Mur għall-kontenut ewlieni

Skeda ta’ żmien tal-azzjoni tal-2020

Diċembru 2020

  1. 28 December 2020
    e70 million package for early access to EU COVID-19 vaccines in the Western Balkans

    The 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 countries. This will help cover the cost of the vaccines for priority groups, as well as necessary vaccination equipment.

  2. 22 December 2020
    Recommendation on EU coordinated approach to travel and transport in response to new variant of coronavirus in the UK

    Following the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in parts of England, of which a large proportion belongs to a new variant of the virus, the Commission adopted a Recommendation on a coordinated approach to travel and transport measures. While it is important to take swift temporary precautionary action to limit the further spread of the new strain of the virus and all non-essential travel to and from the UK should be discouraged, essential travel and transit of passengers should be facilitated. Flight and train bans should be discontinued given the need to ensure essential travel and avoid supply chain disruptions.

    • 21 December 2020
      Commission authorises first safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19

      The European Commission granted a conditional marketing authorisation 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 and is endorsed by the Member States.

    • 18 December 2020
      Commission puts forward rules on rapid antigen tests and secures 20 million tests for Member States

      The Commission adopted a proposal on a common framework for the use, validation and mutual recognition of rapid antigen tests. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, diagnostic testing has been rapidly evolving, demonstrating its central role in outbreak control. The Commission has also signed a framework contract with Abbott and Roche allowing the purchase of over 20 million rapid antigen tests for up to €100 million, financed by the Emergency Support Instrument. From early 2021, these tests will be made available to EU countries, as part of the EU strategy to COVID-19 testing.

    • 18 December 2020
      Agreement reached on Recovery and Resilience Facility

      The Commission welcomed the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The RRF is the key instrument at the heart of NextGenerationEU, the EU's plan for emerging stronger from the current crisis. It will make €672.5 billion in loans and grants available to support reforms and investments of EU countries.

    • 17 December 2020
      Commission welcomes the adoption of the EU's long-term budget for 2021-2027

      The Commission welcomed the Council decision to adopt the next long-term EU budget for the period 2021-2027. With this decision, all the conditions have now been fulfilled for the next multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027 to be in place as of 1 January 2021. As a result, €1.074 trillion [in 2018 prices] will become available for beneficiaries of EU funding during the next seven years.

    • 17 December 2020
      Exploratory talks concluded with Novavax to secure a new potential vaccine

      The Commission concluded exploratory talks with the pharmaceutical company Novavax with a view to purchasing its potential vaccine against COVID-19. The envisaged contract with Novavax would provide for the possibility for all EU countries to purchase 100 million doses, and they could further purchase up to 100 million more doses.

    • 7 December 2020
      Vaccines and testing kits to be relieved of VAT

      The Commission welcomed the adoption of important new measures which will enable Member States to relieve EU hospitals, medical practitioners and individuals of Value-Added Tax (VAT) when acquiring coronavirus vaccines and testing kits. The new rules should give better and cheaper access to the tools needed to prevent, detect and treat coronavirus.

    • 2 December 2020
      Commission presents “Staying safe from COVID-19 during winter” strategy

      The Commission adopted a strategy for sustainably managing the pandemic over the winter period. The strategy recommends continued vigilance and caution throughout the winter period and into 2021 when the roll out of safe and effective vaccines will occur. The Commission will then provide further guidance on a gradual and coordinated lifting of containment measures.

    • 1 December 2020
      Commission disburses €8.5 billion under SURE to five Member States

      The Commission has disbursed €8.5 billion in the third instalment of financial support to five Member States under the SURE instrument. Belgium has received EUR 2 billion, Hungary €200 million, Portugal E€3 billion, Romania EUR 3 billion and Slovakia  €300 million. This support, in the form of loans granted on favourable terms, will assist Member States in addressing sudden increases in public expenditure to preserve employment. With this disbursement, 15 Member States have received around EUR 40 billion under the EU SURE instrument between the end of October and the end of November.

