In Europe and in the world, all minds are focused on actions to tackle the outbreak of COVID-19 and mitigate the effects of the crisis. The European Union works on all fronts to support these efforts.
"The coronavirus has not only Europe but the entire global community in its grip and is the world’s common enemy. An enemy we can only defeat with a global approach and cross-border coordination", said EU High Representative Josep Borrell.
To this aim, the European Union has launched its “Team Europe” package to support partner countries in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences. The objective of the “Team Europe” approach is to combine resources from the EU, its Member States, and financial institutions, in particular the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The overall figure of the “Team Europe” package reaches almost 38.5 billion euros.
In 2021, the long-awaited vaccines have given us hope that we may be at the beginning of the end of this pandemic. Beyond the EU vaccination plan started on 27 December 2020, the European Union is committed to ensuring that everyone who needs a vaccine gets it, anywhere in the world and not only at home. The EU is the leading donor to support the COVAX Facility, a global collaboration aiming to secure access to the COVID-19 vaccine in low and middle-income countries. The first deliveries of vaccines have been taking place since the end of February 2021.
The European Commission has annnounced that it will also set up an EU vaccine sharing mechanism to structure the provision of vaccines shared by Member States with partner countries through a Team Europe approach.
The European Union is committed to ensuring that everyone who needs a vaccine is able to receive it, independent of whether they live inside the EU or outside. As such, beyond the EU vaccination plan started on 27 December 2020, the European Union has also been working tirelessly to provide the rest of the world with vaccines and to support their rollout, especially in low and middle-income countries.
In order to do so, the EU has decided upon four interconnected areas of action, which now constitute the external vaccines strategy.
Firstly, the European Union has been, since the very first moment, actively engaged in ensuring global and equitable access to vaccines, tests and treatments, which resulted in an investment of almost €4 bn euros in the field of research and development. The EU’s financial contribution has been instrumental in the development of several efficient and safe vaccines.
The European Union has also invested €40 bn in the quest to support its partners in dealing with the sanitary, social and economic consequences of the pandemic.
Secondly, the European Union is, at the same time, an actor which exports vaccines to third countries. As of today, over 150 million doses of vaccines produced on its territory have reached more than 43 countries. To ensure transparency and reciprocity, the EU has also set up an authorisation mechanism for the export of vaccines.
However, the third area of action as well as the biggest project the EU is part of with regard to external vaccination efforts is the COVAX Facility. In short, the COVAX Facility is a risk-sharing mechanism for countries and manufacturers, where countries have the opportunity to invest in promising vaccine candidates, with the added benefit of securing the lowest price possible. The aim of the mechanism is to grant access to vaccines as soon as they receive regulatory approval and to ensure fair allocation of new vaccines for priority populations. The COVAX Facility covers 102 countries. Out of the countries covered, 61 are considered vulnerable and receive vaccines for no cost, while the remaining 41 have the chance to buy vaccines through COVAX at an advantageous price.
To date, Team Europe (made up of the EU, its Member States and EU financial institutions) has announced an investment of over €2.47 bn, including €1 bn from the EU budget, for the COVAX Facility to help procure 2.2 billion doses of vaccination for 92 low and middle-income countries by the end of the year. This contribution makes the European Union as a whole one of the major donors of the COVAX facility.
So far, COVAX has already delivered over 49 million COVID-19 vaccines to 121 participants (including 61 low and middle income countries that received 32 million doses).
The last part of the European Union’s external vaccines strategy, as announced by the Commission in the Communication of 19 January 2021, is represented by the EU Sharing Mechanism, where Member States have committed to “share” part of their doses with third countries or regions directly. This Mechanism is expected to take off in the near future, especially seeing as Romania and Austria have already shared some of their doses with Moldova and respectively the whole Western Balkans area.
To date, four safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 (BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca and Johnson & Johnson) have been authorised for use in the EU following positive scientific recommendations by the European Medicines Agency.
The first deliveries of the COVID-19 vaccines funded and shared by the EU arrived in the Western Balkans in the week of 3 May. A total of 651.000 BioNTech/Pfizer doses will keep being delivered from May until the end of August, ensuring vaccination of medical workers and other vulnerable groups across the region.
Zambia receives first Covid-19 vaccines under COVAX facility and immediately launches the roll-out of the vaccination campaign
Plus de 391.000 doses de vaccin contre la COVID-19, expédiées par l'intermédiaire de COVAX, sont arrivées le 17 avril 2021 à Yaoundé. L’Equipe Europe, représentée par la Délégation de l’Union européenne et les ambassades d’Allemagne, de France, d’Espagne et d’Italie s’est mobilisée pour marquer cet évènement sous la présidence du Ministère de la Santé et de l’OMS
Ambassador Matti Maasikas, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine welcomed the arrival at “Kyiv” international airport
A l’instar de plusieurs autres pays africains, la Mauritanie a reçu ce 14 avril 2021, un premier lot de 70.000 doses de vaccins anti-Covid19 via le mécanisme COVAX.
The EU Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau, Sónia Neto, attended the vaccines hand-over ceremony at the airport
Près de 355,000 doses de vaccins contre la COVID-19, expédiées par l’intermédiaire du mécanisme COVAX sont arrivées le 14 avril 2021 à Niamey, au Niger. Cette livraison fait partie d'une première vague qui se poursuivra dans les semaines à venir. A terme, un total de 1.596.000 doses est attendu dans le pays.
On 13th of April the first batch of 132,000 dozes of Astra Zeneca vaccine has arrived in PNG The European Union and its Member States have made a huge contribution to the COVAX mechanism. “Team Europe” has provided €2.2 billion, for the COVAX mechanism as an expression to international solidarity and “multilateralism that works!”
L’Union européenne se félicite, en tant qu’un des principaux donateurs à l’initiative mondiale COVAX, de la livraison au Royaume de 307.200 doses de vaccins sur les 1.608.000 prévus dans ce cadre. Cette livraison, ainsi que celles qui suivront dans les prochaines semaines contribuera à la campagne de vaccination entreprise avec engagement et volontarisme par les autorités marocaines. L’Union européenne salue les partenaires de l’OMS, de l’UNICEF et les autres contributeurs au COVAX, pour leur implication dans cette initiative.
During the past weeks, the first COVID-19 vaccines delivered through COVAX have arrived to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The European Union has been key to making support through COVAX possible, and it remains committed to supporting the region through the pandemic and beyond.
On 5 April 2021, Timor-Leste’s first vaccines against COVID-19 arrived in Dili: 24,000 doses provided under the COVAX facility. These doses are the first of several COVAX deliveries that altogether will allow for the vaccination of 20% of the Timorese population
Last night, Egypt received more than 850,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses shipped via the COVAX Facility. Almost a year after Egypt had to face the spread of the coronavirus, a plane landed in Cairo carrying 854,400 doses of the Astra Zeneca Oxford vaccine
April 1, 2021 marks an important milestone in Vietnam’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as the country received the first batch of free vaccines under COVAX
The first vaccines delivered through the COVAX scheme have arrived in the region
The EU-supported COVAX facility has carried out deliveries to around 60 countries by the end of March
Ecuador recibió este miércoles las primeras vacunas contra el Covid-19 asignadas a través del Mecanismo COVAX. En el Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre, en Quito, arribó el primer cargamento con 84.000 dosis iniciales de las 756.000 dosis que continuarán llegando en el primer semestre 2021.
The EU, as the biggest donor to the COVAX mechanism, is committed to make the roll-out of safe vaccines a reality in all countries without discrimination
On March 17, the Republic of Uzbekistan has received 660,000 doses of the first vaccines against COVID-19 shipped via the COVAX Facility. The European Union and European Member States congratulated Uzbekistan on the arrival at the airport.
Aujourd’hui, 17 mars 2021, la Tunisie reçoit 93 600 doses du vaccin Pfizer/BioNTech qui vont permettre de vacciner les personnels de santé engagés contre la COVID-19 et les personnes les plus vulnérables au virus.
On 13 March, Honduras welcomed the first batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine donated by the COVAX mechanism: 48 000 out of the 424 800 doses to be received between March and May.
On 12 March 2021, Cabo Verde received the first batch of vaccines under the COVAX scheme
#TeamEurope in action - Sierra Leone in the evening of Monday 8 March received the first AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccines allocated through the COVAX Facility. The first delivery of 96.000 doses is part of a wave of arrivals of an initial 528,000 doses that will continue till end of May 2021.
The President of the European Council Charles Michel visited Rwanda from 7 to 8 March 2021 as part of his Africa tour in the wake of distribution of the Covid19 vaccines to the continent. In recent weeks, African countries began receiving vaccines through the Coxa facility. Rwanda welcomed its first batch on 3 March 2021.
The European Union in Tajikistan and partners welcome the first delivery of COVID-19 vaccines in Dushanbe International Airport.
Team Europe contribution with vaccines will support Mozambique's National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan, launched by the Mozambican Government on 5 March. In line with the National Vaccination Plan, Mozambique aims to vaccinate up to 16.8 million people by June 2022.
Le Mali a reçu le vendredi mars 2021, 396.000 doses de vaccin anti-COVID-19. Le vaccin a été réceptionné par le Président Bah N'Daw, le Premier ministre Moctar Ouane et plusieurs membres du gouvernement en présence des Ambassadeurs européens et des Représentants du Système des Nations Unies.
Malawi has received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX Facility. The delivery is part of a first wave of arrivals that will continue in the coming days and weeks.
On March 5, 2021 Uganda received its 1st batch of vaccines through #COVAX — the world’s facility for universal access to #COVID19 vaccines.
Nadi, Fiji (06/03/21) -The first consignment of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from the multilateral COVAX Facility have been delivered to Fiji, becoming the first Pacific island country to receive the vaccines through the facility. These 12,000 doses will allow the start of the vaccination campaign in Fiji with those most at risk. This delivery is part of a first wave of arrival that will continue in the coming months. Fiji will receive 100,800 doses of the vaccines under the COVAX Facility.
96,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in Liberia as the first part of the 384,000 doses that are expected to be delivered to the country over the next months through the COVAX Facility, the global initiative that is leading efforts to secure fair and equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for every country in the world, including low and
A short guide to communicating with someone who believes in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.
On 4 March 2021, the first 487,200 vaccines provided to the Philippines under the COVAX facility have arrived in Manila. These vaccines as well as 40 more million doses which are yet to come are part of the COVAX facility to which Team Europe is the biggest contributor.
Nigeria has taken delivery of 3.94 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the largest consignment yet received under the COVAX global vaccine initiative. This delivery is part of a first wave of arrivals that will continue in the coming months. Nigeria will receive 42 million doses of vaccine under the COVAX arrangement. Health Minister, Osagie Ehanhire, received the supply on behalf of the government and people of Nigeria before handing it over to the National primary Healthcare Agency for immediate deployment.
A stock of 624.000 AstraZeneca vaccines arrived at the Luanda International Airport today. The vaccines are part of the 2.1 million doses that COVAX expects to deliver to Angola until May.
The EU, as main donor to the #COVAX mechanism, and partners Gavi, UNICEF and CEPI will ensure the vaccinations roll-out as from 27 February
Ce 26 février 2021, la Côte d’Ivoire reçoit sa première livraison de vaccins contre la Covid-19 grâce au mécanisme COVAX. Ces 504 000 doses permettront aux personnes parmi les plus exposées- en particulier les personnels de santé- de recevoir gratuitement une première injection. Un total de 2 million des doses seront livrées dans les mois qui viennent dans le cadre de COVAX.
The first 600,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to Ghana. These vaccines are part of the 2,4 million doses that the COVAX facility expects to deliver to the country over the first half of the year. The 24th of February, Ghana thus became the first country to receive coronavirus vaccines through the COVAX scheme.
El “Equipo Europa”, conformado por la Unión Europea (UE) y sus Estados miembros presentes en el país (Alemania, España, Francia, Italia y Luxemburgo), celebran que El Salvador haya sido uno de los primeros países latinoamericanos seleccionados para la primera entrega de vacunas a través de COVAX, un mecanismo de colaboración mundial para garantizar el acceso global a la misma, de forma rápida y equitativa.
La Tunisie fait partie des pays bénéficiaires du programme COVAX, une initiative mise en œuvre par GAVI (l'Alliance du Vaccin). L’Union européenne et ses États membres se sont engagés à faire du vaccin COVID-19 un bien public mondial et y ont déjà contribué avec plus de 850 millions € au programme COVAX. Ces contributions sont essentielles pour que GAVI puisse conclure des engagements auprès des fournisseurs pour se procurer les vaccins. COVAX va fournir des doses de vaccin gratuites à 92 pays à revenu faible ou intermédiaire, dont la Tunisie. Il est estimé que COVAX permettra à la Tunisie de vacciner 20% de sa population.
The COVAX’s first interim distribution forecast, with countries, which will receive the COVID-19 vaccines, was published. Ghana is among the countries on the list and has been allocated 2.4M vaccines in the indicative distribution. The European Union (EU) and its Member States, Team Europe, finance this initiative. It is an important step in enabling equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines.
#TeamEurope (EU and Member States) welcomes the announcement by Gavi on the first delivery of vaccines via the COVAX facility. Rwanda will receive a first 1.1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the first quarter of 2021.
Today vaccines are the answer to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had negatively affected social and economic life across the globe.
The pandemic has struck a devastating effect across the globe. The vaccine is the lifejacket that we were all looking for to save lives and rebuild our collective way of living. “This hope will only materialise if we get the whole world vaccinated rapidly. No one is really safe until everybody is safe.” wrote EU High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell. This is why the EU has been at the forefront of the development of a vaccine and will continue working at multilateral level to ensure fair access to it.
The support of the European Union focuses on:
One year ago, the world was still learning how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and the European Union and its Member States recognised the need to provide global support as the only way to control the spread of the virus. ‘Team Europe’ was created to support partner countries’ efforts in tackling the pandemic, combining resources from the EU, its Member States and European financial institutions.
Last night, Egypt received more than 850,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses shipped via the COVAX Facility. Almost a year after Egypt had to face the spread of the coronavirus, a plane landed in Cairo carrying 854,400 doses of the Astra Zeneca Oxford vaccine.
