Several European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, believing that the European Union had not been up to the challenge of Covid-19, asked the EU on Tuesday to study ways to better prepare for the next pandemic.
The chaotic response to the new coronavirus, which officially made 184,256 in the EU, “raised questions” about the level of preparedness, and stressed the need for a Europe-wide approach, particularly when ‘There is talk of a second wave of the pandemic, they analyze in a letter to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, which accompanies a guidance document.
“We hope that the document can serve as an inspiration for future fruitful discussions at European level to ensure that the EU is prepared for future pandemics,” they write.
With Mr. Macron and Ms. Merkel, the Pole Mateusz Morawiecki, the Spaniard Pedro Sanchez, the Belgian Sophie Wilmes and the Dane Mette Frederiksen signed this letter.
The text highlights the lack of medical equipment that Europeans have faced. “Understanding the shortcomings is essential”, insist the signatories.
They also ask for better coordination of data collection and processing, so that the figures are comparable from one State to another.
The heads of state and government of the 27 EU member states are due to hold a virtual meeting on 19 June to discuss the aftermath of the pandemic.
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