    • 1 December 2020
      EU announces e20 million to support health systems in ASEAN

      As part of Team Europe's global response to the coronavirus pandemic, the EU announced a new €20 million programme to support the preparedness and response capacities of partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The South-East Asia Pandemic Response and Preparedness programme will be implemented by the World Health Organization, working closely with national authorities and the ASEAN Secretariat. It will enhance regional coordination of the COVID-19 response and strengthen the capacity of health systems in South-East Asia, while paying special attention to vulnerable populations.

    Novembru 2020

    1. 25 November 2020
      Commission approves contract with Moderna to ensure access to a potential vaccine

      The Commission approved a sixth contract under the EU Vaccines Strategy, with the pharmaceutical company Moderna. The contract provides for the initial purchase of 80 million doses on behalf of all EU Member States, plus an option to request up to a further 80 million doses, to be supplied once a vaccine has proven to be safe and effective against COVID-19.

    2. 20 November 2020
      EU mobilises €86.5 million to fight COVID-19 in Ghana

      Today, the European Union has mobilised €86.5 million in emergency budget support to help Ghana in tackling the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. As part of Team Europe global response to the COVID-19, this funding will support Ghana to relieve some of the macroeconomic and financial pressure it is facing, including urgent fiscal and balance of payments needs.

    3. 18 November 2020
      Commission welcomes the political agreement on REACT-EU

      The Commission welcomed the political agreement between the European Parliament and EU Member States in the Council on the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe package (REACT-EU). This is the first cohesion policy file whose trilogue negotiations are concluded pending the final approval of the legal texts by the European Parliament Plenary and the Council.

    4. 18 November 2020
      Recommendation on rapid antigen tests and support to increase testing capacity

      The Commission adopted a recommendation on the use of rapid antigen tests for the diagnosis of COVID-19. This follows the Commission's recommendation on 28 October to ensure a common approach and more efficient testing strategies across the EU. It builds on the guidance developed with Member States input and expert advice from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

    5. 17 November 2020
      €14 billion under SURE disbursed to nine Member States

      The Commission has disbursed EUR 14 billion to nine EU countries in the second instalment of financial support to Member States under the SURE instrument. Croatia has received e510 million, Cyprus e250 million, Greece €2 billion, Italy an additional E€6.5 billion, Latvia e120 million, Lithuania €300 million, Malta €120 million, Slovenia e200 million and Spain an additional €4 billion.

    6. 17 November 2020
      Commission approves contract with CureVac to ensure access to a potential vaccine

      The Commission approved a fifth contract with the European pharmaceutical company CureVac, which provides for the initial purchase of 225 million doses on behalf of all EU Member States, plus an option to request up to a further 180 million doses, to be supplied once a vaccine has proven to be safe and effective against COVID-19.

    7. 13 November 2020
      First meeting of EU COVID-19 national scientific advice platform

      President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen welcomed COVID-19 scientific advisors from EU Member States to the first meeting of the EU scientific advice platform on COVID-19. The platform will facilitate more co-ordinated scientific advice on the approach to Member State COVID-19 public health measures across the EU.

    8. 12 November 2020
      EU increases its contribution to COVAX Facility

      The EU has announced it will contribute an additional €100 million in grant funding to support the COVAX Facility to secure access to the future COVID-19 vaccine in low and middle-income countries. COVAX is the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. The funds will complement the EUR 400 million in guarantees the EU already committed for COVAX, making the Union one of the leading donors.

    9. 11 November 2020
      Building a European Health Union

      The European Commission took the first steps towards building the European Health Union.  Drawing lessons from the current crisis, new proposals should ensure stronger preparedness and response during the current and future health crises. They include actions to strengthen the EU's health security framework, and to reinforce the crisis preparedness and response role of key EU agencies.

    10. 11 November 2020

      Fourth contract with pharmaceutical companies to ensure access to a potential vaccine

      The Commission approved a fourth contract with pharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Pfizer, which provides for the initial purchase of 200 million doses on behalf of all EU Member States, plus an option to request up to a further 100 million doses, to be supplied once a vaccine has proven to be safe and effective against COVID-19.

    11. 10 November 2020
      Agreement on e1.8 trillion package to help build greener, more digital and more resilient Europe

      The Commission welcomed the agreement between the European Parliament and EU Member States in the Council on Europe's next long-term budget and NextGenerationEU. Once adopted, the package of a total of €1.8 trillionwill help rebuild a post-COVID-19 Europe. It will be greener, more digital, more resilient and better fit for the current and forthcoming challenges.