Dans le cadre de son appui aux Forces armées du Burkina Faso dans la lutte contre le terrorisme, l’Union européenne vient de livrer quatre ambulances avec du matériel médical complet au profit du bataillon burkinabè de la Force conjointe du G5 Sahel.
On March 11, Online Press Conference was held following the eForum “Building Forward Better: a COVID-19 Green Recovery for Uzbekistan’’, which was co-organised by the United Nations Development Programme, the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Uzbekistan, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and the Government of Uzbekistan represented by the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction, the Centre of Hydrometeorological Services (Uzhydromet) and the State Committee for Ecology and Environment Protection.
5 March 2021. Tashkent. - First batch of Personal Protected Equipment (PPEs) was delivered in Uzbekistan and handed over to the Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health Service in the framework of World Health Organization project funded by the European Union. The delivery includes personal protective equipment such as surgical masks, respirators, gloves and face shields. Second batch of personal protective equipment will be delivered to Tashkent on 12 February.
This €8 million (UGX 35 billion) support confirms the EU’s commitment to support Uganda during such a long and unprecedented crisis adding up to €14 million (UGX 62 billion) already provided for emergency support at the beginning of the pandemic last year
To support partner countries in the fight against the coronavirus and its consequences, the European Union has mobilised a “Team Europe” package of over €800 million for the ASEAN region.
Un nouvel arrivage d’équipements de protection individuelle (EPI) destiné aux personnels soignants du Ministère de la Santé et aux volontaires du Croissant-Rouge comorien, est arrivé par bateau de la Réunion.
In response to COVID-19 pandemic, European Union funded “Recovering Together” project, implemented by World Vision, is contributing in the form of a donation of 370 equipped hospital beds as an expression of the solidarity of the European Union during this challenging time.
Dans le cadre du plan de riposte du Gouvernement béninois contre la pandémie de la Covid-19, la Délégation de l'Union européenne au Bénin a procédé le 20 janvier 2021, à la remise de chèque d’un montant de 46,56 millions d’euros au Gouvernement béninois, afin de soutenir le pays dans sa gestion sanitaire et socio-économique de cette pandémie.
The European Union Delegation to Ghana, in collaboration with the Fashion Connect Africa, have donated 10,000 reusable #EUGhanaFacemasks to four NGO’s on Friday, 5th February. Act for Change, Ink Ghana, Galaxy Club Tema and Plastics Punch will deliver the facemasks to local communities. The donation is one of the several actions that the EU is conducting to assist Ghana in the fight against COVID-19.
"Considering the scale of this pandemic that is unfolding in an unprecedented scope and speed and by now in several waves, I believe we will win the fight through close cooperation between partners, between countries and regions." - Ambassador Christian Berger
Team Europe supports the digital platform The Oekusi Post under the initiative “COVID19 Response in Timor-Leste” aiming to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable families and provide social messaging about the pandemic.
The national efforts against the COVID 19 pandemic continues unabated as the Government of Ghana in collaboration with various development partners and private organisations are pulling resources together to reduce the spread of the virus; At the heart of these sustained efforts is the European Union (EU).
Like many global challenges, coronavirus does not respect national boundaries. We cannot consider the disease to be under control in Europe until it is under control worldwide. This is why the EU is extending help beyond its borders.
Since the coronavirus outbreak, Elsi’s team have been using EU-backed SORMAS technology to track the spread of coronavirus in Nigeria. SORMAS stands for Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System. It’s free to use and easy to set up.
Masks, gloves and other equipment arrived in the new batch of European Union solidarity with Serbia in the fight against COVID 19 pandemic.
This reinforcement to the medical system and other services of Serbia comes at the request of Serbia as the need to protect medical personnel, critical staff and to fight for the lives of patients in critical condition is rising.
To support partner countries in the fight against the coronavirus and its consequences, the European Union has mobilised a “Team Europe” package of over €200 million for Indonesia.
Within the framework of Team Europe, the European Union in Chile and Movidos por Chile launched an alliance to deliver 5,133 food kits to 18 civil society organizations to be distributed to 20,532 people in vulnerable situations throughout Chile.
Twelve new ambulances with modern equipment, decontamination vehicles and protective equipment will be available to the health system in Serbia thanks to a European Union donation.
De izq a der: Miklós Tamás PACZUK, Embajador de Hungría en Ecuador; Carlos Alfonso Abella y de Arístegui, Embajador de España en Ecuador; Canciller de Ecuador, Luis Gallegos; Caterina Bertolini, Embajadora de Italia en Ecuador; Charles-Michel Geurts, Embajador de la Unión Europea en Ecuador; Jean-Baptiste Chauvin, Embajador de Francia en Ecuador; y Philipp Schauer, Embajador de Alemania Ecuador
On the face of it, Timor-Leste has done well to escape the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been only 28 positive cases so far, all from outside the country, with no community transmission detected. Everyone affected has recovered while in isolation, and no one has died.
Disability is an issue that concerns everyone. Any of us could develop a disability throughout our lives resulting from illness, genetic disorder or accident. Today we observe the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This reminds us to promote the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities and to take action for their inclusion in all aspects of society and development.
EU brings into South Sudan 65 tons of personal protective equipment against COVID19 for frontline workers.
While Serbia faces increasing numbers of new daily cases of COVID-19 and more people are hospitalised, the European Union continues to honour its commitment to stand by the country and its people. The EU funds have now secured the employment of about 200 medical and administrative staff as well as new equipment to effectively help people in need across Serbia.
With a grant from the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) the “Centro de Estudos para a Paz e Desenvolvimento (CEPAD) will promote civic education and engagement to ensure State accountability with regard to Covid-19 related activities.
The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of controlling the risks that they face. Good disaster risk governance can be measured in lives saved, reduced numbers of disaster-affected people and reduced economic losses. Both COVID-19 and the climate emergency are telling us that we need a clear vision and action based on scientific evidence for the public good.
The European Union helps vulnerable communities in reducing the economic impact of COVID-19 donating assets, hygiene materials and food on Atauro island. The support is part of the EU initiative “Cultural Entrepreneurship in Timor-Leste - A Driving Force for Inclusive Development and Equality”, implemented by Empreza Di’ak - a local NGO.
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, 8 October 2020. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), through the African Union, today received the third and last batch of 1.4 million COVID-19 test kits donated by the Government of Germany. The kits were delivered through a European Union (EU) Humanitarian Air Bridge flight as part of the EU’s global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, worth over €26 million, with contributions from the EU, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Sweden.
The construction of the new Press Centre is financed in the framework of a USD 4 million European Union programme to support decentralisation in Timor-Leste, implemented and co-financed by the UNDP.
Ghana and the European Union today signed an 87 million euro budget support financing agreement to assist the country in its response to the COVID-19 crisis. This special emergency budget support is a single disbursement to Ghana.
Les 9 et 11 septembre 2020, les régions de Zinder et Maradi ont bénéficié d’un appui en matériel médical dans la lutte contre la pandémie du COVID-19. Fourni par des partenaires européens présents au Niger, La Mission EUCAP Sahel Niger a transporté le matériel en région.
24 September 2020. Tashkent. The European Union provided more than EUR 2 million for a project focused on effective, rapid, and coordinated response to COVID-19 in Uzbekistan. The project, which will be implemented by the World Health Organization Country’s Office, will focus on a particular emphasis on provision of personal protective equipment to health and first-line workers in healthcare facilities.
A través de acciones de apoyo en hospitales, trabajando con poblaciones vulnerables, en las fronteras, y en diálogo con los distintos ministerios del país, los países europeos se movilizan para la Argentina
In these challenging times, the EU and Team Europe remain Georgia's strongest partner. This page contains a list of support we are mobilising which is updated regularly. We take this opportunity to thank all those who are working tirelessly to contain the pandemic and care for those in need, anywhere in the world.
The EU Delegation in Colombia together with the Member States launched the #TeamEurope campaign. Colombians and Europeans share the same passion for cycling and just like great teams do, the Member States of the European Union are working together and pedaling with force in order to mitigate the devastating consequences of this pandemic.
Buenos Aires, 11 de septiembre de 2020 - Autoridades del gobierno argentino se reunieron de manera virtual con representantes de las Embajadas de la Unión Europea y de los Estados miembros de la UE para reforzar la coordinación de las numerosas acciones de cooperación que están desarrollando en el marco de la crisis provocada por la pandemia del coronavirus.
10 September 2020, New York – With nearly 2 million New Yorkers, including almost 800,000 children, facing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, since August the EU Delegation to the UN in New York has partnered with the Coalition for the Homeless to support the neediest residents of our host city.
This project redirects resources from scheduled events which could not take place in person due to the pandemic.
The European Union and Corporación Sisma Mujer are joining forces to support victims of domestic violence in Colombia´s most affected areas by the virus and highest reports of domestic violence, such as the departments of Antioquia, Cundinamarca and Valle del Cauca. The programme will take place during the next 18 months, opening a range of gender-specific services and integrated measures to support affected women, girls and boys.
The donation is part of the #TeamEurope response to Covid19 under the EU funded “Climate Change Adaptation for local development organisations in rural Timor-Leste” implemented by Plan International and a local NGO called Resilient Agriculture and Economy through Biodiversity in Action (RAEBIA).
“The virus does not distinguish between continents, borders, nationalities or ethnicities”. In the first ministerial statement on COVID-19 embracing the two continents, Foreign Ministers from Asia and Europe stress the transboundary nature of the pandemic and the interconnectedness between their countries. Those in vulnerable situations must be protected, including tackling violence against women and children. The pandemic should not be allowed to increase stigmatization, nor worsen existing inequality.
La Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM) junto a Cruz Roja Argentina elaboraron y comenzaron la entrega de 300 kits familiares de alimentos e higiene a población refugiada y migrante en las regiones del AMBA, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero, Misiones y Santa Fe, quienes se encuentran en una situación de vulnerabilidad agravada por el contexto de pandemia COVID-19. Mediante esta acción, se alcanzarán de manera directa cerca de 1200 personas.
La semaine dernière, le Conseil National de la Jeunesse au Niger a reçu 3.200 masques de protection donné par EUCAP Sahel Niger pour les jeunes bénévoles qui vont mener une vaste campagne de sensibilisation sur la prévention de COVID19. La campagne vise à informer environ 200.000 personnes de toutes les régions de Niger sur les pratiques d’hygiène essentielles pour éviter la transmission du virus.
The European Union Delegation to Ghana in a joint initiative with the Ministry of Finance, on 26 August 2020, donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to selected basic and senior high schools and some selected Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the Greater Accra Region to support vulnerable groups.
Le 25 août 2020 - Les maladies ne connaissent pas de frontières – la propagation rapide de la pandémie COVID-19 l'a encore montré clairement. Les régions frontalières, notamment en Afrique centrale, sont particulièrement touchées par l'impact de la pandémie : La fermeture des frontières prive les populations frontalières de leurs moyens de subsistance du commerce transfrontalier. L'accès aux écoles, aux hôpitaux ou aux marchés de l'autre côté de la frontière est souvent bloqué. En même temps, l'exposition particulière des régions frontalières à la propagation du virus par des activités commerciales se heurte, souvent, à l'insuffisance des soins de santé dans les régions frontalières marginalisées et au manque d'informations sur les moyens de prévention contre la propagation du virus.
For the European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Centres of Excellence Initiative (hereinafter referred to as the EU CBRN CoE), which is led, funded and implemented by the European Union (EU) with the support of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), the coronavirus pandemic has become yet another test of resilience and importance.
La Unión Europea y sus Estados Miembros representados en el país, Alemania, España, Italia y Francia – el Equipo Europa – presentan un paquete de iniciativas para apoyar los esfuerzos del país frente a las consecuencias generadas por la pandemia del coronavirus. El equipo ha reorientado sus programas de cooperación ya en curso (por un total de alrededor 100 millones de euros) para apoyar al país a responder a las necesidades más urgentes como para mitigar la situación socioeconómica en los próximos meses y años.
Sao Tomé-et-Principe, le 7 août - L'Union européenne (UE) a procédé au versement de 5,25 millions d'euros (environ 128 millions de dobras) au budget de l'État de São Tomé-et-Príncipe dans le cadre du programme d'appui budgétaire «Contrat de Réforme sectorielle de l'eau et de l'assainissement» signé entre le Gouvernement et l'UE.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the entire world. The cost in human lives and the socio-economic impact have challenged the European Union to give a global response focussed on a "sustainable recovery".
With medical assistance and economic recovery, the European Union has continued over the last weeks to support the Western Balkans partners to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide factual information about the spread of the virus and effective efforts to contain it.
The European Union and international and local NGOs are providing 200,000 face masks, 5,000 litres of hand sanitiser, and 20,000 bars of soap to healthcare workers, vulnerable families, and rural communities affected by the Covid-19 crisis. The value of the equipment exceeds USD 200,000. Today the EU Ambassador Andrew Jacobs and NGO and civil society partners handed over samples of the personal protective equipment to the Mini
From July 23rd to 26th, 2020, six European Union (EU) Heads of Mission (HoMs) in Uganda visited Kanungu, Kasese and Fort Portal in the western part of the country, a major tourist hub, to assess the impact of Covid-19, among other critical challenges affecting the tourism sector in Uganda.
Team Europe on 29 July successfully operated its second Humanitarian Air Bridge flight to Juba South Sudan, with supplies for COVID-19 and other humanitarian needs in the country. The first flight arrived in Juba a week ago. The cargo on these flights amounts to over 80 tonnes.
The initiative launched is the localised expression of this global commitment. It is the result of a true partnership between the European Union and Ireland and proof of our utmost commitment to jointly move aid effectiveness from policy to practice in Sierra Leone.
L'Ambassadeur du Portugal à São Tomé-et-Príncipe, M. Luís Gaspar da Silva, et l'Ambassadrice de l'Union européenne, Mme Rosário Bento Pais, représentée pour cet événement par son Attaché de coopération à São Tomé-et-Príncipe, Albert Losseau, vont remettre ce mercredi 29 juillet au Ministre de la Santé, M. Edgar Neves, dans son Ministère, un premier lot d'équipements médicaux composé de protections individuelles, d'équipements de laboratoire et divers médicaments.
