis must be harmonized on a European level. The measures of the member states must be taken in accordance with actions taken on a European level, and solidarity is mandatory. At the same time, the public health crisis will bring about a further crisis; a crisis in the social and economic sectors will take shape. In the global economy, it is very important that the EU protect compromised members of society but also that affected businesses be supported by the Union,” Winkler formulated.
The representative of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania pointed out that the EU – in the short term – can count on a global crisis resembling that of the economic world crisis of 2008. “Therefore, the answer of the European Union must be as targeted and determined as it was in 2008. There is a need for a European economic incentive plan that is built around a Union budget. The European Economic Recovery Plan in 2008 mobilized EUR 200 billion, which meant 1.5 percent of the Union’s GDP to which most of the member states allocated additional billions of euros. The European economic incentive plan must be financed by the flexible application of the Stability and Growth Pact so that it may help European economies in overcoming the outcomes of the coronavirus epidemic and in protecting European businesses, jobs and people,” Gyula Winkler declared.
At the same time, the MEP stated that the imminent economic crisis requires immediate action as well. There is a need for a European solidarity that alleviates the current conflict among member states, which has deepened in connection with the debate surrounding the 2021-2027 budget, or multiannual financial framework.
The most important beneficiaries of the European economic incentive plan besides small and medium businesses must be those sectors that are most affected by the epidemic; among these are transportation and tourism. Significant investments must be initiated in the transportation and communication infrastructures but also in the energy sector. The investments financed must also conform to the sustainability and green agreement criteria,” Winkler explained.
Featured image: MEP Gyula Winkler. Source: Winkler Gyula official Facebook page
