In my capacity as President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr. Joe Biden for his election as the 46th President of the United States of America, as well as to Ms. Kamala Harris as Vice-President.
Sitting in front of a screen is not exactly how we had pictured this inaugural session. You may be asking yourselves why, as the new president, I am also participating remotely. Believe me, it was not easy for me to decide not to travel to Brussels. The reason for my decision is simple: we can only ask our people, our members and staff to limit their social interactions and change their everyday behaviour to fight the COVID-19 pandemic if we ourselves set an example. That is why I have decided to adopt a "safety first" approach and to participate remotely, so that I do not put anybody at risk.