Approximately 22,307 people at risk from highly vulnerable neighbourhoods and communities, including children and adolescents, young people, women victims of violence, indigenous and Afro-descendant groups and people with disabilities will benefit from the new project "Children, adolescents, young people and their families resilient to the Covid-19 health emergency in Nicaragua".
O Embaixador de Portugal em São Tomé e Príncipe, Luís Gaspar da Silva, e a Embaixadora da União Europeia, Rosário Bento Pais, representada neste ato pelo Adido para a Cooperação em São Tomé e Príncipe, Albert Losseau, vão proceder à entrega de um primeiro lote com equipamentos de proteção individual, materiais de laboratório e consumíveis médicos, ao Ministro da Saúde, Edgar Neves, no próximo dia 27 de julho, nas instalações do Ministério da Saúde.
On July 23, 2020, the Ambassador of the European Union, Sónia Neto, together with the High Commissioner for the Fight against COVID-19, Dr. Magda Robalo, the Ambassador of Portugal, António Alves de Carvalho, the Ambassador of France, Jean-Louis Zoël and the Spanish Chargé d'affaires a.i., Juan Manuel Lopez Urdiales, will be present at the arrival in Bissau of the first of four European Union Humanitarian Air Bridge Flights organised by Portugal. These flights will carry on board more than 45 tons of medical supplies, worth more than EUR 2 million. The cargo includes medicine, as well as laboratory and personal protection equipment for health professionals, to support Guinea-Bissau's response to COVID-19 in providing the population with better healthcare.
15 million euros will be implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP). It corresponds to an additional support to resources already mobilised by the EU and its Member States to fight the pandemic in the country, by redirecting the portofolio of existing cooperation projects, estimated at about 35 million euros.
The European Union launched today a comprehensive EUR 3 million (KZT 1.4 billion) Central Asia COVID-19 Crisis Response (CACCR) solidarity package, addressing the needs of Central Asian countries with a primary focus on Kazakhstan. Implemented by the World Health Organization the CACCR programme will provide support to mitigate the current outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also contribute towards longer-term resilience of the national health systems of the Central Asian countries by increasing their capacities to respond to similar public health threats, should they occur in the future.
On the 10th of July, AFD and the EU have approved the financing in the amount of 1.5 million Euro to support immediate short term measures of the “Covid-19 Action Plan” established by the Maroqand Obod Company, which is Samarkand city leading enterprise in the waste management sector.
The Ambassador and Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation for the Pacific, His Excellency Sujiro Seam handed over Irrigation Systems, Water Tank, Disaster Risk Reduction Kits and Village Development Plans to communities in Labasa and Savusavu, as well as visited EU-funded projects during his visit to the northern division last week.
The coronavirus pandemic is a global crisis that requires a global solution. The EU is mobilising EUR 36 billion globally to end the spread of the virus and reduce its impact on economic and social stability in partner countries. The EU, its Members States and their financial institutions have also combined their resources to support India in the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
The first EU-ASEAN webinar dedicated to High-Performance Computing (HPC) COVID19-related modelling and diagnostic took place on 10 July 2020.
Desde el inicio del impacto de la COVID-19 en Cuba, la Unión Europea prepara un paquete de respuesta para acompañar los esfuerzos nacionales en su enfrentamiento a la pandemia en el país. Así, se ha trabajado en adaptar proyectos y programas de cooperación en curso, sobre todo en el ámbito de la agricultura y el cambio climático, por un total de 1.7 millones de euros; se han contratado dos nuevos proyectos para ser ejecutados por organizaciones de la sociedad civil, por un monto de 2 millones de euros; y se está diseñando una acción integral, a ser implementada por la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS), que cuenta con un presupuesto de 1.5 millones de euros. Además, se está coordinando esta cooperación con el apoyo que los Estados Miembros representados en el país están dando de manera bilateral, así como diseñando posibles acciones conjuntas para los meses venideros, en un esfuerzo común denominado Equipo Europa (Team Europe).
The European Union and the Civic Assistance Committee joined forces to help refugees and migrants in Russia during the coronavirus pandemic in the framework of “The right to self-isolation for refugees and migrants during the outbreak of coronavirus” project, which was launched in early June. Its goal is to provide these vulnerable groups with food, shelter and medical care.
Suva, 7, July 2020 – A new agreement, worth EUR 6 million (Vatu 0.7 billion), was signed today between the European Union (EU) and the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu to improve food and nutrition security of vulnerable populations living in remote and isolated parts of the country. A smaller part of the programme will strengthen the technical capacity of the Government to better coordinate support by development partners.
On 4 July 2020, the Ambassador of the European Union, Head of Delegation Sónia Neto, together with the High Commissioner for the Fight against COVID-19, Dr. Magda Robalo, were present at the arrival in Bissau of a flight with two batches of medical equipment and materials, intended for initiatives financed by the European Union.
Tackling COVID-19 and its consequences requires a mobilisation that goes well beyond medical capacities. National armed forces in the EU have played an important role in helping fellow EU Member States tackle the pandemic. As High Representative Borrell said: “This is European solidarity in action”.
The Border Troops of the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan are now better equipped to respond to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is thanks to the provision of personal protective equipment in the framework of EU-funded Border Management in Central Asia Programme (BOMCA) , which includes 830 protective suits, 1 000 antiseptic sprays, and 15 000 facemasks. The protective items will be used to reduce the exposure to health risks faced by the frontline border guards responsible for providing control functions at the state border.
La implementación de este nuevo financiamiento de 15 millones de euros estará a cargo del Programa Mundial de Alimentos (PMA). Se suman a los recursos ya movilizados por la UE y sus Estados Miembros para luchar contra la pandemia en el país, mediante la reorientación de la cartera de proyectos de cooperación existentes, estimados en unos 35 millones de euros.
The European Union (EU) has provided EUR 10 million towards the implementation of the Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 Outbreak. The funding is the initial contribution by Team Europe to the continental action against COVID-19.
WeCAPS (Western and Central Africa Port Security) is an European Union project that aims to reinforce the safety and security of ports in West and Central Africa
The coronavirus is a global crisis that requires a global solution. TEAMEUROPE has mobilised EUR 36 billion to halt the spread of the virus and mitigate spill-over effects on economic and social stability in partner countries.
EUCAP Somalia advises on an update of the Puntland anti-piracy law that could prevent acts of piracy in the planning stage and protect witnesses. Since its establishment in 2012 the civilian Capacity Building Mission EUCAP mentors and advises Somali counterparts on rebuilding Somalia’s maritime civilian security capacities.
TASHKENT, 22-23 June 2020 – Today, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Regional Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for Central Asia and the Nationwide Movement “Yuksalish” are holding an Expert Discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on access to justice for economic, social and cultural rights (ESC rights) in Uzbekistan and comparative experiences from Europe and Central Asia. The Fifth Expert
Discussion, Access to justice in times of COVID-19, will address issues including access to a lawyer and access to court.
Increased socio-economic stress and confinement at home is a major risk factor for increased violence against women and girls.
The second part of EU’s assistance to Albania has arrived. As part of the EU global response to the consequences of the COVID19 pandemic, the EU has donated medical equipment to reinforce the country’s health system.
Une action de l’ONG Terre des hommes a permis, à date, de sortir de prison 37 mineurs et de placer les plus vulnérables dans des foyers d’accueil à Conakry, Labé et Nzérékoré. Des réalisations accomplies grâce à un projet financé par l’Union européenne dans le cadre de la riposte contre le COVID-19 en Guinée.
An overview of the research programmes and protection actions implemented in the Western Indian Ocean.
Team Europe in Mexico foresees an initial fund of 8 million euros to support the fight against coronavirus and its consequences, with a focus on the most vulnerable.
With a grant from the European Union of USD 1.3 million, five international NGOs have teamed up with local civil society organisations (CSOs) to provide support to the Timorese population, in particular to vulnerable households in eight municipalities
*All together to combat coronavirus. This is the motto of the campaign that the EU Delegation in Dakar, Senegal, has launched.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the high-level officials and experts from Central Asia, the European Union and the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea (IMELS) discussed further cooperation and coordination of efforts on environment and climate change during the first online meeting of the Coordination Committee of the European Union – Central Asia Working Group on Environment and Climate Change (WGECC) organized by the EU-funded project “European Union – Central Asia Water, Environment and Climate Change Cooperation” (WECOOP).
(L to R): French Ambassador Emmanuelle Blatmann, Ambassador Robert van den dool, EU Head of Delegation and Swedish Ambassador Hans Henric Lundqvist at Khartoum Airport. Photo by: Ala Kheir
EU Air Bridge to Sudan
“Ai ba Futuru” (Trees for the Future) - Partnership for Sustainable Agroforestry (PSAF), a project co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has distributed 200 food packages to families severely affected by the economic effects of coronavirus.
L’Union européenne, à travers la Cellule d’appui à l’Ordonnateur national du Fonds européen de développement (COFED), soutient une prise en charge optimale et assure aux patients et à leurs proches des soins de qualité avec un montant de 5 millions d’euros alloué à l’Hôpital Saint-Joseph à Kinshasa-Limete, première structure de référence de la riposte à la pandémie pour 7 communes de l’Est de Kinshasa.
As the Greek government has recently taken over the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, a new set of priorities has been advanced for May-November 2020. The ambition is to set out an effective crisis response in full compliance with the fundamental values of the Council of Europe, human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Other topics such as the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights or enhanced children protection, youth empowerment and the protection of vulnerable groups’ rights are also featured on the agenda of the new presidency.
Approximately 22.307 people at risk from highly vulnerable neighbourhoods and communities, including children and adolescents, youth, women victims of violence, indigenous and afro-descendant ethnic groups and people with disabilities, will benefit from the new project "Girls, children, adolescents, youth and their families resilient to the health emergency of Covid-19 in Nicaragua".
From production and delivery of masks, visors and disinfectants for those who need them the most to provision of legal and psychological support for vulnerable groups or helping online education. This is roughly the range of activities that over 20 projects financed by the EU are supporting by adjusting their budgets to the new reality imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This ad hoc assistance - of around 330,000 euros - comes on top of 66 million euros secured by the EU to help the country to mitigate the overall effects of the corona crisis and of additional 160 million euros that will be provided in loans for addressing fiscal challenges.
On 28th of May 2020, within the framework of the European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Centres of Excellence (EU CBRN CoE) Initiative, the CBRN CoE Regional Secretariat for Central Asia, based in Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan, and chaired by the Chairman of the State Committee of Industrial Safety of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. Bakhtiyor Gulyamov, held an interactive meeting for the National Focal Points of Central Asia. The event was dedicated to the discussion of the current activities of the the CBRN CoE Regional Secretariat for Central Asia, aimed at supporting partner countries in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as familiarizing participants with the assistance program for the Central Asian region, approved by the European Commission as part of the EU CBRN CoE Initiative.
Although the European Union is one of the most affected regions in the world, it is firmly committed to assist its partner countries in their efforts to meet the urgent health and humanitarian needs caused by COVID-19.
On International Day of UN Peacekeepers we pay tribute to the invaluable work of peacekeepers and honour those who have lost their lives while on duty. The EU works closely with the UN on peacekeeping and civilian, police and military crisis management, to enhance security both inside and outside the EU. The EU and the UN also aim to increase participation of women in peace operations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges and threats faced by peacekeepers are even greater than ever, as they are not only having to cope with the pandemic, but also with supporting and protecting the people in the countries they are based in.
In a bid to fight the spread of COVID 19, the European Union (EU) in Ghana on Wednesday joined the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and artists from the Ghana Graffiti Collective, to launch an initiative to use street art and graffiti to create awareness about the virus and also to raise awareness on migration.
The global coronavirus pandemic that has gripped humanity is still ongoing. Its effect is yet to be analysed, but we can already say that this pandemic will be one of the key events of this century. In the past few months, many things have changed and life, work, obligations, and even the most ordinary socialising activities have taken on new forms.
La biodiversité, qu’elle soit terrestre ou marine, qu’il s’agisse de plantes ou d’espèces animales, est indéniablement liée au bien-être des populations et à la santé de la planète. Elle représente notre patrimoine naturel commun que nous devons protéger. L'Union européenne et ses Etats membres agissent pour la protection de la biodiversité à Maurice, à travers plusieurs initiatives, notamment celles de l'AFD et de l'Antenne de la Région Reunion.
En el marco de la iniciativa de solidaridad mundial "Equipo Europa" despliegan colectivamente actividades valoradas en unos 35 millones de euros.
« C’est notre combat »: l’artiste centrafricain Didier Kassai réalise une bande dessinée pour sensibiliser les jeunes sur le #Coronavirus.
To support the fight against Covid-19, EUPOL COPPS donated EUR 60,000 worth of protective equipment and sanitiser to the Palestinian Civil Police. EUPOL COPPS is the EU's civilian police and rule of law mission for the Palestinian Territory.
The EU and its Member States, in close coordination with the Government of Botswana, have decided about a COVID-19 response package, to support the national health system, protect and save lives, and counter the socio-economic impact of the pandemic. Only united in an international effort, we will win the battle against the virus.
El 23 de abril de 2020, la Unión Europea en Colombia junto con sus socias, las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil -OSC- tuvieron un espacio de conversación sobre los impactos de la cuarentena en los proyectos de paz y desarrollo que ellos lideran en más de 100 municipios en 18 departamentos de Colombia. La reunión virtual buscó conocer los aportes concretos, las estrategias y las buenas prácticas que la sociedad civil está implementando para prevenir y responder a las necesidades de sus comunidades frente a la situación generada por el Covid-19. El espacio contó con la participación de más de 21 organizaciones y 40 personas que representan movimientos agroecológicos, cooperativas, plataformas ciudadanas sociales y políticos, veedurías a Programas de Desarrollo con Enfoque Territorial -PDET-, institutos técnicos y tecnológicos, agencias de desarrollo local y alianzas de instituciones educativas.
The European Delegation in Tajikistan and UNICEF Tajikistan delivers critical medical supplies to support the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Republic of Tajikistanin the battle against COVID-19.
