Government of Germany

In her address to the EP, she called for the urgent establishment of a "Marshall Plan for Europe", primarily through the EU budget.
In her speech on the EU response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ursula von der Leyen before the European Parliament expressed her condolences for the "tens of thousands of victims" of coronavirus in Europe.

The European Union's next long-term budget should be used to sponsor economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic, the heads of the bloc's Brussels-based institutions said on Wednesday.

As I write these lines on the Saturday just ahead of Easter, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has just finished a speech on public TV in prime time - something he normally does only at Christmas. Chancellor Angela Merkel also talked about the coronavirus crisis in a speech about a month ago - normally she only speaks to citizens every New Year's Day.

The majority of Germans are against the loosening of social distancing restrictions in place to stem the spread of Covid-19, DPA reported.

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday urged European Union states to lift export bans on medicines to avoid causing shortages in the bloc as it tackles the coronavirus crisis.

The head of Angela Merkel's cabinet told local media that she does not think the plans of the German Chancellor not to run for a fifth consecutive term have changed, BNR reported, citing Reuters.

Helge Braun's statement comes after an article in the Bild newspaper that Merkel might have changed her decision to step down.

"I would say three weeks, but the next two will determine our destiny. There is no doubt about that," he said.
He pointed out that 573 respirators had been delivered to Serbia since the crisis broke out, and that we have paid for another 1.000.
"You know, when America orders 30.000 respirators, then there is fight for them. Money doesn't matter, just to get one," he said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called on EU nations to invest billions in the bloc's budget to avert catastrophic economic consequences from the current coronavirus crisis.

The next EU budget should take the form of a new "Marshall Plan" to stoke Europe's recovery from the coronavirus crisis, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday.

Today, the European Commission has decided to create a strategic rescEU stockpile of medical equipment such as ventilators and protective masks to help EU countries in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bulgarian Industrial Association reported.