Question for Written Answer E-001619/20 to the Commission Isabella Tovaglieri (ID), Marco Zanni (ID), Marco Campomenosi (ID), Silvia Sardone (ID) (14 March 2020)

(English version) Question for written answer E-001619/20 to the Commission Isabella Tovaglieri (ID), Marco Zanni (ID), Marco Campomenosi (ID), Silvia Sardone (ID) (14 March 2020) Subject: Coronavirus and lack of European solidarity Italy, the first European country to have been seriously affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, has a health service that is currently under pressure, given the growing number of cases identified throughout the country. Prompt and effective hospital treatment of the most seriously ill patients requires the use of special lung ventilation equipment, as well as other medical materials such as gowns and masks, of which there are also few available at the moment. Italy has asked other European countries to supply it with these medical materials; however, the press has reported that, at the last meeting of health ministers in the Council of the European Union, this request from Italy was ignored by the other Member States. Can the Commission say: 1. what its view of this lack of solidarity is, at such a serious stage of this health crisis, in spite of all the proclamations of unity; 2. what measures it intends to take in order to provide tangible support for the great strain the Italian health service is under, by taking concrete measures, as soon as possible, to obtain the necessary medical equipment; 3. whether it considers the European measures hitherto taken in order to halt the pandemic to be effective? Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission (11 June 2020) The Commission is working with Member States and international partners on all fronts to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak . The priority is to guarantee the health and safety of everyone, protecting them from the virus, supporting health systems and health workers, maintaining the flow of goods (1) and mitigating the economic effects (2). In response to Italy’s request for assistance, Emergency Medical Teams from Romania and Norway, mobilised through and financed by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, were sent to Italy in April 2020. Austria sent sanitiser and Slovakia masks and disinfectant. Other Member States have sent protective equipment bilaterally and have taken in Italian patients for treatment (3). The Commission has published guidance on EU emergency assistance to encourage and facilitates cross-border cooperation in healthcare (4). The Commission is also in contact with the pharmaceutical and medical devices industry to ensure that medicines, equipment and testing kits are available to Member States who need them. With Member States, the Commission launched joint procurement tenders for essential medical and protective equipment. To support European health systems in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the Commission will use all available remaining funds from the 2020 EU budget to help to respond to the needs. EUR 3 billion will be put into the Emergency Support Instrument, of which EUR 300 million will be allocated to the RescEU strategic stockpile (5) that was set up to secure a common European reserve of vital medical equipment and supplies. It will enable the Commission to procure on behalf of Member States and send help where most needed; prioritisation and mobilisation will be done in close coordination with Member States. |(⋅1∙|) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_468 |(⋅2∙|) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_459 |(⋅3∙|) https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/health/coronavirus-response/crisis-management-and-solidarity_en#assistance-within-the-eu |(⋅4∙|) https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/guidelines_on_eu_emergency_assistance_in_cross-bordercooperationin_heathcare_related_to_the_covid-19_crisis.pdf |(⋅5∙|) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_476.

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