São Tomé e Príncipe, 15 de maio de 2020 — Depois da República Centro-Africana, a ponte aérea humanitária lançada pela União Europeia (UE) é implementada em São Tomé e Príncipe para o transporte de uma equipa de 21 trabalhadores humanitários, pessoal médico e técnicos de saúde bem como cerca de 20 toneladas de materiais e equipamentos para combater a propagação do COVID-19 no âmbito da resposta global da UE «Team Europe».
70 localities in the Republic of Moldova benefit from protective equipment to be used for preventing and combating gender-based and domestic violence, including violence against children, and to help out vulnerable groups. It also aims to provide local and district multidisciplinary teams with protective equipment to respond in a coordinated, effective and prompt manner to cases of violence which represent an increased risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
70 localities in the Republic of Moldova benefit from protective equipment to be used for preventing and combating gender-based and domestic violence, including violence against children, and to help out vulnerable groups. It also aims to provide local and district multidisciplinary teams with protective equipment to respond in a coordinated, effective and prompt manner to cases of violence which represent an increased risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A team of EU-funded researchers in Cambridge University has launched an app that records voice, breathing and coughs – data, which has the potential to assist the development of machine learning algorithms that could make it easier to diagnose COVID-19.
Alianza-ActionAid, con el apoyo de la Unión Europea en Colombia, trabajan por el fortalecimiento de las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil en departamentos como Nariño y el Valle del Cauca. A partir de ese empoderamiento, surgió la microempresa Agua de las Rocas en Tumaco, un municipio en el suroccidente de Colombia. “Nuestra microempresa ha nacido porque Tumaco carece de un buen sistema de acueducto y el agua no es 100% tratada”, explica Oscar Granja, uno de los responsable de Agua de las Rocas, asociación de jóvenes tumaqueños que desde el 2019 se dedica al tratamiento y purificación del agua gracias a la asistencia técnica de Alianza-ActionAid con el apoyo de la Unión Europea.
In the ‘Month of Europe’, the official launch of the "Team Europe" package was launched to support the country in the face of the health and economic emergency resulting from the COVID19.
The European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) reached yesterday out to Ukrainian institutions caught up in the fight against Covid-19 by donating protective equipment to those on the frontline who are putting their lives and well-being at risk.
Given the current emergency situation created by COVID-19 in Timor-Leste, the EU funded project will also support the National Parliament, Ministry of State Administration and the Municipal Authorities to strengthen their response to the pandemic, particularly at municipal level.
Face au danger de la pandémie, l’Union européenne a dû, au Burkina Faso comme ailleurs, s’adapter rapidement et réorganiser la façon de travailler pour protéger l’équipe de la délégation ainsi que les partenaires. Ces mesures n’empêchent nullement l’ambassadeur Wolfram Vetter et ses collègues de mobiliser pleinement les ressources européennes pour lutter contre le COVID-19 au Burkina Faso, bien au contraire.
Dans le cadre de la mobilisation sociale contre le COVID-19, l'Union européenne et ses partenaires ont lancé une vaste campagne de prévention pour encourager et inciter les Maliennes et Maliens à adopter quotidiennement les gestes barrières recommandés par l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé.
Dans le cadre de la mobilisation sociale contre le COVID-19, l'Union européenne et ses partenaires ont lancé une vaste campagne de prévention pour encourager les Maliens à adopter les gestes barrières.
Parmi les nombreuses activités déployées figure une chanson enregistrée par un collectif de six artistes vedettes - Vieux Farka Touré, Keltoum Waletr, Ben Zabo, Naba Traoré, Petit Goro et Ami Yérélowo - issus de la jeune génération.
Following up on the massively covered Team Europe announcement of 50 million Euro for the Covid-19 response in Nigeria, food items and hand-washing equipment were distributed to vulnerable communities in and around Abuja. A total of 2,200 households whose livelihoods have been mostly impacted by the crisis were targeted in the exercise
This is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Metropolitan Governance Project to provide timely relief. A symbolic act but still necessary for the disadvantaged population of El Salvador, with this basic food basket that we want to distribute among the citizens.
This is the most affected area in El Salvador, on health and economic impact due to Covid-19.
As the 3rd of May will mark the World Press Freedom Day, it is a good opportunity to reflect on the value of a free and independent press for our democratic societies. The topic chosen for this year "Journalism without Fear or Favour" resonates in these risky times for media freedom, as many governments could be tempted to use the current emergency situation to restrict freedom of expression and by extension press freedom.
On International Workers Day on 1 May, the EU’s Myan Ku Emergency Cash Fund transfers the first payments to garment workers who have been suspended or terminated due to the impact the COVID-19 crisis has on Myanmar’s garment sector.
They say that viruses don’t discriminate. But the fact that emergency measures do, has heightened our sense of solidarity: while the elderly are staying at home, health professionals, pharmacists, sales people, drivers, the military, and the police remain at the “front line” of the fight. There is, however, another group of people offering assistance at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: volunteers and organisations that took upon themselves to help the elderly and the socially vulnerable.
“They are the only ones I can rely on. I can count on them to bring me food and medicine, things I need every day. I’m grateful for their kindness and poatience; I trust them and love them. This past year felt like I had two daughters,” says the old lady (85) from Moravci village whose life changed when geronto-housewives started working in Ljig, Mionica and Lajkovac.
#VaccinesWork: Immunization saves millions of lives every year. This year, the World Immunization Week takes on greater significance than ever since the Covid-19 outbreak reveals what is at stake when communities do not have the protective shield of immunization against an infectious disease.
Ahead of the 6 May meeting between the EU and the region, the European Union reinforces its support to the Western Balkans to address the coronavirus crisis.
L’ambassadeur de l'Union européenne en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), Jean-Marc Châtaigner, a remis ce mardi 28 avril, au ministre de la santé publique, Dr. Eteni Longondo, un lot de matériel et de médicaments pour appuyer la riposte contre le coronavirus qui touche actuellement sept des vingt-six provinces dont la capitale Kinshasa, l’épicentre.
Magic System Foundation and the European Union have decided to support the government's efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus by providing food and equipment to prevent the epidemic to thousands of families in the autonomous district of Abidjan.
Practicing physical distancing is easier said than done for the more than 850,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, living in cramped conditions in what is effectively the world’s largest refugee camp. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t precautions that those living in Cox’s Bazar can take to minimize the risk of contracting diseases like COVID-19. In fact, many children there have already been doing one of the most important things they can do to protect themselves: washing their hands thoroughly and regularly.
In the fight against the spread of COVID-19, the Government of Nepal extended the nationwide lockdown. Since the outbreak, face masks and sanitizers are scarce in the market. This has mobilised several local initiatives and organisations to produce masks; however, quality standards and availability remain an issue. Through the EU SWITCH-Asia Parya Sampada project, UN-Habitat and implementing partners are joining forces to respond at best to the numerous challenges posed by the pandemic.
Empower Pacific has opened counselling helplines where expert counsellors are responding to calls from all over Fiji 24/7. This helpline counselling service aims to respond to people’s stress and anxieties under the current nationwide response to COVID-19 undertaken by the Government, which includes stringent movement restrictions imposed in the Greater Lautoka Area on 20 March 2020, where Empower Pacific is based. Empower Pacific is one of the partner civil society organisations working with the EU funded Fiji 'Access to Justice Project'.
COVID-19 is affecting countries around the world, with terrible consequences in terms of loss of life and livelihoods. But it is in developing countries, where health systems are often weak and lack resources, that the effects will be felt particularly harshly.
In the streets of Mbanza Kongo and Uíge, in the north of the country, the population is being invited to use the hydro-alcoholic gels at their disposal and check more information on sanitary measures during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Saleema, 28, is a refugee from Afghanistan and is completing her medical studies to become the first female Turkmen doctor in the country.
The European Union has taken a series of concrete actions to support efforts by Uzbekistan government in dealing with COVID crisis. The EU’s response addresses the humanitarian, health, social and economic consequences of the crisis. It addresses short-term emergency needs as well as the longer-term structural impacts on societies and economies, thus reducing the risk of destabilisation. It reinforces both governmental and non-governmental actions.
On 17 April, the European Union (EU) Delegation to El Salvador distributed close to 300 personal protective kits to Salvadoran journalists, photographers, and camerapersons from more than 40 media outlets, including international news agencies’ correspondents. Each kit contained several N95 respirator masks and hand sanitiser.
COVID-19 will have a significant health and socio-economic impact on Kyrgyzstan. There is an urgent need to strengthen the preparedness and the response of the health sector and to support the population made vulnerable by the crisis.
As part of its many ongoing actions to support the country's response plan to COVID-19, the EU to Sierra Leone is co-funding the Mask Up Freetown Initiative in collaboration with the Freetown City Council, Madam Wokie Fashion House, the Antonia Rüdiger Foundation and other local partners.
A l’occasion de la construction de camps pour les forces de sécurité intérieures, l'Union européenne a fourni des kits d'hygiène aux forces en charge de la sécurisation des chantiers.
Dans le cadre de la réponse à la crise du COVID-19 en République Centrafricaine, la Maison des Services de la Société civile a déjà organisé 29 sessions de formation et de sensibilisation sur les messages clés liés au COVID-19, dont 21 au sein de la Maison (145 leaders associatifs formés). Huit autres sessions (84 participants) ont déjà eu lieu à l’extérieur de la maison, auprès des Organisations de la Société Civile (OSC) ayant sollicité l’organisation de sessions supplémentaires pour leurs membres.
La Délégation de l’Union européenne en République centrafricaine conduit actuellement une campagne de sensibilisation sur le COVID-19. Parmi les différentes actions, figurent la composition d’un titre musical et la réalisation d’un clip, financé par l’Union européenne.
Covid-19 has taken humanity by surprise and had a profound effect upon international organisations and governments. The Council of Europe and the EU could not be exceptions to such a rule.
A portable thermal imaging fever system helps border & customs officials to identify from a distance whether travellers have an above normal body temperature.
Dans le cadre de la crise sanitaire mondiale actuelle liée à la pandémie du coronavirus, la Délégation de l'Union européenne au Bénin s'est associée au Foyer Don Bosco Centre Maman Marguerite Aidjèdo, pour la sensibilisation des usagers du marché Dantokpa aux gestes barrières.
During this unprecedented COVID-19 global emergency, the European Union and United Nations remain committed to protecting and supporting women and girls in Timor-Leste and have dedicated USD1 million funding from the flagship Spotlight Initiative budget to address the increased risks of violence against women and girls in context of the pandemic.
10/04/20- Suva, Fiji – The European Union (EU) will mobilise and redirect € 119 million (FJD 295 million) to respond to the coronavirus pandemic in the Pacific. Fifteen partner Pacific islands countries and four European Overseas Countries and Territories will benefit from this support.
Weekends inside… Easter ‘holidays’ round the corner... Unfortunately, due to the current circumstances many of us had to cancel our planned holidays and activities, to avoid the risks of getting and spreading the virus, and flatten the curve. Call it a ‘staycation’, call it a ‘holistay’, what’s important is to try and make the utmost of your time at home. Amongst others, the EU platform ‘Creative Europe At Home’ offers some suggestions to occupy your days and stay entertained online.
The European Union (EU) and its Member States today provided the Government of Jamaica with 29 ventilators, breathing machines that support patients who need intensive care in hospitals, and that are essential to saving the lives of those in critical condition due to Covid-19 infection.
The European Union has created a €5 million (7.9 billion MMK) emergency cash fund to assist thousands of garment workers who lost their jobs due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
Today marks the International Roma Day and, despite the world having its eyes set on the COVID-19 outbreak, it is important to take stock of the persisting problems that the Roma population faces across Europe. These challenges are particularly severe in the current state of global pandemic and need to be addressed urgently.
Dans le contexte de crise sanitaire liée au Covid-19, la Délégation de l’Union européenne et la Fondation Magic System – du nom du célèbre groupe de musique – continuent de défendre les valeurs promues cette année en Côte d’Ivoire dans le cadre de l’UE Magic Tour.
“We produce and deliver around 100 face shields for medical workers across Vojvodina,” says Professor Vladimir Todorović, manager of Idea Laboratory (iDEAlab) the University in Novi Sad.
Inspired by the story about 3D-printed protective equipment provided to Italian hospitals in the worst COVID-19 hotspots, iDEAlab has decided to offer assistance to the Clinical Center of Vojvodina at a crucial time for medical personnel.
Follow updates on the latest coordinated measures to contain the virus and its economic impact inside and outside EU borders.
The EU Capacity Building Mission in Mali coaches since two years the Crisis Management Centre of the Ministry for Security and Civil Protection which coordinates currently the Malian response to the Corona-pandemic.
Serbia will be able to test more samples on COVID-19 than before thanks to a system of referencet laboratories equipped by the European Union, so epidemiologists in Serbia will be able to control the spread of this dangerous disease more quickly.
The European Union has teamed up with the Government of South Sudan, UNICEF, Mott MacDonald, Charlie Goldsmith Associates and Equity Bank to provide information on the risk of COVID-19 and its prevention to school personnel across South Sudan.
On 28 March 2020, Albania sent 30 doctors and nurses to Italy to support its heavily hit neighbour in fighting the coronavirus.
13/11/2020 – HR/VP blog – With the BioNTech vaccine announcement, we are beginning to see light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. However, with progress comes the risk of “vaccine nationalism”. From the start, we, as EU, have clearly chosen a multilateral approach. This needs also to become the global choice.
17/10/2020 - HR/VP blog - In times of crisis, we logically tend to focus on our own difficulties. Coming back from Africa, I would like to emphasise how much COVID-19 is reshaping the entire world economy. Let’s have a look around the globe to assess how the pandemic is changing the balance of wealth and power.
29/09/2020 - Last week, I took part with my colleague Vice-President Dubravka Šuica in an event organised jointly with UNICEF. The aim was to send an SOS to policy-makers around the world, asking them to give highest priority to schools in their plans to reopen their economies. A decisive issue for our common future.
04/07/2020 - We need to build a common strategic culture in Europe. If we agree more on how we see the world and the challenges it contains, it will be easier to agree on what to do about them. Given our different histories, this will take time. It requires many discussions among all involved in the shaping of Europe’s foreign policy, both in Brussels and capitals. We need to understand where each of us is coming from; what worries people and why; but also what we have in common.
