Europe Today: Macron calls for more EU joint debt; Merz pushes back

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00:00Good morning, it is Wednesday the 11th of February. I'm Maeve McMahan and this is Europe

00:20Today, your daily dose of European news and analysis, live here on Euronews. Coming up,

00:27EU leaders are bickering over how to save the European economy on the eve of a crucial

00:33leaders' retreat taking place here in the Belgian countryside. French President Emmanuel

00:39Macron has declared this as a moment of truth for the EU, saying it's time to issue more common

00:45debt. But Germany's Friedrich Merz is pushing back. Meanwhile, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

00:51is set to address MEPs in Strasbourg today before travelling to Antwerp for intense talks with

00:56business leaders about the challenges facing European industry. To get up to speed, let's

01:01cross now to Strasbourg, where our EU news editor Maria Tadeo is standing by for us. Good morning,

01:08Maria. So a packed agenda for Ursula von der Leyen. What is the latest there in Strasbourg

01:12and what should we expect for the next two days?

01:16Well, yes, good morning, Maeve. It is a packed agenda because of the summit taking place tomorrow.

01:22The entire European universe gravitating around this informal retreat happening on Thursday on

01:28competitiveness with, of course, Maria Draghi in attendance. When it comes to the head of the

01:32commission, yes, she will participate at the summit in Antwerp. Then she will previously address

01:38the European Parliament in Strasbourg. But the focus very much on that summit with the heavyweights of

01:44the European industry in Antwerp. Already that location tells you a lot. This is a very

01:49pro-business friendly city, obviously a port city, a great history of trade and commerce. And that is

01:55really the zeitgeist now for the European economy. Last year, also, Maeve, remember, there was a very

02:00similar gathering which led to the Antwerp declaration of 2025, 2024, which suggested immediate relief in

02:09action for the European industry. Ever since, we've seen a very aggressive agenda of simplification

02:14to cut red tape, to cut costs for companies. And we expect that in the meeting today, the European

02:21industry will reiterate those points. But also remember, in a letter published on Monday, the head

02:25of the commission promised to double down on the simplification of regulation. She also said the

02:30commission plans to introduce a tool that will tackle gold plating. Remember, the industry hates this.

02:36It's the idea that national member states put on even more regulation on European directives.

02:41And then, of course, she also said integrate the single market. The IMF believes that the internal

02:47barriers of this market may represent a 45 percent tariff on goods, 110 on services. So a lot going on

02:54into this meeting with the industry. They have the influence over the policymakers. They have the year

02:59of the leadership. And it's not coincidence that this is happening a day before a political summit.

03:04Indeed. And meanwhile, those battle lines, Maria, are being drawn up ahead of tomorrow's summit. We've seen

03:09France pushing for Europe bonds. The Germans are saying no. What is the middle ground? We'll even find

03:14it. Well, that's a very good question, because in anticipation to this retreat, I remember when

03:22Antonio Costa, the head of the European Council, spoke to us exclusively two weeks ago, he said the

03:27goal of the retreat is to really now establish clear political guidelines in the way forward. And

03:32that means the drag report, but also the letter report. And Emmanuel Macron yesterday in an interview,

03:37which hopefully we can put up on the screen, he told the European press that he believes this is now

03:43the time for Europe to come together with a joint borrowing capability capacity. That is, of course,

03:49Eurobonds joint debt for many countries. This is a complete red line. The Germans, as you say,

03:54have already said no. The Italians sided with Berlin, saying the focus should be on the simplification

03:59of rules are really putting the automotive at the center of a lot of the industrial policy in Europe.

04:05So tomorrow, it should be an interesting meeting. But of course, the cat is now out of the back,

04:09because the French president has now put this and stated this clearly on the table. The European

04:13Union cannot wait any longer. The debate about more joint debt needs to start now. So all of this

04:19very political and to debrief this very packed agenda, I am joined from Strasbourg by MEP Saskia

04:24Prémont. You're an MEP for the Greens, obviously a very packed agenda here in Strasbourg. We really feel a

04:31sense of urgency. But I want to pick up on a vote yesterday. The European Parliament finally agreed

04:36to implement and go ahead with the US-EU trade deal. Some would say that was a total capitulation,

04:43that deal. Are you happy with the result? Indeed. I'm part of the ones that say it's a total

