Masque summit

EU leaders determined the directions of joint struggle against coronavirus

The heads of state and governments of the EU countries held a meeting of the European Council on March 26, which for the first time in history was held in the form of a video conference. It was devoted to the reaction to the pandemic of the Coronavirus Covid-19, which covered Europe.

“Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented problem for Europe and the whole world. It requires urgent, decisive and complex actions at the EU level, at the national, regional and local levels, ”the members of the European Council said in a joint statement.

The European Union will do everything necessary to protect citizens and overcome the crisis of the Pandemia of Coronavirus, while retaining European values ​​and lifestyle.

He will continue to work in five directions:

1. restriction of the spread of the virus,

2. providing the necessary medical materials,

3. promotion of research work,

4. overcoming the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic,

5. The return of citizens stuck in third countries.

The EU has so far has a strength of the restriction on the entry of foreigners into its territory, introduced from the coronavirus, and will later appreciate the appropriateness of its extension.

The restrictions on movement so far remain on the internal boundaries of the Schengen space. Where border control is temporarily introduced on them, an uninterrupted controlled movement of people and goods necessary for the functioning of a single market will be ensured. Such measures are provided for by the Schengen Code of Borders. And for quick transportation of goods, "green corridors" will be installed.

A special commission will urgently consider the problems of EU citizens blocked on internal borders and are not able to return to their countries, as well as cross -border and seasonal workers who, by the genus of their main activities, should cross the boundaries.

The leaders of the EU countries will seek providing all EU countries with the necessary medical equipment and protective equipment. They called the coordination of purchases and supplies "the most acute priority."

They instructed the European Commission to increase the budget of the recently created strategic reserve of medical equipment, including for intensive care, as well as vaccines and therapeutic agents.

The EU has already mobilized 140 million euros for 17 projects related to the struggle against coronavirus, including the development of the vaccine, and will increase the support of European research groups and companies conducting work in this area and contribute to its acceleration. The European Investment Bank is involved in the financing of clinical and social assistance.

The EU countries will work with key partners within the framework of the Seven and Twenty, exchange scientific information and cooperate both within the EU and around the world, in order to develop a vaccine in the shortest possible time and make it available for everyone who needs it without any geographical barriers, the leaders said.

To overcome the social and economic consequences of the EU crisis, it will flexibly use the financial and economic tools that it has.

The Ministers of Finance of the Eurogroups is given the task within two weeks to submit proposals for the “restart” of the EU economy, taking into account the unprecedented nature of the shock from Covid-19.

Two weeks are given to understand the dispute between the "sick" south and the financially conservative North. Germany and the Netherlands blocked the call of Italy, Spain and France to issue joint debt obligations to finance recovery.

The summit dragged on due to the dispute about the creation of a credit line worth about 2% of the aggregate GDP of the EU European mechanism of stability, from the Eurosone Salvation Fund, which helped to get out of the long crisis.

The manifestations of flexibility were the temporary rules for the provision of state assistance to enterprises experiencing difficulties, and an unprecedented retreat from the strict criteria of the stability and growth of stability and growth, which establish the limits of the state budget and state debt of the EU countries.

An amendment will be adopted in the regulations of the EU Solidarity Fund, which will allow the use of this fund for emergency situations in the field of healthcare, such as the current Covid-19 outbreak.

The European Investment Bank must mobilize resources for bank guarantees and investments in European companies, especially small and medium -sized enterprises, including at the expense of the EU budget.

Having proclaimed commitment to international cooperation and multilateral decisions in the fight against pandemia and its consequences, the EU intends, however, to ensure “strategic autonomy” and “protect strategic assets and technologies from foreign investment, which may threaten legitimate goals of state policy.”

Currently, the EU is casting all his strength to fight pandemia and its direct consequences. At the same time, he prepares measures to return to the normal functioning of society and the economy, sustainable growth, combining the “green course”, digitalization and extracting all lessons from the crisis.