18/06/2020 - Tomorrow, European leaders will discuss the proposal for a new EU budget, also known in our jargon as the “multiannual financial framework (MFF)” for the years 2021-2027. Adding the 750 billion euros of the Next Generation EU instrument makes a considerable change from the initial draft budget presented by the Commission back in 2019.
14/06/2020 - The coronavirus crisis is creating a more competitive global environment, with confrontation growing faster than cooperation. As EU, we face rougher seas and risk getting caught in the cross-currents of major powers telling us to “pick a side”.
10/06/2020 - Last Monday, Dr. Tedros, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), participated at our videoconference with EU Development Ministers. He took the opportunity to discuss the Covid-19 epidemic and the role played by the WHO. He also assessed the current state of this pandemic. And it was quite alarming: although Covid-19 seems to be under control in Europe thanks to the large-scale measures taken by the Member States and the Union, this is not yet the case in the rest of the world.
14/05/2020 - The coronavirus pandemic will very likely deteriorate our security environment in the years to come, increasing the need for a stronger European Union security and defence policy, and for a stronger Union in the world.
08/05/2020 - The world’s attention is legitimately focused on the global response to the coronavirus crisis. Despite its historic scale and intensity, COVID 19 does not rid us of the many other regional and global challenges we face. Quite the contrary: since it weakens the stability and development efforts of some countries, COVID-19 is an aggravating factor. We must therefore not only maintain our engagement with our partners but strengthen it.
03/05/2020 - This year, we mark World Press Freedom Day in the midst of a global pandemic. This gives us a special reason to pay tribute to all the journalists and media workers who bring us the news and analyse the world we are in.
24/04/2020 - A health crisis at the outset, the coronavirus pandemic soon turned into an unprecedented economic and social crisis. In an article published with several European think tanks, I sketch how COVID-19 could magnify three global developments.
19/04/2020 - It is now more than a month that the corona virus has Europe in its grip. While every day we work flat out to address the crisis in all its aspects, it is good to step back and reflect on what living with COVID19 means, for our daily lives, for Europe, for the wider world and how it will affect our society.
11/04/2020 - The coronavirus has not only Europe but the entire global community in its grip and is the world’s common enemy. An enemy we can only defeat with a global approach and cross-border coordination. And while we have to mobilise all our resources to fight the virus at home, now is also the time to look beyond our borders, most specifically at our sister continent Africa and the Southern Neighbourhood, as well as at the Western Balkans, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Because solidarity cannot be an empty word and also because for as long as the virus will not be eradicated everywhere, it will remain a threat to all of us.
07/04/2020 - Tackling the global pandemic requires an unprecedented mobilisation at all levels. On the external side, the EU is working hard to help bring back home stranded Europeans. It is also fully mobilised to help forge a global, multilateral response strategy and assisting those in fragile and conflict-affected countries.
The European Union is doing everything it can to tackle the #coronavirus crisis and its consequences. It is now that we have to demonstrate what European and global solidarity really means. These unprecedented events call for unprecedented international action.
23/03/2020 - COVID-19 will reshape our world. We don’t yet know when the crisis will end. But we can be sure that by the time it does, our world will look very different. How different will depend on the choices we make today.
Watch my video message on the outbreak and the EU’s response, including our efforts to coordinate the repatriation of thousands of European stranded abroad.
COVID-19 Disinformation: Remarks by HR/VP Josep Borrell at the European Parliament session on tackling COVID-19 disinformation and the impact on freedom of expression: It is really evident that the virus pandemic has been accompanied by an ‘infodemic’, by a pandemic of disinformation. We have witnessed a wave of false and misleading information, and an exponential increase in targeted influence operations by foreign actors. Read the full remarks
Coronavirus: EU strengthens action to tackle disinformation: The coronavirus pandemic has been accompanied by a massive wave of false and misleading information, attempts by foreign actors to influence domestic debates in the EU, breeding on the fertile ground of people’s most basic anxieties and the rapidly changing news cycle. Misleading healthcare information, dangerous hoaxes with false claims conspiracy theories and consumer fraud endanger public health. Read the full press release
Tackling Coronavirus Disinformation - Getting the facts right: Read the factsheet
Disinformation around the COVID-19 pandemic, measures taken to contain it and vaccine roll-out campaigns continues to be significant. Since our last special report, issued in December 2020[ii], the roll-out of different vaccines gained momentum in many countries around the world, and in conjunction with this, vaccine-related disinformation increased and contributed to spreading fear and mistrust in any type of vaccine.
A short guide to communicating with someone who believes in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.
The objective of this report is to provide a snapshot overview of the current trends and insights into disinformation activities related to COVID-19/Coronavirus. The report draws on open sources, does not provide a comprehensive or complete overview and focusses primarily on the external dimension, in line with the European External Action Service (EEAS) mandate
In line with the previous EEAS Special Reports and based on publicly available information, this edition gives an overview of recent developments around COVID-19 related disinformation.
As outlined in the earlier reports, disinformation, myths and misinformation continue to proliferate around the world, with potentially harmful consequences for public security, health and effective crisis communications. In this context, it is important to distinguish the very different forms of mis- and disinformation, as well as other forms of information manipulation.
Misinformation and disinformation in the health space are thriving, including on COVID-19. It is important that you rely only on authoritative sources to get updated information on the COVID-19 outbreak.
Disinformation and misinformation around COVID-19 continue to proliferate around the world, with potentially harmful consequences for public health and effective crisis communication. In the EU and elsewhere, coordinated disinformation messaging seeks to frame vulnerable minorities as the cause of the pandemic and to fuel distrust in the ability of democratic institutions to deliver effective responses. Some state and state-backed actors seek to exploit the public health crisis to advance geopolitical interests, often by directly challenging the credibility of the European Union and its partners.
HR/VP Josep Borrell, supported by the European External Action Service, the European Commission and Delegations to the EU around the world, was in the lead to coordinate the work with Member States and help EU travellers stranded in third countries to safely reach their homes. In an unprecedented repatriation effort, the EU has managed to bring home over half a million of its citizens who were affected by coronavirus travel restrictions across the world. Read our factsheet on consular support and repatriation & find out more about the different stories and experiences from EU citizens repatriated thanks to the EU and Member States.
High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell, supported by the EEAS, the Commission and EU Delegations around the world, led the work to strengthen coordination among Member States to help EU citizens who were stranded outside the EU
EU Delegation in Banjul, The Gambia, successfully implemented another round of consular coordination and had its thirteenth repatriation flight left Banjul, this time for Stockholm.
11 Member States organised repatriation operations that were specially challenging due to the 7.000 islands of the Philippines archipelago
Two more repatriation flights departing from Banjul International Airport, organised by the Dutch and Spanish governments this time and both operated under the umbrella of the UCPM, brought home a total of 90 and 298 stranded European citizens and residents, respectively.
From the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the armed forces of EU Member States have played a critical role in fighting the virus – abroad, at home and in European solidarity. They are providing transport and logistic support, building field hospitals in record time, deploying their medical staff, and supporting national authorities and services. The European External Action Service set up a dedicated task force to support these efforts, in particular by facilitating the exchange of information.
The three EU Delegations worked in close cooperation with each other and with France to organize an Air France sweeper flight
The stranded travelers returned home aboard the national carriers of 14 EU Member States and partner countries in a coordinated operation led by the EU Delegation in New Delhi
More than 1.000 EU citizens, who were in Montenegro at the time of the coronavirus epidemic outbreak, have returned to their countries thanks to the committed cooperation of the Government of Montenegro and EU Member State embassies, coordinated by the EU Delegation to Montenegro. Since 17 March, more than 20 flights and trips by road were organised bringing EU citizens safely back home.
Stranded European Union citizens left Nairobi on Thursday in a special Ethiopian Airways flight to Frankfurt via Addis, organised by the EU Delegation to Kenya.
On 22 April, EULEX chartered a plane from Warsaw, Poland to Pristina, Kosovo to bring back 31 Polish police officers from EULEX’s Formed Police Unit. At the same time, EULEX facilitated the cost-free repatriation of twelve Kosovo citizens stranded in Poland and Czechia, following a request by the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora.
Two chartered flights organized under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism repatriate EU citizens from Barbados and other countries
The COVID-19 outbreak caused the Gambian authorities to close Gambian airspace, and this is when the EUD in Banjul started realising just how many stranded European citizens were in the country. Since, the EUD has been working all hours to help get as many as possible airlifted back to European destinations, and facilitate their onward travel to their homes anywhere in Europe.
A total of 670 Europeans stranded in Venezuela have safely returned to Europe in the last three weeks aboard two flights
Between 23 March and 3 April, a total of ten repatriation flights from Cuba have been organized under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). The repatriation flights have brought home over 1857 EU citizens and around 121 non-EU residents of more than 46 nationalities, including from 25 EU Member States.
The majority of these flights was supported by the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), an instrument designed to enhance the protection of EU citizens in crisis situations.
Concerted efforts by Embassies and Honorary Consuls in collaboration with EU Delegations in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, ensured that close to 500 stranded Europeans made it home safely.
Nearly a million EU tourists annually visit the small islands of Cabo Verde. Many still came in March, and got "stranded".
Around 6000 Europeans were in Nepal for the March trekking season. Soon after their arrival, the nation went into complete lockdown due to the Corona virus.
Repatriation operations continue as Europeans are returned safely back home from Uganda.
Lithuania repatriated more than 400 EU citizens and several European countries helped Lithuanian citizens to return back home
On March 30th, a plane left Asunción to Frankfurt with approximately 340 european citizens who were stranded in Paraguay after commercial flights to Europe were cancelled and borders closed.
Ce samedi 4 avril, un vol Brussels Airlines spécialement affrété pour le trajet Abidjan-Conakry-Bruxelles a permis de rapatrier 81 ressortissants européens de passage en Côte d’Ivoire, avec à bord beaucoup de citoyens allemands et belges mais aussi des passagers de dix autres Etats de l’UE.
On Sunday evening 5 April, the EU Delegations to Sierra Leone and Liberia facilitated the successful repatriation to Brussels of nearly 250 citizens from the EU, but also from the Schengen area and from the UK.
Today, in a pandemic, all countries are taking steps to return their citizens who are in other countries. 300 Europeans, of which 70 French, returned home in good health after a 14-day quarantine in Uzbekistan.
More than 500 European citizens from more than 20 countries were able to return home, thanks to a joint effort led by Germany and France that included the collaboration of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Nicaragua and the coordination with the diplomatic and consular representations of Member States of the EU in the region.
The EU Delegation to Indonesia and the embassies of the EU Member states in Jakarta have been working together on responding to the very acute problem of the thousands of European tourists stranded in the country, especially in Bali.
Three repatriation flights left Buenos Aires to Vienna, Paris and Frankfurt bringing home 1,050 EU citizens.
07/04/20- Suva, Fiji - Nearly 300 Europeans, from the European Union, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are on their way home from Fiji, including 183 on a repatriation flight operated by Fiji Airways and chartered by Germany. Others were able to transit back to Europe on flights to Sydney and Los Angeles.
Due to the global crisis caused by Covid 19, many Europeans lost the opportunity to go back to the continent from Guatemala. In response 3 EU Member States (Germany, France, Spain) organized 5 repatriation flights for tourists from their own countries and other European nations
On the 3rd of April, the Dutch Embassy in Accra, Ghana and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs took the lead to evacuate EU stranded tourists and non-residents from Ghana.
Since mid-March, the EU Delegation to Vietnam is liaising with the authorities and is actively supporting and coordinating the member states in the organization of repatriation flights. So far, the EU Civilian Protection Mechanism (UCPM) has facilitated five repatriation flights operated by Austria, Czechia, Germany and Lithuania, for more than 1,500 EU travellers.
Austria asked for financial support under the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism to transport citizens from Buenos Aires to Vienna
The German Embassy in Bangkok, the Delegation of the European Union to Thailand and diplomatic missions of other EU Member States are working together to bring EU citizens stranded in Thailand back home
More than 5,000 tourists were present in the country at the moment of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Following the establishment of travel restrictions, international airlines serving the route Europe - Seychelles suspended numerous flights. This has left many European citizens stranded.
Thousands of European tourists have managed to safely go back home from the Maldives and Sri Lanka, thanks to joint work of the European Union and its member states.
The Council today approved conclusions reaffirming Team Europe's full commitment to the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and its health, social, economic, humanitarian, security and political impacts.
With this approach, the EU is showing leadership, responsibility and solidarity with those most affected by the pandemic.
The European Commission and Austria are announcing today the conclusion of agreements for the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines for the Western Balkans. The 651,000 BioNTech/Pfizer doses are funded by the European Commission and will be shared with the facilitation of Austria. The first delivery to all the partners in the region is due in May, with regular tranches to continue until August.
One year ago today, the European Commission and the High Representative set out plans for a targeted EU response to support partner countries' efforts in tackling the Coronavirus pandemic combining resources from the EU, its Member States and European financial institutions, as ‘Team Europe'. By 1 January 2021, Team Europe had already supported partner countries around the world with more than €26 billion, 65% of the overall response package that now stands at over €40 billion and exceeding the original €20 billion pledged.
The Commission is mobilising €123 million from Horizon Europe, the new EU research and innovation programme, for urgent research into coronavirus variants. This first emergency funding under Horizon Europe adds to a range of EU-funded research and innovation actions to fight the coronavirus and contributes to the Commission's overall action to prevent, mitigate and respond to the impact of coronavirus variants, in line with the new European bio-defence preparedness plan HERA Incubator.
We, the Heads of Mission of the European Union in Cairo, like our colleagues all over the world, have our minds focused on actions to tackle the outbreak of COVID-19, and mitigate the effects of the crisis. The aim is to come out stronger, together with our partners. We want to make a difference in people’s lives.
We, the Heads of Mission of the European Union in Cairo, like our colleagues all over the world, have our minds focused on actions to tackle the outbreak of COVID-19, and mitigate the effects of the crisis. The aim is to come out stronger, together with our partners. We want to make a difference in people’s lives.
April 1, 2021 marks an important milestone in Vietnam’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as the country received the first batch of free vaccines under COVAX, a global programme supported by the European Union aimed at providing innovative and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. This is the most outstanding symbol of EU and Vietnam solidarity in the face of the COVID-19 challenge and the race to vaccinate the whole world.