    12. 9 November 2020
      Supporting the Sahel's response to the coronavirus pandemic with e92 million

      As part of its cooperation with the Sahel, the EU announced funding of Ee92 million to strengthen the response of Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and Chad to the spread of the coronavirus. The aim is to provide quality health care to the populations and reduce the economic and social impact of the pandemic.

    Ottubru 2020

    1. 28 October 2020
      Stepping up action to reinforce preparedness and response measures to coronavirus resurgence

      The Commission presented an additional set of actions to help limit the spread of the coronavirus, save lives and strengthen the internal market's resilience. Concretely, the measures aim to better understand the virus' spread and the effectiveness of the response, ramp up well-targeted testing and bolster contact tracing. They also include proposals on how to improve preparations for vaccination campaigns, and maintain access to essential supplies, while keeping all goods moving in the single market and facilitating safe travel.

    2. 27 October 2020
      Commission disburses e17 billion under SURE to Italy, Spain and Poland

      The Commission disbursed a total of €17 billion to Italy, Spain and Poland in the first instalment of financial support to Member States under the SURE instrument. Italy has received €10 billion, Spain €6 billion, and Poland €1 billion. This support, in the form of loans granted on favourable terms, will assist Member States in addressing sudden increases in public expenditure to preserve employment.

    3. 27 October 2020
      €17 billion EU SURE social bond listed on LuxSE

      The Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) marked the listing of the first social bond issued under the EU SURE programme. The EU established SURE (Support to mitigate Unemployment Risk in an Emergency) earlier this year to help protect jobs and workers across Europe, which have been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    4. 22 October 2020
      First rescEU ventilators dispatched to Czechia

      Following a request for assistance from Czechia, the EU has immediately sent a first batch of 30 ventilators from rescEU - the common European reserve of medical equipment set up earlier this year to help countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

    5. 21 October 2020
      Commission issues first emission of EU SURE social bonds

      The European Commission issued a €17 billion inaugural social bond under the EU SURE instrument to help protect jobs and keep people in work. The issuing consisted of two bonds, with €10 billion due for repayment in October 2030 and €7 billion due for repayment in 2040. There was very strong investor interest in this highly rated instrument, and the bonds were more than 13 times oversubscribed, resulting in favourable pricing terms for both bonds.

    6. 19 October 2020
      EU interoperability gateway goes live, first contact tracing and warning apps linked to the system

      To exploit the full potential of contact tracing and warning apps to break the chain of coronavirus infections across borders, the Commission, at the invitation by EU Member States, has set up an EU-wide system to ensure interoperability – a so-called ‘gateway'. After a successful pilot phase, the system went live on 19 October with the first wave of national apps now linked through this service: Germany's Corona-Warn-App, Ireland's COVID tracker, and Italy's immuni.

    7. 19 October 2020
      €25 million to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus crisis in The Gambia

      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.

    8. 15 October 2020
      Commission lists key steps for effective vaccination strategies and vaccines deployment

      Ahead of the meeting of European leaders, the Commission presented the key elements to be taken into consideration by Member States for their COVID-19 vaccination strategies in order to prepare the EU and its citizens for when a safe and effective vaccine is available, as well as priority groups to consider for vaccination first.

    9. 8 October 2020
      The Commission approves third contract to ensure access to a potential vaccine

      The Commission approved a third contract with a pharmaceutical company, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. The contract will allow EU countries to purchase vaccines for 200 million people once the vaccine has proven to be safe and effective against COVID-19. They will also have the possibility to purchase vaccines for an additional 200 million people. The Commission has already signed a contract with AstraZeneca and with Sanofi-GSK and concluded successful exploratory talks with CureVac, BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna.

    10. 7 October 2020
      Up to €100 billion of EU SURE bonds to be issued as social bonds

      The Commission announced that it would issue its forthcoming EU SURE bonds of up to €100 billion as social bonds, and adopted to that end an independently evaluated Social Bond Framework. This Framework demonstrates to the investor community how the funds raised by SURE bond issuance will be used for a clearly identified objective: alleviating the social impact of the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences across the EU.

