The EU's Response to COVID-19



Tomorrow, the European Parliament and European Council will convene by videoconference to address the bloc's joint response to the coronavirus crisis. The two institutions will focus their short agendas on tackling the impact of the COVID-19 on the health and economic consequences of EU citizens.

But what has the European Union been doing to respond to the pandemic spreading throughout the world?

On Monday, ECOFIN approved – in an unprecedented move – the general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact, enabling Member States to take all the measures necessary to support their economies.

The European Commission has already launched the €37 billion Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII) to counter the growing demands in the most affected sectors, mostly healthcare, labour markets and SMEs. Furthermore, the Commission launched last week a new joint procurement for laboratory equipment with 19 Member States, while putting €47.5 million from Horizon 2020 towards research on vaccine development, treatment and diagnostics against COVID-19.

The European Central Bank unveiled last Wednesday the €750 billion Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), in addition to €120 billion decided on 12 March, a financial plan aiming to expand its asset purchases over the next nine months to support economic activity, protect jobs and keep prices stable for consumers in the euro area.

As economic activity in Europe will be drastically affected in the coming weeks and months with thousands of jobs put at risk, the European Union has decided to direct their efforts towards health and fiscal policies. Nevertheless, public health remains an exclusive competence of the Member States, leading to the adoption of unilateral actions at times.

In coordination with the European Commission, Member States must keep consulting each other in order to align their national responses to this emergency and find a common solution to contain the spread of COVID-19.



Key Texts

European Commission: European Response to Counter the Economic Impact of the Coronavirus <[link removed]>

European Central Bank: Our Response to the Coronavirus Emergency <[link removed]>

European Parliament Research Service: What Can the EU Do to Alleviate the Impact of the Coronavirus Crisis? <[link removed](2020)649338_EN.pdf>



Upcoming Dates

26 March 2020
European Council <[link removed]>

26 March 2020
European Parliament: Plenary <[link removed]>





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