The EU and its member states are working together to reinforce national healthcare systems and contain the spread of the virus. At the same time, the EU and its member countries are taking action to mitigate the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and support the recovery.
The EU's response to the COVID-19 pandemic
10 things the EU is doing to fight COVID-19 and ensure recovery
During these times of crisis, the EU and its member states are working together to slow down the spread of the virus, reinforce healthcare systems, mitigate the social and economic effects of the pandemic and support workers, businesses and member states.
Find out what the EU is doing to combat the pandemic and to help Europe get back on its feet after the economic downturn.
A recovery plan for Europe
To support EU citizens, businesses and countries in the recovery from the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, EU leaders agreed to work on recovery plan for Europe. On 23 April 2020, they committed to establishing an EU recovery fund aimed at mitigating the effects of the crisis.
On 21 July, EU leaders agreed on an overall budget of €1 824 billion for 2021-2027. Combining the multiannual financial framework (MFF) and an extraordinary recovery effort, Next Generation EU (NGEU), the package will help the EU to rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic, and will support investment in the green and digital transitions.
These elements are in addition to the three safety nets of €540 billion already put in place by the EU to support workers, businesses and countries.
In October 2020, EU leaders set the priorities for the EU's recovery. They called for a return to a fully functioning single market as soon as possible, for making the EU's industries more competitive globally and increasing their autonomy, and for accelerating the digital transition.
The Council and the European Parliament reached a political agreement on the package on 10 November 2020. The European Council on 10-11 December 2020 addressed the concerns raised on the agreement and cleared the path for the recovery package to be adopted before 1 January 2021.
The EU’s emergency response to the COVID-19 outbreak
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the EU has been working together with its member states to protect the health and wellbeing of EU citizens and save lives.
The EU’s response to COVID-19 focuses on four priorities:
- limiting the spread of the virus
- ensuring the provision of medical equipment
- promoting research for treatments and vaccines
- supporting jobs, businesses and the economy
These priorities were agreed on by EU leaders in March 2020 to guide the EU’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the peak of the COVID-19 crisis, EU leaders regularly met via video conference to discuss and assess the situation and coordinate action.
The European Council returned regularly on the topic of COVID-19. EU leaders expressed agreed to continue the coordination effort at EU level, focusing on:
- testing strategies and the use of rapid antigen tests
- mutual recognition of tests
- cross-border contact tracing
- quarantine regulations
- development, manufacturing and deployment of the COVID-19 vaccines
5 ways the EU and member states work together against COVID-19
There is a great story to tell about how the EU and its member states work together as a team to help people through the COVID-19 pandemic. From securing safe and effective vaccines, to sending medical equipment where it is most needed, to taking in patients from other countries; from protecting jobs and workers to helping partner countries across the globe, EU countries went above and beyond to support each other.
European solidarity in action
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global challenge and requires a global response. The EU and its member states have committed to a Team Europe global response package of €38.5 billion to support partner countries' efforts in fighting the pandemic.
Only a shared spirit of global solidarity and responsibility will defeat the COVID-19 crisis.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council
During this crisis, EU countries are stepping up their efforts to support each other, helping those most in need and sharing resources to fight the spread of the virus. This is European solidarity at its best.
The EU has also been helping EU citizens stranded in third countries during the first wave of the pandemic. EU delegations worked with member states' embassies to coordinate the repatriation of more than 650 000 EU citizens, contributing to the costs of over 400 repatriation flights organised by member states.
What the EU has already done
During these times of crisis, the EU and its member states are working together and helping each other.
The EU has already mobilised resources to support the emergency response to the virus: ensuring supply of protective equipment, boosting research and supporting our global partners in need.
Crisis coordination on the COVID-19 pandemic
On 28 January 2020, the Croatian presidency decided to activate the EU's integrated political crisis response mechanism (IPCR) in information sharing mode to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. IPCR is the EU framework for coordination of cross-sectoral crises at the highest political level.
The information sharing mode means that member states have access to:
- regular situational awareness and analysis reports by the European Commission and the European External Action Service
- a dedicated page on a secured web platform to share information
Considering the changing situation and the different sectors affected (health, consular, civil protection, economy) by the COVID-19 pandemic, the presidency escalated the activation of the IPCR mechanism to full mode on 2 March 2020. The full activation mode allows for crisis roundtables with the participation of:
- affected member states
- the European Commission
- the European External Action Service
- the office of the President of the European Council
- relevant EU agencies and experts
Throughout the crisis, the Croatian presidency convened regular roundtables to facilitate the exchange of information and coordination of crisis response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking over the presidency as of 1 July 2020, Germany decided to keep the IPCR mechanism activated in full mode.
Background
COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new type of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). It was first identified in China in December 2019.
In December 2019, there was an outbreak of COVID-19 in the Chinese municipality of Wuhan, quickly spreading to other regions of China and the world. By January 2020, isolated cases had appeared in some EU member states.
At the end of February 2020, Italy reported a significant increase of COVID-19 cases concentrated in the northern regions of the country. Most other EU member states started reporting cases of people infected.
By March 2020, all EU member states had reported COVID-19 cases. The number of cases has since continued to increase.
The Council, together with other EU institutions, is closely monitoring the situation and taking action. This includes adoption of relevant EU legislation and ongoing coordination with member states to share information, assess needs and ensure a coherent EU-wide response.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is coordinating the worldwide response. On 11 March 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The EU is directly contributing to the global response of the WHO.
For more updates on COVID-19 related Council meetings, press releases, infographics and publications see here:
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