    Settembru 2020.

    1. 25 September 2020
      Council approves €87.4 billion in financial support for member states under SURE

      The Council approved €87.4 billion of financial support to 16 member states in the form of EU loans under SURE – a temporary EU instrument to mitigate unemployment risks during the coronavirus crisis.

    2. 22 September 2020
      Four new Member States join the rescEU medical reserve

      Denmark, Greece, Hungary and Sweden have joined Germany and Romania as host states of the rescEU medical equipment reserve. With financial support from the European Commission now altogether 6 EU Member States are building up common European stocks of lifesaving protective and other vital medical equipment that can be distributed across Europe at times of medical emergencies, for example when national health systems are overwhelmed by coronavirus patients.

    3. 18 September 2020
      The Commission signs second contract to ensure access to a potential vaccine

      A second contract with a pharmaceutical company entered into force on 18 September following the contract's formal signature between Sanofi-GSK and the Commission. The contract will allow all EU Member States to purchase up to 300 million doses of the Sanofi-GSK vaccine.

    4. 11 September 2020
      EU Humanitarian Air Bridge to Peru and €30.5 million for Latin America and the Caribbean

      As part of the EU's global coronavirus response, an EU humanitarian air bridge operation with three flights to Lima, Peru delivered more than 4 tonnes of life-saving materials to humanitarian organisations active in the country. The EU has also announced €30.5 million in humanitarian assistance to support the most vulnerable in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020.

    5. 10 September 2020
      WHO and Commission launch the Facilitation Council to strengthen global collaboration

      The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, 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.

    6. 9 September 2020
      Commission completes vaccines portfolio following talks with a sixth manufacturer

      The Commission 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, Johnson & Johnson, CureVac and Moderna. The first contract, signed with AstraZeneca, entered into force on 27 August.

    7. 4 September 2020
      Commission proposes more clarity and predictability of any measures restricting free movement in the EU

      The Commission 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.

    Awwissu 2020

    1. 31 August 2020
      Commission joins the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX)

      The Commission confirmed its interest to participate in the COVAX Facility for equitable access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines everywhere, for everyone who needs them. As part of a Team Europe effort, the Commission has also announced a contribution of €400 million in guarantees to support COVAX and its objectives in the context of the Coronavirus Global Response.

       

    2. 27 August 2020
      The Commission signs first contract with AstraZeneca

      The first contract the European Commission has negotiated on behalf of the EU Member States with a pharmaceutical company entered into force. The contract will allow the purchase of a vaccine against COVID-19 for all the EU Member States, as well as the donation to lower and middle income countries or the re-direction to other European countries. Through the contract, all Member States will be able to purchase 300 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with an option for further 100 million doses, to be distributed on a population-based pro-rata basis. The Commission continues discussing similar agreements with other vaccine manufacturers and has concluded successful exploratory talks with Sanofi-GSK on 31 July, Johnson & Johnson on 13 August, CureVac on 18 August and Moderna on 24 August.

    3. 24 August 2020
      Commission proposes to provide €81.4 billion in financial support for 15 Member States under SURE

      The Commission 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. Once the Council approves these proposals, the financial support will be provided in the form of loans granted on favourable terms from the EU to Member States.

    4. 22 August 2020
      EU Humanitarian Air Bridge supports Venezuela

      As part of the EU's global coronavirus response, an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operation consisting of two flights to Venezuela has concluded after delivering a total of 82.5 tonnes of life-saving material to supply humanitarian partners in the field. The first flight departed on 19 August from Madrid, Spain to Caracas, Venezuela, while the second flight followed on 21 August. These EU-funded flights are part of the ongoing Humanitarian Air Bridge operations to critical areas of the world.

    5. 18 August 2020
      Commission proposes to extend 2020 European Capitals of Culture into 2021

      The Commission proposed the extension of the 2020 European Capitals of Culture year until 30 April 2021 for Rijeka (Croatia) and Galway (Ireland). The Commission also proposed to postpone the year in which Novi Sad (Serbia) is due to host a European Capital of Culture, from 2021 to 2022, and the year in which Timisoara (Romania) and Elefsina (Greece) will hold the title, from 2021 to 2023. Since the onset of the coronavirus crisis, the Commission has been in close contact with the teams of all European Capitals of Culture from 2020 to 2023, with a view to better understanding the impact on the delivery and preparation of current and upcoming European Capitals of Culture.