Speech by the Head of the EU Delegation to Egypt, Ambassador Christian Berger entitled "Celebrating Strategic Partnerships for ‘Women’s Empowerment and Financial and Economic Inclusion in Rural Egypt: COVID-19 Response’"
The European Commission has announced today €17 million in humanitarian aid to address the needs of the most vulnerable in Haiti and the Caribbean, which have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 8 March 2021, the world celebrated International Women’s day highlighting the theme “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”. To mark this important day, the National Council for Women (NCW), the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), the European Union (EU), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and UN Women in Egypt joined forces to celebrate the tremendous efforts of women and girls in shaping a more equal future and full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the framework of a longstanding partnership, the partners launched a new project entitled ‘Women’s Empowerment and Financial and Economic Inclusion in Rural Egypt: COVID-19 Response’.
Tirana, 10 March 2020 - The EU emergency support for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in Albania – the EU4Health Programme (EUR 4.2 million) - completed successfully today with the handing over of the CT (computed tomography) scanner to Mother Teresa University Hospital.
Moldova today became the first country in the European region to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from the COVAX initiative
Global cooperation and solidarity is paramount to effectively fight the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure early access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments everywhere.
Today, a consignment of 21,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccines is being delivered to Moldova from Romania to support the country's response to the pandemic. This delivery follows Moldova's request for vaccines through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, to which Romania has responded rapidly with this offer.
The Council today approved conclusions reaffirming the EU’s commitment to human rights in the context of the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced today €100 million in humanitarian assistance to support the rollout of vaccination campaigns in Africa, which are spearheaded by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The European Union has announced today an additional €500 million for the COVAX Facility, doubling its contribution to date for the global initiative that is leading efforts to secure fair and equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in low and middle-income countries.
The European Union in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a new regional project worth over €7 million to support safe and effective vaccination of the populations across the Western Balkans.
Today, the European Commission approved a second contract with the pharmaceutical company Moderna, which provides for an additional purchase of 300 million doses (150 million in 2021 and an option to purchase an additional 150 million in 2022) on behalf of all EU Member States. The new contract also provides for the possibility to donate the vaccine to lower and middle-income countries or to re-direct it to other European countries.
European Union and WHO/Europe join forces to support deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination in Armenia
The EU is working to turn its €750 billion recovery package into action. The Council today adopted a regulation establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which lies at the heart of the EU’s recovery plan. It will make €672.5 billion in grants and loans available for public investment and reforms in the 27 member states to help them address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to foster the green and digital transitions and to build resilient and inclusive societies.
Today, the EU in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched a new regional programme worth over €40 million to provide critical assistance to ensure local readiness and preparedness for safe and effective vaccination of the population in the six Eastern Partnership countries.
This opinion article was published in The Jakarta Post and Republika
By Vincent Piket
European Union Ambassador to Indonesia
Hasta la fecha, la Unión Europea ha autorizado todas las solicitudes de entrega de vacunas a terceros países. Ayer 8 de febrero autoridades competentes de la Unión Europea autorizaron un envío de vacunas contra la COVID-19 a México. Hasta el momento no se ha recibido otra solicitud de autorización para envíos de vacunas contra la COVID-19 a México. En el futuro se seguirá trabajando para procesar rápidamente las solicitudes de autorización.
EU News 38/2021
2020 was a dreadful year. As COVID-19 spread and developed into a pandemic of truly global proportions, countless lives were lost, livelihoods shattered, and activities, which we once took for granted, became a distant dream.
The Council today adopted a recommendation amending the recommendation on the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU and the possible lifting of such restriction.
We fully appreciate that some trade partners, like Malaysia, may have concerns on the export authorisation system put in place by the EU on 30 January. This is not an export ban, but a mechanism to have transparency over where vaccines made by companies with whom the EU has signed a contract are going.
The Council today adopted a recommendation amending the recommendation on a coordinated approach to the restrictions of free movement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The European Union welcomes the decision of the EU-supported COVAX/GAVI facility of 29 January 2021 to allocate 24,570 doses of BioNTech- Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and up to 264,000 indicative doses of AstraZeneca / SKBio COVID-19 vaccine to the Republic of Moldova. With EUR 853 million, the EU is the biggest initial contributor to the COVAX facility.
Following a review under the recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU, the Council updated the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted. Based on the criteria and conditions set out in the recommendation, as from 28 January member states should gradually lift the travel restrictions at the external borders for residents of the following third countries:
Australia,
New Zealand,
Rwanda,
Singapore,
South Korea,
Thailand, and
China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity.
On 21 January, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, met with the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili.
H.E. Minister of Social Solidarity, Nivine El-Kabbag witnessed the signature of the project agreement entitled, ‘Support to COVID-19 Response’, for €6 Million over three years between the ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS), the European Union (EU) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Today, the European Commission concluded exploratory talks with the pharmaceutical company Valneva with a view to purchasing its potential vaccine against COVID-19. The envisaged contract with Valneva would provide for the possibility for all EU Member States to purchase together 30 million doses, and they could further purchase up to 30 million more doses.
The European Commission today proposed to the EU Member States to purchase an additional 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by BioNTech and Pfizer, with the option to acquire another 100 million doses.
Today, the European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) for the COVID‑19 vaccine developed by Moderna, the second COVID-19 vaccine authorised in the EU. This authorisation follows a positive scientific recommendation based on a thorough assessment of the safety, effectiveness and quality of the vaccine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is endorsed by the Member States.
Today, the European Commission adopted a package of €70 million under the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA II) to help fund the access of Western Balkans partners to COVID-19 vaccines procured by EU Member States.
Today, the European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) for the COVID‑19 vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer, making it the first COVID-19 vaccine authorised in the EU. This authorisation follows a positive scientific recommendation based on a thorough assessment of the safety, effectiveness and quality of the vaccine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is endorsed by the Member States.
The European Commission today announced the mobilisation of €84.26 million in support of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in four African countries: Benin, Central African Republic, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Following a review under the recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU, the Council updated the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted. As stipulated in the Council recommendation, this list will continue to be reviewed regularly and, as the case may be, updated.
The Council today adopted conclusions which call for further enhanced responses at EU level to counter hybrid threats, including disinformation, and strengthening resilience. The Council notes that new technologies and crises, such as the ongoing pandemic, offer opportunities for hostile actors to expand their interference activities. These pose an additional challenge for the member states and the EU institutions, besides the crisis itself.
Minister of International Cooperation, Dr. Rania Al Mashat, and Head of the European Union Delegation to Egypt, Ambassador Christian Berger, signed an amendment to Health Sector Policy Support Program-II, worth EUR 89 million, to combat coronavirus pandemic.
Today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will officially launch the Digital4Development (D4D) Hub in the presence of representatives from the five Hub-founding EU Member States, under the German EU Council Presidency. The platform gathers key stakeholders from EU Member States, private sector, civil society and financial institutions in a Team Europe spirit with several objectives: scaling up investments in the digital transformation of partner countries; promoting a comprehensive values-based rulebook for a digital economy and society worldwide; and promote a stronger and more strategic EU engagement in international digital partnerships.
As part of Team Europe's global response to the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union announced today a new €20 million programme to support the preparedness and response capacities of our partners in the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The European Commission further expanded its Guidance Note on how COVID-19-related humanitarian aid can be provided to countries and areas around the world that are subject to EU restrictive measures (sanctions). This Guidance now also has a self-standing chapter on Nicaragua.
Dans le cadre de sa coopération avec le Sahel, l'Union européenne a annoncé aujourd'hui le déboursement d'un appui budgétaire de 92 millions d'euros pour renforcer la réponse du Burkina Faso, de la Mauritanie, du Niger et du Tchad à la propagation du coronavirus. Il s'agit d'offrir des soins de santé de qualité à la population et réduire les répercussions économiques et sociales de la pandémie.
Today, the European Union disbursed €25 million of budget support for The Gambia's response to the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the Team Europe global package, these funds contribute to the recovery from the pandemic and also support the transition towards democracy and medium-term development objectives.
The European Council assessed the current epidemiological situation, which is unprecedented and gives rise to very serious concern.
As Europe learns to live with the pandemic, the development and swift global deployment of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 remains an essential element in the eventual solution to the public health crisis.
The Commission has signed a joint procurement framework contract with the pharmaceutical company Gilead for the supply of up to 500,000 treatment courses of Veklury, the brand name for Remdesivir, and the opportunity to increase supply beyond the 500,000 treatment courses.
Today, the European Commission approved a third contract with a pharmaceutical company, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
The European Commission has allocated additional €10 million in humanitarian aid to support the most vulnerable people in eastern Ukraine ahead of the upcoming winter and in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This brings EU humanitarian funding for eastern Ukraine in 2020 to €23 million.
The EU and the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho allocate a total of €11.8 Million (approx. M235 Million) to assist vulnerable populations affected by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Today, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi and the Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, signed two financing agreements worth €129 million to assist Georgia in coping with the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the country's economy.
Today, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi and the Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, signed two financing agreements worth €129 million to assist Georgia in coping with the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the country's economy.
On 17 June, the European Commission presented a European strategy to accelerate the development, manufacturing and deployment of vaccines against COVID-19. The EU Vaccines Strategy intends to ensure the production in Europe of qualitative, safe and efficacious vaccines, and to secure swift access to them for Member States and their populations. Moreover, the Strategy reflects the global solidarity effort and ensures equitable access to an affordable vaccine as early as possible.
Today, the European Commission confirmed its participation in the COVAX Facility for equitable access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines, following its expression of interest on 31 August and its announcement of a contribution of €400 million.
Today, the Council agreed to add €6.2 billion to the EU 2020 budget to address the impact of the COVID-19-crisis and to fund inter alia the vaccine strategy. The Council adopted draft amending budget No 8 for 2020 by written procedure.
As part of the EU's global coronavirus response, an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operation consisting of three flights to Lima, Peru this week is delivering a total of more than 4 tonnes of life-saving materials to humanitarian organisations active in the country. At the same time, the EU has announced €30.5 million in humanitarian assistance to support the most vulnerable in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020.
Today, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, launched and co-hosted the first meeting of the High Level Facilitation Council, leading the work of the global collaborative framework Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (the ACT-A) to speed up the development and deployment of vaccines, tests and treatments against COVID-19, as well as to improve health systems.
The European Commission has today concluded exploratory talks with BioNTech-Pfizer to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19. BioNTech-Pfizer is the sixth company with which the Commission has concluded talks, following Sanofi-GSK on 31 July, Johnson & Johnson on 13 August, CureVac on 18 August and Moderna on 24 August. The first contract, signed with AstraZeneca, entered into force on 27 August.
The Commission has today adopted a proposal for a Council Recommendation to ensure that any measures taken by Member States that restrict free movement due to the coronavirus pandemic are coordinated and clearly communicated at the EU level.
A flight from the European Union (EU) humanitarian air bridge will land in Abidjan today, carrying medical equipment and PPE for Ivorian health personnel. The shipment includes medical outfits, masks and refrigerators, to protect the people of Côte d'Ivoire and ensure their access to healthcare, as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Today, the first contract the European Commission has negotiated on behalf of the EU Member States with a pharmaceutical company entered into force following the formal signature between AstraZeneca and the Commission. The contract will allow the purchase of a vaccine against COVID-19 for all the Member States of the EU as well as the donation to lower and middle income countries or the re-direction to other European countries.
The European Commission has presented proposals to the Council for decisions to grant financial support of €81.4 billion to 15 Member States under the SURE instrument. SURE is a crucial element of the EU's comprehensive strategy to protect citizens and mitigate the severely negative socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. It is one of the three safety nets agreed by the European Council to shield workers, businesses and countries.
The European Commission has adopted today a package of proposals that aims to increase trade between the European Union and neighbouring countries in the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean (PEM) region, thereby contributing to the economic recovery following the coronavirus outbreak.
August 6th 2020, Port of Spain: The European Union Delegation to Trinidad and Tobago today announced the award of a grant of TT$1.7M (approx.
Following the first review under the recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU, the Council updated the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted. This list will continue to be reviewed and, as the case may be, updated every two weeks.
The Commission on behalf of the EU has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with North Macedonia to pave the way for the disbursement of €80 million in macro-financial assistance (MFA). This is the first MoU signed as part of €3 billion MFA package that the Commission proposed for ten enlargement and neighbourhood partners to help them limit the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
Today, the Council adopted a regulation which aims to speed up the development and the deployment of a vaccine against COVID-19 in the EU. The act provides for a temporary derogation for clinical trials with such vaccines from the prior environmental risk assessment required in the EU legislation on the deliberate release in the environment and the contained use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The European Union (EU) has signed three grant agreements worth €5.3 million or IDR 86 billion with European and Indonesian NGOs working in partnership to help Indonesia contain the COVID-19 outbreak and its social and economic consequences.
Depuis son apparition à Wuhan, en Chine, le nouveau coronavirus s’est répandu dans le monde entier. Alors que l’Union européenne et ses États membres luttent encore contre cette maladie sur leur territoire, ils n’en ont pas pour autant mis de côté la solidarité, l’une des valeurs fondatrices de l’Union européenne, essentielle dans ce contexte de pandémie.
The European Union has this week released the final payment of EUR 1,350,000 (NZD 2,350,000) to the Government of Cook Islands as part of its partnership signed with the Government in 2017 to improve wastewater management systems, under the European Development Fund (EDF).
Le 7 juillet 2020, la Délégation de l’Union européenne a remis un lot de matériel de protection contre le COVID19 au Directeur Général de l'Académie Régionale des Sciences et Techniques de la Mer (ARSTM), Monsieur Karim Coulibaly, dans le cadre du projet WeCAPS - Western and Central Africa Port Security.
Un contrat de 65 milliards GNF (6 millions d’euros) pour financer un projet de riposte contre la Covid-19 et soutenir les populations guinéennes. C’est le deuxième projet dédié spécifiquement à la riposte contre l’épidémie de Covid-19 que l’Union européenne finance en Guinée après celui conclu avec Terre des hommes portant sur 2,5 millions d’euros.
Today, an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flight arrived in Mogadishu from Brindisi, Italy, carrying humanitarian and medical supplies provided by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italian civil society organisations and international NGOs.
