Debate: Coronavirus outbreak, state of play and ensuring a coordinated European response to the health, economic and social impact
Date: TUESDAY, 10 MARCH 2020
Speaker: Janez Lenarčič
Language: EN

Obviously, as the virus continues to spread, what is needed is that we collectively – Member States and EU institutions – step up our actions and the Commission intends to do so. Not everybody is affected in the same way at the moment. There are some who are hit harder and that’s why we stress the need for solidarity among EU Member States in particular because, without solidarity, the mechanisms that we have simply do not work. The Civil Protection Mechanism is a wonderful mechanism, but it is based on the contribution by Member States. If those contributions are not there, the mechanism doesn’t work. Solidarity also has an impact on joint procurement, and so on. So, without solidarity, we are not going to get far. Why? Simply because the Commission doesn’t possess its own stocks of protective equipment – masks and that kind of stuff. If we did have those things, Italy would be the first to get them from us, but we don’t. We rely on Member States and their solidarity. So it’s not an empty word: solidarity really matters. Without solidarity things aren’t going to work.  The next point I want to make is that obviously we need to continue to work on preparedness and contingency. Obviously the capacities, in particular in the health sector but also elsewhere, are not sufficient in case of further propagation of the virus. We keep saying this, we have kept saying this for weeks and we will continue to say this.  Certain other aspects were highlighted. Let me say that we are working not only on vaccines, but also on diagnostics, tests, treatment and so on, and we added an additional EUR 37 million to this research area just last Friday. We are also looking into aviation, because aviation is obviously one of the sectors that are hardest hit. We are looking into that, and my colleague Commissioner Vălean is looking into that very closely, including with regard to the rules governing the usage of slots. I will not go into further details, but I would like to assure you all that the Commission will not hesitate to propose additional measures as we face this challenge in the coming days and weeks. We will also not hesitate to find any additional funding that is available. But on this issue I would like to underline what was also said by some of the honourable Members. We are in the last year of the Multiannual Financial Framework. Reserves in the Commission’s budget are meagre. This is one more reason, if ever one was needed, to have an early agreement on the next Multiannual Financial Framework. It’s long overdue. Let me close by thanking you as Members of this House for your interest and engagement. It is important that the message goes out to our citizens that the EU cares, that the EU is doing its part to address the situation, and that we will continue to do so until we win this battle. This is a time for EU solidarity. We need to stick together and support each other in fighting this outbreak at all levels – at local level, national level, European level and global level. I can assure you that the Commission will continue to play its role. We will continue to work on all fronts: on health aspects, civil protection aspects, economic aspects, transport aspects and all others. We’ll do our best and we do count on your continued support.