    6. 14 August 2020
      Commission reaches first agreement on a potential coronavirus vaccine

      The Commission has reached a first agreement with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19 as well as to donate to lower and middle income countries or re-direct to other European countries. This agreement represents the basis for a contractual framework for the purchase of 300 million doses of the vaccine, with an option to purchase 100 million more, on behalf of EU Member States.

    7. 13 August 2020
      Further talks to secure coronavirus vaccines for Europeans

      Following the first positive steps with Sanofi-GSK on 31 July, the Commission concluded further exploratory talks with Johnson & Johnson to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19. The envisaged contract would provide for the possibility for all EU Member States to purchase the vaccine. It is anticipated that, once the vaccine has proven to be safe and effective, the Commission would have a contractual framework in place for the initial purchase of 200 million vaccine doses on behalf of all EU Member States, with an option to purchase an additional 200 million doses.

    8. 11 August 2020
      EU funding for 23 new coronavirus research projects

      The Commission will support 23 new research projects with EUR 128 million under Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation programme. The funding, which is part of the Commission’s EUR 1.4 billion pledge to the Coronavirus Global Response Initiative, launched by President Ursula von der Leyen in May 2020, will enable researchers to address the pandemic and its consequences by strengthening the industrial capacity to manufacture and deploy readily available solutions, develop medical technologies and digital tools, improve understanding of behavioural and socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, and to learn from large groups of patients (cohorts) across Europe. These research actions complement earlier efforts to develop diagnostics, treatments and vaccines, and are the result of the second emergency request for expressions of interest, launched by the Commission on 19 May.

    9. 7 August 2020
      EU dispatches additional rescEU masks to Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia

      More batches of FFP2 and FFP3 protective masks have been distributed to Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia from rescEU - the common European reserve of medical equipment set up this year to help countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic.At the same time, the EU continues to build up reserves of medical equipment.

    Lulju 2020

    1. 31 July 2020
      Commission concludes talks to secure future coronavirus vaccine for Europeans

      The Commission has concluded exploratory talks with a pharmaceutical company to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19. The envisaged contract with Sanofi-GSK would provide for an option for all EU Member States to purchase the vaccine. It is envisaged that, once a vaccine has proven to be safe and effective against COVID-19, the Commission would have a contractual framework in place for the purchase of 300 million doses, on behalf of all EU Member States. The Commission continues intensive discussions with other vaccine manufacturers.

    2. 29 July 2020
      45 EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flights deliver over 1,000 tonnes of medical aid

      Following a new EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flight to South Sudan on 29 July carrying 41 tonnes of supplies, the Commission has now coordinated and financed the delivery of over 1,100 tons of medical equipment to critical areas in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Countries supported include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, Somalia, Guinea Bissau, Iraq and Yemen. The 45 Air Bridge flights have also transported 1,475 medical and humanitarian staff since its launch on 8 May 2020.

    3. 28 July 2020
      Securing EU access to Remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19

      The Commission has signed a contract with the pharmaceutical company Gilead to secure treatment doses of Veklury, the brand name for Remdesivir. Veklury was the first medicine authorised at EU level for treatment of COVID-19. As from early August onwards, and in order to meet immediate needs, batches of Veklury will be made available to Member States and the UK, with the coordination and support of the Commission.

    4. 27 July 2020
      Call launched for innovative response and recovery partnerships between EU regions

      The European Commission launched a call for expressions of interest for thematic partnerships to pilot interregional innovation projects that support the response and recovery following the coronavirus pandemic. The aim of the call is to help regions grasp the opportunities emerging from the crisis, develop resilience and build on green and digital transformation for the recovery of the most affected sectors, such as health and tourism.