July 2, 2020: COVID-19 crisis has adversely affected the economies worldwide, with tourism being the worst affected of all major economic sectors.
Ten thousand COVID-19 tests reach Armenia thanks to the European Union and WHO
H.E. Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and H.E. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, held a Leaders' meeting via video conference on 30 June 2020. The leaders acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting every country of the world, leading to immense human suffering, putting enormous strains on healthcare and welfare systems, as well as badly hitting economies and putting jobs at risk.
The global pledging summit and concert organised by the Commission and Global Citizen are only one day away. They will bring the world together and mobilise additional funding to develop and universally deploy coronavirus vaccines, tests and treatments.
In a public ceremony held at the Office of the President, “Team Europe,” the European Union (EU) and two of its Member States – France and Germany, in partnership with the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and the Botswana Red Cross Society, handed over critical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Government of Botswana, in support of the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, the second of two EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flights arrived in Sudan, helping humanitarian workers and essential supplies reach people in need and supporting the coronavirus response in the country. This fully EU-funded Humanitarian Air Bridge flight to Sudan was made possible through a coordinated Team Europe approach, bringing together the European Union, Sweden, France and the Humanitarian Logistics Network.
The ‘Global Goal: Unite For Our Future' campaign launched by the Commission and the international advocacy organisation Global Citizen on 28 May will culminate in a global pledging summit and concert on Saturday 27 June. The aim is to mobilise additional funding to develop and deploy coronavirus vaccines, tests and treatments. Access to vaccines everywhere, for everyone who needs them, will enable the world to overcome this pandemic and avoid another.It will also help rebuild communities impacted by the pandemic in a fair and just way.
As part of the European Union's response to the COVID-19 crisis in Africa, the European Commission has decided to grant €54 million to the Central African Republic to help the government shore up public expenditure negatively affected by the fight against the virus.
European Union countries can now apply for additional funding via the Emergency Support Instrument to transport essential goods, medical teams and patients affected by the coronavirus. This comes in addition to support already available via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and deliveries of protective equipment through rescEU.
As part of the EU's global coronavirus response, an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flight will depart on 15 June from Maastricht, Netherlands to Kabul, Afghanistan. The flight will deliver 100 tonnes of life-saving materials to supply EU-funded humanitarian partners. The flight is fully EU funded and is part of ongoing Air Bridge flights to critical areas of the world.
Today the Commission recommends to Schengen Member States and Schengen Associated States to lift internal border controls by 15 June 2020 and to prolong the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU until 30 June 2020; and sets out an approach to progressively lifting the restriction afterwards.
As part of the EU's global response to the coronavirus outbreak, the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis has mobilised an additional €55 million for refugees from Syria and vulnerable persons in Jordan and Lebanon to fight the pandemic. It will provide critical and targeted support in key areas such as health, water, sanitation and hygiene. The newly adopted package brings the total assistance mobilised through the EU Trust Fund to over €2.2 billion since 2015, doubling the target originally set.
The coronavirus pandemic has been accompanied by a massive wave of false and misleading information, attempts by foreign actors to influence domestic debates in the EU, breeding on the fertile ground of people’s most basic anxieties and the rapidly changing news cycle. Misleading healthcare information, dangerous hoaxes with false claims conspiracy theories and consumer fraud endanger public health.
The coronavirus pandemic has been accompanied by a massive wave of false and misleading information, attempts by foreign actors to influence domestic debates in the EU, breeding on the fertile ground of people’s most basic anxieties and the rapidly changing news cycle. Misleading healthcare information, dangerous hoaxes with false claims conspiracy theories and consumer fraud endanger public health.
Libreville le 9 juin 2020 - L'Alliance Afrique-Europe pour l'investissement durable et l'emploi cherche à exploiter pleinement le potentiel de l'intégration économique et du commerce. Les frontières de l'Afrique jouent un rôle important pour la paix, la stabilité et l'intégration économique régionale en permettant la circulation des personnes et des biens. Elles sont également cruciales dans la lutte contre la traite des êtres humains, le terrorisme et l'immigration clandestine. L'intégration économique et sociale du continent (par exemple, la zone africaine de libre-échange ou la politique africaine de paix et de sécurité) dépend d'une gouvernance efficace des frontières.
The Council approved conclusions on the "Team Europe" package that is part of the EU's global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monsieur le Président de la Commission de l’océan Indien,
Messieurs les Ministres et Chefs de délégation,
Monsieur le Secrétaire Général de la Commission de l’océan Indien et son équipe
Mesdames et Messieurs les Officiers Permanents de Liaison,
Mesdames et Messieurs les Membres du Corps Diplomatique,
Today, the European Commission is announcing a pledge of €300 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, for the period 2021–2025. It will help immunise 300 million children around the world and finance vaccine stockpiles to shield against outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Freetown, 3 June 2020
PRESS RELEASE
In the context of World Oceans Day on 8 June, the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Mauritius and to the Republic of Seychelles is organising, in collaboration with the French Embassy, the AFD and the local branch of the Région Réunion in Mauritius, a free webinar entitled "Innovation and biodiversity: a blue deal for the Indian Ocean?".
The Council today adopted a decision to provide up to 3 billion euros of macro-financial assistance to ten enlargement and neighbourhood partners to help them cope with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today the European Commission announced an additional €50 million in humanitarian aid to help respond to the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs caused by the Coronavirus pandemic globally. The new funding follows increased appeals by humanitarian organisations, including the UN Global Appeal.
Libreville, le 19 mai 2020 - Face à la pandémie du COVID-19, le projet de l’UE « Transport plus sûr des marchandises dangereuses par route et par voie ferrée dans la région de la Façade atlantique africaine » (SECTRANS AAF), mis en œuvre par Expertise France, met à disposition de tous les pays partenaires francophones un module d’apprentissage à distance visant à lutter contre la pandémie COVID-19. Ce projet relevant par ailleurs de l’Initiative des Centres d’Excellence (CdE) pour la réduction des risques nucléaires, radiologiques, biologiques et chimiques (NRBC) fait l’objet d’un partenariat avec le Gabon depuis 2013.
“The coronavirus pandemic is impacting every country and region of the world and every aspect of our lives. The pandemic and its socio-economic consequences are having a disproportionate impact on the rights of persons with disabilities such as in terms of equal access to health care, support services, and education.
Representatives of the EU Member States, the Western Balkans and Turkey, the European Commission and the European Central Bank, as well as representatives of the central banks of the Western Balkans and Turkey[1] met for their annual economic policy dialogue[2]. The dialogue aims at preparing the Western Balkans and Turkey for the future participation in the European Semester.
As part of its emergency support package to tackle the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis, the EU is setting up a temporary instrument to help workers keep their jobs during the crisis.
EU ambassadors today reached a political agreement on SURE, a temporary scheme which can provide up to €100 billion of loans under favourable terms to member states.
A contact tracing and warning app is voluntarily installed and used to warn users if they have been in proximity for a certain duration to a person who reported to have been tested positive of COVID-19.
The EU is reflecting on key lessons and implications that the COVID-19 pandemic presents for its security and defence. The aim is to be ready to confront possible security consequences of the current pandemic and to become better prepared and resilient for the future.
The European Commission has published detailed guidance on how coronavirus-related humanitarian aid can be sent to countries and areas around the world that are subject to EU sanctions.
The European Commission has set up an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge to transport humanitarian workers and emergency supplies for the coronavirus response to some of most critical areas around the world.
EU ambassadors today endorsed a Commission proposal to provide up to 3 billion euros of macro-financial assistance to ten enlargement and neighbourhood partners to help them cope with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic impacts every country and region of the world and every aspect of our lives. It has reminded us how interconnected we are. Nobody will be safe in any country as long as the pandemic rages in different parts of the world. Respect for all human rights must remain at the heart of fighting the pandemic and supporting the global recovery.
I am very proud and I am relieved that the start of this very important project was so successful. The world showed extraordinary unity for the common good. And Europe has made a significant contribution. We got EUR 7.4 billion today and – the exchange rate is friendly to us – it is more than USD 8 billion. Of these USD 8 billion, ‘team Europe' – that is the European Union and its Member States – contributed more than EUR 4 billion.
On 4 May, High Representative/Vice-President Borrell held a phone call with the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov, to discuss the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, the EU’s support to Uzbekistan in respect of this challenge, the EU-Uzbekistan bilateral agenda, and broader regional issues relating to Central Asia.
Following last week's delivery to Italy, more batches of FFP2 protective masks are being distributed this weekend to Spain, Italy and Croatia from rescEU - the first ever common European reserve of medical equipment set up last month to help countries affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
On World Press Freedom Day, we pay tribute to the essential role of journalism in upholding online and offline freedom of expression in democratic societies and fostering transparency and accountability. The COVID-19 crisis has brought the importance of the work of the press into sharp relief. In times of uncertainty, more than ever, access to reliable fact-checked information, that is free from undue interference and influence, is crucial and contributes to a more resilient society. It is a matter of concern that the COVID-19 pandemic is being used in some countries as a pretext for imposing undue restrictions on freedom of the press.
The Council today adopted conclusions stating the EU's determination to stand by the people of South Sudan in their quest for peace and prosperity, and in facing the consequences of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which risks having far-reaching humanitarian and economic consequences on the newfound stability of the country.
Today, the European Commission is proposing €279 million in financial support for Portugal, Spain, Italy and Austria, to provide relief to the population of several regions in these four countries hit by natural disasters in 2019. This funding comes on top of the €800 million for 2020 available under the EU Solidarity Fund.
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the world, the European Union and its Member States have observed cyber threats and malicious cyber activities targeting essential operators in Member States and their international partners, including in the healthcare sector. Since the beginning of the pandemic, significant phishing and malware distribution campaigns, scanning activities and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks have been detected, some affecting critical infrastructures that are essential to managing this crisis.
On International Workers Day on 1 May, the EU’s Myan Ku Emergency Cash Fund transfers the first payments to garment workers who have been suspended or terminated due to the impact the COVID-19 crisis has on Myanmar’s garment sector.
Libreville, le 28 avril 2020 – La flambée de maladie liée au COVID 19 est devenue une pandémie mondiale. Elle a tué des dizaines de milliers de personnes, met à rude épreuve les populations touchées, multiplie les demandes de protection sociale, restreint l’activité des entreprises et perturbe les chaînes d’approvisionnement. Elle aura de profondes conséquences, avec de nouveaux besoins au plan humanitaire, sanitaire et socio-économique. L’UE dans une approche de coopération internationale multilatérale s’est fermement engagée à répondre à l’urgence. L'action collective de l'UE au niveau mondial visera principalement à répondre à la crise sanitaire actuelle et aux besoins humanitaires qui en découlent, à renforcer les systèmes de santé, d'approvisionnement en eau et d'assainissement des pays partenaires, ainsi que les capacités de recherche et de préparation de ces pays face à la pandémie, et à atténuer les conséquences socio-économiques de la crise. Pour soutenir ces actions, l'UE apportera aux pays partenaires au niveau mondial un appui financier de plus de 15,6 milliards d'euros provenant de ressources existantes de l'action extérieure.
Sao Tomé, le 28 avril 2020 – La flambée de maladie liée au COVID 19 est devenue une pandémie mondiale. Elle a tué des dizaines de milliers de personnes, met à rude épreuve les populations touchées, multiplie les demandes de protection sociale, restreint l’activité des entreprises et perturbe les chaînes d’approvisionnement. Elle aura de profondes conséquences, avec de nouveaux besoins au plan humanitaire, sanitaire et socio-économique. L’UE dans une approche de coopération internationale multilatérale s’est fermement engagée à répondre à l’urgence. L'action collective de l'UE au niveau mondial visera principalement à répondre à la crise sanitaire actuelle et aux besoins humanitaires qui en découlent, à renforcer les systèmes de santé, d'approvisionnement en eau et d'assainissement des pays partenaires, ainsi que les capacités de recherche et de préparation de ces pays face à la pandémie, et à atténuer les conséquences socio-économiques de la crise. Pour soutenir ces actions, l'UE apportera aux pays partenaires au niveau mondial un appui financier de 15,6 milliards EUR dont 3.25 milliards EUR destinés à l’Afrique provenant de ressources existantes de l'action extérieure.
The European Commission received its first preliminary application for financial support from the EU Solidarity Fund from Italy to address the coronavirus outbreak and its effects. Italy is expected to submit further details in the weeks to come.
The COVID-19 crisis is affecting us all. Countries around the world are struggling with its effects and experiencing an unprecedented negative economic fallout. Lebanon is no exception: the country is coping with the COVID-19 crisis with limited resources and against the backdrop of a preceding financial and economic crisis.
Immunization saves millions of lives every year. This year, the World Immunization Week takes on greater significance than ever since the Covid-19 outbreak reveals what is at stake when communities do not have the protective shield of immunization against an infectious disease. The global pandemic is a stark reminder of how fast an outbreak can spread without a vaccine to protect people and communities.
As part of its plan to support partner countries around the globe, the European Union (EU) is mobilising €350 million to fight against the spread of the coronavirus and mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the ASEAN region.
EU Ambassador Luigi Soreca delivered today samples of COVID-19 testing control material to the Institute of Public Health of Albania, the country’s Covid-19 testing authority. The donation is part of the broader EU assistance to Albania to fight COVID-19. The newly-designed control material is being used by laboratories in the EU to check the correct functioning of the coronavirus tests.
The European Union is joining forces with global partners to kick-start a pledging effort – the Coronavirus Global Response – starting on 4 May 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) and global health organisations have launched a joint call for action to develop fast and equitable access to safe, quality, effective and affordable diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines against coronavirus.
The coronavirus pandemic affects practically every country in the world. Past experiences have shown that even with the availability of effective tools at the world's disposal, some are protected, while others are not. This inequity is unacceptable – all tools to address the pandemic must be available to all.
I am proud of sharing the screen today with our partners worldwide, to deliver a message of hope. Hope that we can defeat coronavirus together. And that we can go back to our normal lives, sooner rather than later.
The European Union, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and World Vision are providing Education, Sanitary, and Food packages to the most vulnerable children and their families affected by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) impact in Ulaanbaatar and Selenge.
