5 ways
the EU and member
states work together
against COVID-19
As the entire world learned in 2020, viruses do not respect national or international boundaries.
Tackling coronavirus required governments to do everything in their power to protect their citizens. For EU member states, it has meant working together to help bring people through the pandemic – but also reaching beyond their borders to play a part in supporting other countries too.
Here are five ways the EU and member states have worked together to meet the challenges that COVID-19 has presented.
1
Vaccines and testing
Charlotta Polacek is a Swedish scientist who is working on developing reliable and rapid tests for COVID-19 at the Danish Statens Serum Institut.
Since the start of the pandemic, the EU has been funding research projects which aim to improve testing or find routes to providing a vaccine. In only a few months, safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 have become a reality and vaccination is underway across the EU.
The start of the vaccination campaigns has given everyone hope that there is a way out of this pandemic.
Negotiating on behalf of all EU countries, the EU coordinated talks with promising vaccine developers and secured almost 2.3 billion doses of vaccine.
By pooling resources and working as a team, the EU helped the quick development of safe and effective vaccines. EU countries are receiving the vaccines under the same conditions and at the same time. Part of these supplies are funded via the Emergency Support Instrument, which helps EU countries in their fight against the pandemic.
While researchers worked on a vaccine, EU countries have been working on mutual recognition of tests and coordinated efforts for contact tracing across borders, to limit the spread of the virus.
In May 2020, the EU also hosted an event for international donors to make pledges to fund vaccine development globally – it raised €16 billion which is now being used to help low-income countries access vaccines. Of the €16 billion, €11.9 billion was pledged by EU member states, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank.
But developing a vaccine is only part of the challenge. Mass production and effective distribution are also key to reach herd immunity. Vaccination against COVID-19 started on 27 December 2020 across the European Union. EU countries are receiving new doses every week to roll out their vaccination campaigns.
The first doses cover the most vulnerable members of the population, healthcare workers and other priority groups. Then, vaccination campaigns will be gradually extended to all, bringing us closer to getting back to normal life.
2
Medical equipment
Dr Raed Arafat is Romanian Secretary of State in charge of emergency situations and was supervising the shipment to Prague, as Romania hosts the strategic stockpile.
As the nature of the novel coronavirus became clear in the early part of the year, the need for emergency medical equipment became starkly obvious. It was needed both to treat those in the greatest need and also to protect doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff so that they could do their work safely.
To meet this need, in March, the EU created a reserve of emergency medical equipment which could be quickly mobilised in emergencies. With the support of the EU, six countries (Germany, Romania, Denmark, Greece, Hungary and Sweden) became responsible for procuring the necessary equipment and stocking it. The EU’s emergency response coordination centre processes requests and coordinates the distribution of equipment and support to the countries which need it most.
Delivering facemasks to Italy and Spain
Italy and Spain were the first and worst hit countries in Europe’s first wave of COVID-19. To support their response, in April and May 2020 the EU delivered 316 000 FFP2 and FFP3 protective facemasks from its common medical reserves.
Helping the EU's neighbours
Solidarity doesn’t stop at the EU borders. Neighbouring countries also received assistance through rescEU. For example, North Macedonia received 148 000 facemasks and 35 000 protective gowns from the rescEU stockpiles hosted in Germany and Romania.
Sending ventilators to Czechia
In October 2020 Czechia appealed for help when it had more COVID-19 cases than its hospitals could cope with. The EU sent 30 ventilators from the rescEU medical reserve while Austria sent 15 and the Netherlands sent 105, fully meeting Czechia’s needs.
Providing medical examining gloves to France
France faced one of the highest contagion rates in Europe in November 2020. It asked for help obtaining examining gloves for healthcare workers performing tests. The EU sent 500 000 pairs of gloves from its rescEU stockpile hosted in Greece.
Many EU countries went above and beyond their commitments under EU programmes. When Italy was badly hit by the initial outbreak of the virus, for example, many countries sent support. Austria donated medical masks and ventilators, Denmark provided field hospital equipment, Czechia sent protective suits and Germany sent 5 tonnes of medical supplies. France exported more than two million facemasks to other member states. Hungary, Austria and the Netherlands sent 150 ventilators to Czechia.
Many companies across Europe adapted their production to meet the demand for protective equipment, disinfectants and medical devices. Technical knowledge was also shared – including plans for 3D printing of face shields and even ventilators.
A total of 620 000 FFP2 and FFP3 protective facemasks and 50 000 body protection items were distributed from the rescEU medical reserves up to December 2020. In addition, 30 ventilators are on a six-month loan to Czechia. The rescEU reserves help improve preparedness in the EU. They are constantly replenished and deliveries happen regularly based on the requests of the countries most in need.
3
Supporting each other
Dr Alin Suciu is a Romanian doctor who volunteered to help out in Italian hospitals during the peak of the pandemic in Italy. He arrived in Lombardy, the hardest hit Italian region, in April 2020 together with a team of Romanian doctors and nurses.
Many times this year EU member states have supported each other and worked together to respond to the challenges posed by the pandemic.
