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The EU fails to persuade France and Germany to lift the controls of the coronavirus health team
March 9, 2020
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU officials sought in vain on Friday to persuade France, Germany and other European countries to lift controls on the export of protective medical equipment, which officials said could damage the collective effort of the bloc to combat the coronavirus.
Countries such as Germany, France and the Czech Republic have announced bans on exports of protective equipment to prevent shortages in the country, measures that go against the spirit of free movement of goods within the EU.
These bans "run the risk of undermining our collective approach to handling this crisis," said EU crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic at an emergency meeting in Brussels, where officials urged solidarity in the bloc to Fight the outbreak.
While the meeting was underway, EU officials working in the building that housed the ministers were sent home and a separate meeting of diplomats was canceled, after a new case of coronavirus among EU staff emerged . That followed a first case earlier this week.
Many EU countries rely on China, the source of the outbreak, for drug ingredients, and now struggle to avoid shortages after the epidemic interrupted supplies and delayed shipments.
According to the authorities, protective equipment, such as facial masks, is already scarce in most EU countries, which puts doctors and nurses at risk.
Europe needs to return medical production to Europe, because it depends too much on imports from non-EU countries, officials in France and Germany, the largest EU countries, have said.
France imports about 40% of China's drug ingredients, a situation that French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called excessive dependence on Beijing.
"This is not something that will be resolved tomorrow, but we must begin this discussion today so that we have a solution after tomorrow," Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober told reporters at the meeting in Brussels.
So far there has been no immediate shortage of medicines in the EU due to the epidemic, authorities said, but concerns rose after India, the world's leading producer of generic medicines, restricted some exports.
The bloc was already facing a shortage of several medications, even for respiratory diseases, before the outbreak.
Export bans
Health commissioner Stella Kyriakides called for "solidarity" between EU states to avoid a shortage of protective equipment.
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said that France had requested protective equipment to have a better understanding of the available stocks. He refused to answer questions about the export ban.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that German export restrictions on masks, gloves and suits could be revised if a general EU ban on sales to non-EU states was introduced.
Belgium's Minister of Health, Maggie De Block, called the prohibitions "paradoxical" and urged them to be lifted, as did the ministers of other countries that have not imposed them.
Italy, the EU country most affected by the outbreak so far, has formally requested help from other EU states to meet their protective equipment needs.
Italian health minister Roberto Speranza said more needs to be done at EU level to meet existing needs, and warned that lack of coordination could lead to higher prices for protective equipment.
The European Commission, the EU executive arm, began the joint acquisition of face masks and other protective equipment on behalf of 20 EU states last week, but the effort will probably not secure enough supplies before April, authorities said .
EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton said he hoped that EU-based manufacturers could meet the growing demand for protective equipment in the coming weeks, provided production was coordinated.
The ministers also discussed measures to prevent the spread of the virus. They agreed not to introduce controls at their mutual borders, confirming previous decisions to maintain the free movement of citizens within the Schengen area of the EU's open border.
https://newsdio.com/the-eu-fails-to...ontrols-of-the-coronavirus-health-team/66383/
March 9, 2020
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU officials sought in vain on Friday to persuade France, Germany and other European countries to lift controls on the export of protective medical equipment, which officials said could damage the collective effort of the bloc to combat the coronavirus.
Countries such as Germany, France and the Czech Republic have announced bans on exports of protective equipment to prevent shortages in the country, measures that go against the spirit of free movement of goods within the EU.
These bans "run the risk of undermining our collective approach to handling this crisis," said EU crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic at an emergency meeting in Brussels, where officials urged solidarity in the bloc to Fight the outbreak.
While the meeting was underway, EU officials working in the building that housed the ministers were sent home and a separate meeting of diplomats was canceled, after a new case of coronavirus among EU staff emerged . That followed a first case earlier this week.
Many EU countries rely on China, the source of the outbreak, for drug ingredients, and now struggle to avoid shortages after the epidemic interrupted supplies and delayed shipments.
According to the authorities, protective equipment, such as facial masks, is already scarce in most EU countries, which puts doctors and nurses at risk.
Europe needs to return medical production to Europe, because it depends too much on imports from non-EU countries, officials in France and Germany, the largest EU countries, have said.
France imports about 40% of China's drug ingredients, a situation that French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called excessive dependence on Beijing.
"This is not something that will be resolved tomorrow, but we must begin this discussion today so that we have a solution after tomorrow," Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober told reporters at the meeting in Brussels.
So far there has been no immediate shortage of medicines in the EU due to the epidemic, authorities said, but concerns rose after India, the world's leading producer of generic medicines, restricted some exports.
The bloc was already facing a shortage of several medications, even for respiratory diseases, before the outbreak.
Export bans
Health commissioner Stella Kyriakides called for "solidarity" between EU states to avoid a shortage of protective equipment.
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said that France had requested protective equipment to have a better understanding of the available stocks. He refused to answer questions about the export ban.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that German export restrictions on masks, gloves and suits could be revised if a general EU ban on sales to non-EU states was introduced.
Belgium's Minister of Health, Maggie De Block, called the prohibitions "paradoxical" and urged them to be lifted, as did the ministers of other countries that have not imposed them.
Italy, the EU country most affected by the outbreak so far, has formally requested help from other EU states to meet their protective equipment needs.
Italian health minister Roberto Speranza said more needs to be done at EU level to meet existing needs, and warned that lack of coordination could lead to higher prices for protective equipment.
The European Commission, the EU executive arm, began the joint acquisition of face masks and other protective equipment on behalf of 20 EU states last week, but the effort will probably not secure enough supplies before April, authorities said .
EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton said he hoped that EU-based manufacturers could meet the growing demand for protective equipment in the coming weeks, provided production was coordinated.
The ministers also discussed measures to prevent the spread of the virus. They agreed not to introduce controls at their mutual borders, confirming previous decisions to maintain the free movement of citizens within the Schengen area of the EU's open border.
https://newsdio.com/the-eu-fails-to...ontrols-of-the-coronavirus-health-team/66383/