The Council today adopted new rules intended to minimise the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the most deprived EU citizens. The amendments to the regulation on the fund for aid to the most deprived (FEAD) will make it easier for member states, partner organisations and other parties involved to access the fund and protect their staff involved in distributing the aid. Around 13 million EU citizens benefit from the fund each year. The new rules are expected to enter into force by the end of the week.
The European Commission welcomes the adoption by the European Parliament and the Council of the proposal to postpone by one year the date of application of the Medical Devices Regulation. This will allow all key players - Member States, health institutions and economic operators to give priority to the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, forming a key position in the timing of the lifting of confinement measures as Member States return to the road of recovery.
Thank you very much Charles,
I can seamlessly follow up on your words. The health situation is by far not fully under control and many Member States have not yet reached the peak. At the same time, we already know that the scale, the speed and the impact of the economic crisis is unprecedented in modern times.
I would first like to thank all our health workers, doctors and researchers who are working around the clock to save lives. I would also like to offer words of support to those who are ill and are fighting the virus as we speak. This pandemic is putting our societies under serious strain. The well-being of each EU member state depends on the well-being of the whole of the EU.
Check against delivery!
Good evening. Although the coronavirus and its implications are still high on our agenda, today’s discussion is already an indication that we are gradually returning to core foreign policy issues.
We started with brief exchanges on the current affairs regarding Libya, Turkey and Afghanistan.
On Libya, it is sad to say that the situation does not improve. Neither international appeals, nor the threat of the spread of coronavirus, have managed to stop the warring parties from fighting. The fighting continues and is even increasing.
On 21, April, High Representative/Vice-President Borrell held a phone call with the Foreign Minister of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, to discuss the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, the EU’s support to Belarus in light of this challenge, and the wider EU-Belarus agenda.
On 21 April, High Representative Josep Borrell had a phone call with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.
The Commission has adopted a proposal for a €3 billion macro-financial assistance (MFA) package to ten enlargement and neighbourhood partners to help them to limit the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The proposal comes on top of the ‘Team Europe' strategy, the EU's robust and targeted response to support partner countries' efforts in tackling the coronavirus pandemic. It represents an important demonstration of the EU's solidarity with these countries at a time of unprecedented crisis.
On Tuesday 21 April, High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell held a phone call with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba. The call took place one day ahead of the meeting with EU Foreign Affairs Ministers, where Ukraine and the Eastern Partnership are on the agenda.
The EU is taking further urgent measures to make the best use of cohesion policy money to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Council today adopted a second legislative act in less than a month amending the rules on the use of EU structural funds, which underpin EU cohesion policy. These changes allow member states to refocus resources on crisis-related operations.
Annual report on acute food security and nutrition published today
JOINT EU / FAO / OCHA / UNICEF / USAID / WFP NEWS RELEASE
Today an international alliance of UN, governmental, and nongovernmental agencies working to address the root causes of extreme hunger have released a new edition of their annual Global Report on Food Crises.
Brussels, 20/04/2020
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Thank you for this opportunity to discuss the implications of this pandemic in EU foreign affairs and for your strong support to a joint EU response to this global crisis. Because it is really a global crisis which is affecting all geopolitical aspects.
t is crucial that banks continue financing households and corporates, including SMEs experiencing temporary difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, making full use of the flexibility provided for in the prudential and accounting framework, is essential at a time when sufficient financing to cover financial pressures is vital for the economy.
High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell spoke by phone to Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus on Thursday. High Representative Borrell relayed the EU’s strong support to the WHO at this critical moment and reiterated the need to continue working together through the multilateral system to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
There are no words that can do justice to Europe's pain or to all those suffering across the world.
We think and we pray for all of the families in mourning. And we promise to each other that we will tell their stories and honour their lives and their legacies.
On 16 April, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, held a phone call with the Foreign Minister of New Zealand, Winston Peters. They addressed the state of play in combatting the coronavirus pandemic and reviewed the partnership between the EU and New Zealand.
As the conflict in eastern Ukraine enters seventh year, the European Commission announces today €13 million to support the most vulnerable people affected by the ongoing hostilities. At the same time, EU funded humanitarian projects will also help address the coronavirus outbreak.
The outbreak and rapid spread of Covid-19 have stretched global public health systems beyond their limits and caused widespread economic, social and humanitarian damage. This virus knows no borders. Tackling it therefore requires strong international leadership, guided by a sense of shared responsibility and solidarity. In fact, only a global victory that fully includes Africa can bring this pandemic to an end.
High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell held phone calls with António Vitorino, Director General of the International Organisation for Migration, on 14 April, and with Filippo Grandi, United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees, and Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, on 15 April 2020.
The EU is taking steps to protect key features of the multilateral trading system.
The Council today gave the go-ahead to the multi-party interim appeal arbitration arrangement (MPIA), a new system that will allow the EU, together with other participating WTO members, to overcome the current paralysis of the WTO’s Appellate Body and solve trade disputes amongst themselves.
Today, the Commission, in cooperation with the President of the European Council, has put forward a European roadmap to phase-out the containment measures due to the coronavirus outbreak.
High Representative Josep Borrell tasked the European External Action Service to set up a dedicated task force to temporarily support and facilitate information exchange on national military assistance in support of civilian authorities to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. This is a concrete follow-up of the video conference of Defence Ministers of the EU member States on 6 April.
Building on our strategic partnership, shared values and commitment to multilateralism, Canada and the European Union (EU) are working intensively together to address the significant consular, public health and economic challenges of the COVID-19 crisis.
Libreville, le 14 avril 2020 – Suite au lancement le 27 novembre 2019 par le Gouvernement du Gabon et la DUE du projet «Cap sur l’autonomisation des jeunes au Gabon» financé par l’UE à hauteur d’environ 3,2 milliards FCFA (5 millions d’euros), la DUE a procédé le 1er avril à la signature d’une subvention avec JA GABON, choisie par le Gouvernement gabonais pour la mise en oeuvre de ce projet. A la faveur de la lutte contre le chômage, cette convention va permettre à 16.000 jeunes Gabonais d’accéder à des formations de qualité, et ainsi de développer l’emploi et l’auto-emploi, grâce à la mise en place d’un réseau d’incubateurs à l’échelle nationale.
The EU is making available almost all the remaining money from this year's budget to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
L'Union européenne a présenté le 8 avril à Bruxelles son plan de riposte globale et d’aide aux pays partenaires face au COVID-19. L'action extérieure de l’UE vise à répondre aux dimensions multiples de la crise, sur le plan sanitaire et humanitaire, notamment par le renforcement des systèmes de santé et d'approvisionnement en eau et assainissement, ainsi que sur le plan socio-économique pour atténuer l’impact sur l’économie et sur les populations.
To support the Maldives, the European Union will provide EUR 1 million to the health sector and EUR 2 million to the tourism industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an unprecedented challenge with very severe socio-economic consequences. We are committed to do everything necessary to meet this challenge in a spirit of solidarity.
The European Union (EU) and its Member States are working with partners around the world to tackle the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and mitigate the effects of the crisis.
Today, the European Union is launching its “Team Europe” package to support partner countries in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences. The objective of the “Team Europe” approach is to combine resources from the EU, its Member States, and financial institutions, in particular the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The EU will provide overall €92million to Armenia to support immediate and short-term needs
EU ambassadors today agreed amendments to the regulation on the fund for aid to the most deprived (FEAD). These amendments are intended to minimise the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the most deprived. They will make it easier for member states, partner organisations and other parties involved to access the fund and protect their staff involved in distributing the aid. Around 13 million EU citizens benefit from the fund each year.
The EU is taking further measures to enable cohesion policy money to be focused on tackling the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
EU ambassadors today agreed the Council’s position on a second package of measures in less than a month aimed at freeing up more money from EU structural funds for crisis-related operations. Given the unprecedented challenges facing member states, the proposed changes were endorsed without amendment in order to speed up the legislative process.
EU News 91/2020
A team of European doctors and nurses from Romania and Norway, deployed through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, is being immediately dispatched to Milan and Bergamo to help Italian medical staff working to battle the coronavirus. Austria has also offered over 3,000 litres of disinfectant to Italy via the Mechanism. The Commission will coordinate and co-finance this European assistance.
The EU has put international cooperation at the forefront of its response to the Coronavirus.
Following an agreement reached between President von der Leyen and Premier Li Keqiang last month, a donation of protective equipment from China to the European Union has now arrived in Rome, Italy.
The European Union strongly supports the appeal by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for an immediate global ceasefire in light of the global coronavirus pandemic.
"We are facing an info-demic with dangerous impact on public health. We’ll continue to tackle disinformation, and coordinate and intensify our efforts with the Member States and with social media platforms" - Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
The Commission has today decided to approve requests from Member States and the UK to temporarily waive customs duties and VAT on the import of medical devices, and protective equipment, from third countries in order to help in the fight against coronavirus. This will make it easier financially to get the medical equipment that doctors, nurses and patients desperately need.
03/04/2020 - Le Monde - Le Haut représentant pour la politique étrangère et de sécurité de l’Union européenne souligne dans une tribune au « Monde » les trois défis du Covid-19, sanitaire, économique, géopolitique au projet européen
The European Commission has found a Danish State loan facility of up to DKK 1.5 billion (approx. €200 million) in support of the Travel Guarantee Fund (“Rejsegarantifonden”) to be in line with EU State aid rules. The loan was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework to support the economy in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020.
The Commission wants to directly support the healthcare systems of EU Member States in their fights against the coronavirus pandemic through measures that can best be taken at EU level. For this purpose and based on the solidarity principle, the Commission will complement in a fast, flexible and direct way the ongoing efforts at national level.
The new instrument for temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) is designed to help protect jobs and workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic. It will provide financial assistance, in the form of loans granted on favourable terms from the EU to Member States, of up to €100 billion in total.
The first package of measures of the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative concentrated on the immediate mobilisation of structural funds, to allow for a prompt response to the crisis. In this regard, a number of very important changes have been introduced that extend the scope of support of the Funds, provide immediate liquidity and give flexibility in programme amendments.
We have followed with great attention the words of Secretary of State Pompeo. The United States have announced proposals on the way forward to find a way out of the crisis in Venezuela. We will study very carefully these proposals and we will assess them in the coming days.
As repeatedly underlined, the European Union will support all steps leading to a genuine political process towards a peaceful and democratic resolution of the crisis, based on credible and transparent elections. The EU is committed to actively contribute to this objective.
The EU is taking swift action to make available money to help tackle the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented, global crisis, a severe public health emergency for citizens, societies and economies. EU Member States and many partner countries, including Ukraine, have been severely affected by the current pandemic.
30/03/2020 - Several outlets - The contrast between the silence of Europe’s streets and squares and the tumultuous, painful reality in many of its hospitals is heartbreaking. COVID-19 has not only Europe but the entire global community in its grip. It is already clear that the pandemic will reshape our world. But precisely how will depend on the choices that we make today.
The EU will suspend until 24 October 2020 the airport slot requirements which oblige airlines to use at least 80% of their take-off and landing slots in order to keep them the following year. The waiver adopted by the Council today is designed to help air carriers cope with the drastic drop in air traffic caused by the Coronavirus crisis.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, spoke with the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on Friday. They discussed the coronavirus pandemic, and HR/VP Borrell underlined the importance of cooperation and international solidarity. In light of the global dimension of the challenge, and building on the solidity of the transatlantic partnership, the EU and the US have the capacity to contribute significantly to international efforts to tackle the pandemic.
The European Council tasked the Eurogroup to come up with proposals within the next weeks. The Commission will participate in these discussions and stands ready to assist, if supported by the Eurogroup. This is required since the fiscal space for new instruments is limited as we are in the last year of the MFF.
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Yesterday, I participated at the European Council meeting. It was a long and intense discussion among European leaders, after which we passed a very clear message: that the European Union and its Member States will do everything they can, everything necessary to overcome the coronavirus crisis.
We will do it together, in solidarity and for the benefit and protection of our citizens.
The main topic of the video conference was the exchange of views between the EU ministers and representatives of the Member States on the new package of specific Cohesion Policy measures the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII) as an integral part of the European Coordinated Response to mitigate the economic consequences of coronavirus outbreak.
Today, the European Commission has proposed to make €75 million from the EU budget available to help Member States repatriate EU nationals and to increase the budget of the RescEU medical stockpile.
The EU and 15 other members of the WTO today decided on an arrangement that will allow them to bring appeals and solve trade disputes among them despite the current paralysis of the WTO Appellate Body.
The Government of Yemen, supported by the Saudi-led Coalition, has echoed the call of the UN Secretary General for a ceasefire in Yemen in order to fight the current coronavirus pandemic.
Similarly, the movement Ansar Allah has announced a series of decisions, including the release of members of the Baha'I community, and signalled willingness to engage in de-escalation and to negotiate a comprehensive political agreement.
Following the informal video conference on 26 March 2020, the members of the European Council adopted a statement on the EU actions in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, EU enlargement, the earthquake in Croatia and the situation at the EU's external borders.
I would firstly like to thank all those of you who have made this extraordinary session possible under such exceptional circumstances. It is hard to believe quite how much the world has changed since we last met. In the blink of an eye, a virus which emerged on the other side of the world has become a deadly pandemic with tragic consequences for us here in Europe too.
High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell participated in a G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting that took place via video-teleconference call on Wednesday, 25 March.
The 17 March videoconference of the Members of the European Council endorsed the 16 March statement of the Eurogroup and invited the Eurogroup to continuously and closely monitor economic and financial developments and to adopt without delay a coordinated policy response to the rapidly evolving situation. To this end, I convened a videoconference of the Eurogroup and Ministers of non-euro-area Member States on 24 March. I am writing to you to share my personal conclusions.
Video conference of Foreign Affairs Ministers: Remarks by the High Representative Josep Borrell at the press conference
The Council is taking measures to ensure the continuity of its work in the current exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today it agreed on a temporary derogation to its Rules of Procedure to make it easier to take decisions by written procedure.
High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell held a conference call with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić on Friday. The High Representative informed President Vučić about the latest developments in the European Union regarding the coronavirus and stressed that in these difficult times, good cooperation and solidarity is needed.
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