04:48capitulation. There is obviously a willingness from the von der Leyen majority to show signs of

04:54appeasement with Trump. I'm not sure this is the language he understands. There was a majority,

04:59I think, in favour also in the Parliament to activate the anti-coercion instrument that the

05:05EU has to reply to such commercial trade attacks from third countries. And we wanted it to be

05:11activated, to show some teeth also to the different attacks and threats given by Trump and its

05:17administration. So I think the current answers are indeed a bit too weak from the EU side. And to link

05:23it with the other debate, like the industrial debate, it's high time for the EU to give preferences

05:29to its own industry to think about eventual tariffs, additional tariffs towards the US, for instance,

05:36and also to take back the compass of the Green Deal to really put the competitiveness hand in hand with

05:44sustainability. Okay, there's a lot to unpack there because you say Trump has been very aggressive

05:50on Europe and we have been very weak. To me, it seems that after Greenland, however, something has

05:56changed. Isn't there a contradiction between, you know, implementing this deal and saying we'll put

06:00it ahead with conditions, but also the fact that, you know, with Greenland, with tech regulation,

06:05the Trump administration has shown repeatedly that they do not see this as a done deal. They will come

06:09back for more concessions. So why approve this deal now? I'm very confused.

06:13I think it's more the narrative of showing unity at EU side in terms of answers. But indeed, I'm also

06:22confused about the current reply because indeed, there is this kind of disescalation since Trump

06:30somehow is less vocal about Greenland, but I'm pretty sure is not giving up. He has an international

06:36agenda. It's pretty clear in its security strategy as well. And I think Europeans have to think about them

06:42now and take their own faith into their hands. So you say we've got to think about Europeans,

06:48we have to think about ourselves. To go ahead without the United States, however, that would

06:52completely change the playbook since the Second World War. Is that warranted now? Because you say

06:57the US, it's no longer an ally. It's time to say, at the very least, it's a rival at times. Can it be an

07:04enemy to European values? I'm not saying it's an enemy and we should not escalate. This is not the

07:09question. I think we have to show teeth, as I said, and give appropriate answers when the EU is

07:16somehow attacked or if other countries deliver us a trade war, be it the US, be it other countries. We

07:22also have other allies to work closer and hand in hand. I'm thinking about Canada. I'm thinking about

07:28Latin America. I'm thinking about Asian countries, Japan. The EU has other allies, has to develop and

07:35and still rely on multilateralism, but work with allies. And I'm not saying the US is becoming

07:42an enemy. I think Trump obviously has a huge problem with other continents, including Europe. And

07:51he wants to show that Europe is weak. It's up to us Europeans to show that the Europeans and Europe is

07:57not weak. It's also a powerful continent that has a lot of economic possibilities and a strong

08:06industry. And we see it today with the summit. Let's talk about the industry. The industry is

08:10now really at the core of everything. The head of the commission has said, we're going to cut down

08:13paperwork. We're going to make it easier to do business. Is that the right approach? Would you

08:17say, yes, let's give the industry what they need? They take priority over everything else now.

08:21Of course, we need a strong European industrial policy. But again, it goes hand in hand with the

08:28Green Deal, with sustainability standards. The Green Deal, I don't hear it anymore. Nobody

08:32even talks about the Green Deal. It's gone. People talk about a clean industry. And that's the huge

08:36issue. I think the Draghi report showed it clearly. We need simplification. We need also a vision for

08:43Europe to make our industries stronger and invest. Invest. I don't see the investments today. And that's

08:51also highly needed at EU level to really decide to invest in our industry, but also to green our

08:57industry. Otherwise, we will be the old continent. Definitely the Chinese invest. Other continents

09:03invest in their transition. And Europe is now giving up on its climate and ecological transition,

09:09but it's a condition for our competitiveness. Well, thank you very much for that. And of course,

09:15Maeve, the focus, of course, is on the investment. But the question is, how do you pay for it?

09:19And that's one of the big topics that will come up tomorrow. What is the financing and who's going

09:23to pay? Is this private sector money? Or is there now a path for joint debt and we go back to public

09:28money? That always seems to be the million dollar question. Maria Tzeo, thank you so much for that.

09:33And also to the Belgian MEP Saskia Prickmont from the Greens. And as you heard there, it is a nail

09:38biting time for the European Union as leaders scratch their head about how to move forward. Ahead of that

09:44leaders gathering tomorrow, our Jakob Janis has been reading between the lines of Ursula von der Leyen's

09:49letter.

