The Greens/EFA group are calling for a coordinated EU response to the COVID-19 outbreak

The Greens/EFA group are calling on the European Commission and European Council for a coordinated EU response to the Corona virus crisis.

Ska Keller MEP, President of the Greens/EFA group, has commented:

“We need a coordinated European response like no other to meet the challenge of this global pandemic head-on. We must focus on protecting the most vulnerable; from those at high risk, to the homeless and marginalised, to refugees who have no protection whatsoever from this pandemic in overcrowded camps with very little medical attention.

“We welcome efforts by the Commission and Council presidents to ensure Member States work more closely together. No Member State can be left alone to deal with this. The Single Market must be protected to keep supply chains open to ensure our health systems get the equipment they need, in particular medical supplies. The tireless efforts of doctors, nurses but also people working in supermarkets, public services and all frontline workers must be fully supported.

“We need to see healthcare and social welfare systems robustly resourced to be able to meet this unprecedented challenge. For those who have lost their jobs because of illness or the closure of businesses or are losing income because of precarious work conditions, Europe must assist in relief efforts.”

On 16 March 2020, Greens/EFA members of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in the European Parliament sent an open letter to the Eurogroup, highlighting the urgent need to deliver a genuinely coordinated and common EU policy to respond to the new crisis. A common response that would ultimately ease the pressure that markets will start putting on individual Member States if they have to carry the financial burden by themselves.

Read the full press release