While every country has been affected by the virus, some have been hit harder than others, experiencing extreme pressure on their intensive care units. Just like Romanian doctor Alin Suciu and his team, medical staff from Germany and Poland also joined the front-line efforts during Italy’s first wave.
When Belgium experienced a surge of severe COVID-19 cases in October 2020, its health care system entered crisis mode. Neighbouring country Germany welcomed Belgian patients in its hospitals where more intensive care beds were available. In the first wave, Germany took in more than 230 critical patients from Italy, France and the Netherlands. Austria and Luxembourg also welcomed patients from France and Italy.
When the pandemic struck, the rapid closure of borders led to the cancellation of many international flights, leaving people stranded far from home.
EU consular protection made it possible for citizens to seek help from the embassy or consulate of any other EU country. Together, their embassies provided advice and assistance with repatriation, supporting citizens in stressful situations.
The EU contributed to the costs, facilitating over 400 repatriation flights arranged by EU countries. One in three passengers were European citizens of a different nationality than that of the country organising the repatriation flight.
In an unprecedented team effort, EU countries managed to help more than 650 000 EU citizens return home.
4
Jobs and workers
Andrea Allori works as a technician at Sardaflora, a flower producer in Sardinia, Italy. As sales for weddings, funerals and festivals plummeted when Italy locked down, the company introduced short-time working arrangements.
The urgency for countries to take drastic measures to halt the spread of the virus was undeniable. But as life came to a stand-still, the knock-on effect on household finances, employers and the wider economy was harsh.
Schemes like the ‘cassa integrazione guadagni’ in Italy have been protecting livelihoods across the EU. The consequence has been a significant increase in public expenditure.
EU member states agreed to support each other by making financial resources available through loans. In a demonstration of their solidarity, they agreed to establish the SURE programme: €100 billion to provide Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency.
This EU initiative helps member states protect citizens against the risk of unemployment and loss of income by giving the national governments the scope to increase public spending to finance short-term work schemes, like the Italian ‘cassa integrazione’, and other similar measures, including for the self-employed.
The first instalments, worth €39.5 billion as of 1 December 2020, were disbursed to Italy, Spain, Poland, Greece, Croatia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Slovenia, Malta, Latvia, Belgium, Romania, Hungary, Portugal and Slovakia. More were to follow.
The funding is raised by the European Commission. The Commission issues bonds on the financial markets and then makes the loans available to requesting EU member states. Because the bonds are issued by the EU, countries benefit from better rates, a clear example of how working together is a cost-efficient way to support the jobs and workers most hit by the crisis.
5
Team Europe in action
Sinead Walsh is the EU ambassador to South Sudan, a country with great humanitarian needs during the pandemic and which has received aid from the EU in the form of drugs, medical equipment and other supplies.
The virus doesn’t stop at national boundaries. In the face of this unparalleled threat, the EU has stepped up its international support to countries in need. The EU's role as a coordinator allows it to combine support from EU countries, a.k.a. 'Team Europe' to reach out to countries across the globe.
A central part of the EU’s global response, the Team Europe programme has reached out to help partner nations as they confronted their own challenges. This has included providing humanitarian support in affected countries, in particular in the areas of health, water, sanitation and logistics. Building on the experience of outbreaks of Ebola and Zika, the EU has worked to strengthen the response capabilities of countries with fragile healthcare systems. Working through the World Health Organization, it has also provided protective equipment for health workers in the most vulnerable countries.
As part of the Team Europe effort, for example, African countries received 1.4 million COVID-19 test kits, delivered by plane. The delivery is worth over €26 million, with contributions from the EU, Germany, Austria, Spain and Sweden.
The EU has been helping its neighbourhood and enlargement countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Jordan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Ukraine. They have received an additional €3 billion to help them cope with the pandemic’s economic impact. This financial assistance is provided in the form of loans on very favourable terms.
Stronger together
These are just some examples of how the EU has come together to meet the challenges posed by COVID-19. Thanks to the ongoing vaccination campaigns, there is at last light at the end of the tunnel, but we are not yet out of this crisis.
In the months to come, the EU will continue to pull together for the benefit of its citizens and other countries too. But beating the virus is only part of the task – the economic and social impact of the past few months has been unprecedented.
The EU has taken extraordinary steps to put in place Next Generation EU, a €750 billion recovery plan to help EU countries address the impact of the pandemic while also undertaking the green and digital transitions necessary to secure our future.
In this pandemic, Europe has suffered together. Thanks to solidarity between communities and countries, and the plans put in place by EU leaders, Europe will recover, stronger together.
Photo credits
Header
Woman in v neck sweater wearing face mask - Unsplash
Vaccine in vial with syringe - 123rf
Section 1
Pharmaceutical production line - 123rf
Syringe - RawPixel
Section 2
Face mask - RawPixel
Section 3
Nurse with mask - Rawpixel
Section 4
Man with box - 123RF
Closeup of hand signing paper - Rawpixel
Summary
Lady in the balcony - Unsplash
Woman putting food in solidarity basket - © Carlo Hermann / AFP
Windows - Rawpixel
Little girl in face medical mask looking at teddy bear - 123rf
Other images: European Union
Last updated: 18 January 2021
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