09:49Hey, do you like receiving letters? Ursula von der Leyen just wrote one to all 27 EU leaders.

09:59And it goes like this. Where a lack of progress risks undermining Europe's competitiveness,

10:06we should not shy away from using the possibilities foreseen in the treaties on enhanced cooperation.

10:13Confused? Don't worry, your reporter also struggled. But in simple words, it's all about new European

10:21super speed club. So let's break it down. In her letter, von der Leyen is essentially saying,

10:28if we cannot agree now as 27, let's break the taboo and move forward in smaller groups. And the so-called

10:36enhanced cooperation will allow a group of at least nine countries shift up a gear without waiting for

10:43the others. And those considered troublemakers. They can keep pumping the brakes, but they are about to be

10:50left in the rearview mirror. But buckle up, because that's not the only bold idea. Emmanuel Macron is pushing for

10:58future-oriented euro bonds, so a massive common debt for strategic projects. And this is already

11:04happening with the 90 billion euro Ukraine loan, which is bypassing Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia.

11:10And this also shows not everyone is ready for a Hamiltonian moment. But the trend is clear,

11:18and the EU is finally trying to reform its... In September, von der Leyen suggested limiting veto rights,

11:26which are often used by some member states to derail collective action.

11:30It is time to break free from the shackles of unanimity. And the motivation is clear too. Because

11:36if Brussels doesn't learn to drive fast, it will not just be overtaken. It might end up in the

11:44scrapyard.

11:47Jakob Janus reporting for us there. And as you heard earlier, MEPs are in Strasbourg this week,

11:55and they're also voting on new stricter anti-asylum laws. That will make it legally easier to deport

12:01asylum seeker hopefuls to countries outside the European Union. The new laws foresee more cooperation

12:07with foreign states, marking a pivotal change to a tougher European stance on asylum. The EU

12:12commissioner for migration, Magnus Pruner from Austria, expressed his stance in the European

12:17Parliament. We have a clear strategic vision for the kind of migration policy we want for the European

12:27Union. We want a union where migration is safe, is legal and most of all under control. And we want

12:37swifter, stronger and more effective returns also. That is one of the missing pieces we still see.

12:44And I think it is time to turn this around and make sure that, as a rule, irregular migrants leave

12:52the European Union. Without this, our policies, I think, are not credible.

12:58Magnus Pruner there, the Austrian commissioner for migration. And for more on this,

13:02we can turn to your news journalist, Eleonora Vasquez, who's been following the story for us.

13:06Good morning, Eleonora. Good morning, Maeve. Good to have you with us. Just tell us more about

13:09these two votes in the parliament. Yes, Maeve. I mean, they were very important

13:13votes in the European Parliament yesterday. One about the list of countries considered safe

13:19for the European Union and the other is the concept, what it doesn't mean to be a safe country so

13:24migrants can be returned there. So Egypt, Bangladesh, Colombia, Kosovo, India, Morocco and Tunisia has

13:32been defined safe country in this list that might change. So this doesn't mean that all the people

13:38coming from this country will be automatically returned because the application, the asylum

13:43application is a personal application. But at the same time, they will have less chances to get

13:50the asylum in Europe. And as you said, there is a reduction of access to asylum in the European Union.

13:56Okay. And we can read more about that, of course, on Euronews.com. But you also broke

14:00an exclusive story this week with our colleague Vincenzo Ginovese about the European Commission's

14:05frustration with the Spanish government for granting asylum to half a million undocumented migrants,

14:11mostly from South America and the Caribbean. Tell us more about this.

14:15Yes. On this, I want to clarify something. I think the Commission has two different narratives

14:19that they don't really come together. So one narrative is legal pathways, we need migrants,

14:26we need these people because we have a lot of jobs and we need skilled workers and so on and so forth.

14:33But at the same time, we want to reduce access to asylum, we want to close the border. And of course,

14:38for the public opinion, these two narratives, they don't go together. So what happened and what

14:45is doing Sanchez is one of the two narratives. But the predominant narrative inside the Brussels

14:51corridor from what I learned with my colleague Vincenzo Ginovese is that they wanted to keep a high

14:57level narrative on closing the border. And of course, what he did Sanchez also in terms of narrative,

15:03because he's showing a lot that he is making the migration as a good opportunity for everyone. So this

15:11is what he's saying is disturbing Brussels corridors.

