“At this time, the world needs Europe’s strong voice for the protection of human dignity, democracy and freedom,” she added, Reuters reports. As the continued advance of the Chinese coronavirus strickens large parts of the globe, Merkel said it is a teaching moment for the world on how how to challenge “authoritarians” who seek to use it to their advantage.

“They want to undermine the rule of law. They want to harm people’s dignity. They want to undermine people’s human rights and civil rights,” she continued. This is not the first time Merkel has touted an EU global role.

As Breitbart News reported, last month she backed the political union to deliver guidance on handling the Chinese coronavirus pandemic based on what she claimed was the manifest evidence of the organization’s achievements. Her simple solution remains: more EU in more places more often. This is despite the evidence Europe has struggled from day one to achieve any level of unanimous agreement on what to do and how to do it.

The presidency of the Council of the European Union passes among member states on a rotating basis and lasts for a six-month period, with Germany taking the role from July 1 until the end of the year.