15:15Okay, good example of the awkward phone calls between Brussels and the various capitals on that

15:20topic of migration that we've been covering, of course, for many years here on Euronews and,

15:26of course, on that pact. Eleanor Vasquez, thank you so much for your reporting and for joining us here

15:30this morning on Europe Today. But now, moving on from migration to the topic of defence. NATO is launching

15:37brand new military operations in the Arctic. This is a response to the serious confrontations between

15:43the US and its European and NATO allies after the US President Trump said he would, quote,

15:47take Greenland from Denmark. The mission is aimed at responding to growing threats from Russia and

15:53China in the region and is due to be announced tomorrow at a NATO defence ministerial meeting taking

15:58place. For more, we can cross straight over to our correspondent, Shona Murray, who's live for

16:03us this morning at the NATO headquarters. Good morning, Shona. Just tell us more, please, about

16:07this mission. Well, as you said there, Maeve, we know that part of the resolution between the

16:13United States and its NATO allies over the fate of Greenland last month was there'll be greater

16:19enhanced security in the Arctic region and in the high north. So that's what Arctic Century is.

16:23Now, NATO has already had a presence there, but this is much more enhanced. This is going to be

16:28multi-domain force. It'll be using cyber, space, air, land and sea. And really what we heard yesterday

16:35from the US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, was that they believe, the United States believes,

16:40that there already is a Chinese and Russian threat there. But this will really be about future-proofing

16:45the region. It's likely to be launched tomorrow at that NATO defence ministerial meeting here,

16:51but that hasn't been completely confirmed. But that's really the idea that it would really sort of

16:55start getting into action as soon as possible as part of that agreement. Now, take a listen to

17:01NATO's top general, Alexis Grinkovic, during the week speaking about Arctic Century.

17:06We did talk about Greenland. We talked about in the context of the Arctic and the increasing need

17:12for the alliance to pay attention to security in the Arctic, given the continued Russian presence

17:17and increasing Chinese presence that's there. I think it's been reported widely that we're

17:22doing some planning now on a new Arctic mission called Arctic Century that has not kicked off yet,

17:27but we're in the final stages of planning for that.

17:31General Alexis Grinkovic there, a reporter speaking to the press last night. And Shona,

17:36of course, as you said, this is happening as part of that defence minister's meeting taking place

17:40tomorrow. But we're hearing that the US defence secretary is not showing up. Can you tell us

17:45why? And how are allies feeling about this? Are they annoyed?

17:50Well, Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War, was due to show up, obviously. He announced a few weeks

17:54ago that he wasn't. And initially, there was sort of head scratching, because remember,

17:58in December, December Secretary of State Marco Rubio also didn't show up to his meeting of foreign

18:03affairs ministers. But what we will have is a Elbridge Colby, who's deputising for Pete Hegseth,

18:10who is the undersecretary of war. And what I've actually heard is that he is set to reassure allies

18:15that the United States will maintain a high level of troops across NATO territory in Germany and

18:21Italy and the eastern flank. So that was a real concern for NATO allies since the Trump administration

18:26came into power. Elbridge Colby himself is seen as sort of a hawk, a hardliner. He's been trying to

18:31push the Trump administration to withdraw troops from NATO. So that will be quite reassuring. So any

18:37concerns that allies had about Pete Hegseth not showing up, that should allay them. What I've

18:43heard is that he will talk to them about that tomorrow. And it also coincides with major changes

18:48within the senior command in NATO, where the United States is removing itself from some joint force

18:54commands, making European countries like the UK, Germany, Poland and Italy take up some of those

19:00responsibilities. So the idea really is that NATO is burden shifting from the United States

19:06to Europe. Maeve. Okay, Shona Murray, thank you so much for that live update from the NATO

19:11headquarters just outside Brussels. And for more of Shona Murray's reporting from NATO today,

19:15do visit Euronews.com or for any more information on any of the stories that we're covering for you.

19:20But that does bring this edition of Europe Today to a close. Thank you so much for your company. As

19:25always, we'll be back tomorrow bright and early. Tune in to find out more about that summit taking place.

19:30See you soon, though, on Euronews.

19:40Good night.

19:59Good night

20:02You

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