    5. 24 July 2020
      Making capital markets work for Europe's recovery

      The Commission adopted a Capital Markets Recovery Package, as part of the Commission's overall coronavirus recovery strategy. These measures aim to make it easier for capital markets to support European businesses to recover from the crisis.  The package proposes targeted changes to capital market rules, which will encourage greater investments in the economy, allow for the rapid re-capitalisation of companies and increase banks' capacity to finance the recovery.

    6. 21 July 2020
      EU leaders agree on the recovery plan and multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027

      After four days of negotiations, EU leaders successfully agreed on the recovery plan for Europe. More than 50% of the long-term EU budget and Next Generation EU – a total of some €1,8 trillion - will support modern policies and set Europe on path to a sustainable and resilient recovery.

    7. 20 July 2020
      Support for most vulnerable in Southern Africa

      The Commission is providing €64.7 million in humanitarian aid for countries in the southern Africa region to help support people in need dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, extreme weather conditions such as persistent drought in the region and other crises.

    8. 16 July 2020
      Protecting seasonal workers

      The Commission presented Guidelines to ensure the protection of seasonal workers in the EU in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Guidance is given to national authorities, labour inspectorates, and social partners on how to guarantee the rights, health and safety of seasonal workers, and to ensure that seasonal workers are aware of their rights.

    9. 15 July 2020
      Commission strengthens preparedness for future outbreaks

      The Commission presented immediate short-term measures to strengthen EU health preparedness for potential future COVID-19 outbreaks. They range from actions in testing and contact tracing, improved public health surveillance and widened access to medical countermeasures. It also envisages measures on healthcare surge capacity, non-pharmaceutical countermeasures, support to minorities and vulnerable persons, and activities to reduce the burden of seasonal flu.

    10. 14 July 2020
      €24 million for Uganda amid coronavirus pandemic

      The EU will provide €24 million in humanitarian assistance for the most vulnerable people in Uganda in 2020, with a special focus on refugees and their host communities. In addition, the EU has also channelled €1 million to aid organisations in Uganda to support the coronavirus preparedness and control measures, in line with the national response plan.

    11. 7 July 2020
      Commission adopts new exceptional support measures for the wine sector

      The Commission adopted an additional package of exceptional measures to support the wine sector, one of the hardest hit agri-food sectors in the coronavirus crisis. These new measures include the temporary authorisation for operators to self-organise market measures, the increase of the EU's contribution for wine national support programmes, and the introduction of advance payments for crisis distillation and storage.

    12. 6 July 2020
      Commission and EIB provide CureVac with a €75 million financing for vaccine development and expansion of manufacturing

      The European Investment Bank (EIB) and CureVac, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines, entered into a €75 million loan agreement to support the company's ongoing development of vaccines against infectious diseases, including its vaccine candidate CVnCoV aimed at preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections.

    13. 2 July 2020
      New assistance package to support vulnerable groups and address COVID-19 in North Africa

      As part of the EU's global response to the coronavirus outbreak, the EU - through its Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) - has adopted a new assistance package to protect migrants, stabilise local communities and respond to COVID-19 in North Africa. This package includes €80 million in new funds as well as €30 million reallocated from non-contracted actions under the EUTF.

    Ġunju 2020

    1. 29 June 2020
      Expanding Temporary Framework to further support micro, small and start-up companies and incentivise private investments

      The Commission has adopted a third amendment to extend the scope of the State aid Temporary Framework adopted on 19 March 2020 that wouldenable Member States to further support micro, small and start-up companies. The main purpose of the Temporary Framework is to provide targeted support to otherwise viable companies that have entered into financial difficulty as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

    2. 27 June 2020
      Coronavirus Global Response: EIB and Commission pledge additional €4.9 billion

      The ‘Global Goal: Unite for our Future' pledging summit organised on 27 June by the European Commission and Global Citizen mobilised €6.15 billion in additional funding to help develop and ensure equitable access to coronavirus vaccines, tests and treatments. This amount includes a €4.9 billion pledge by the European Investment Bank, in partnership with the European Commission, and €485 million committed by EU Member States. This brings total pledges under the Coronavirus Global Response pledging marathon to €15.9 billion.

    3. 24 June 2020
      Increased support for EU farmers affected by the COVID-19 crisis

      Today, the Council adopted a regulation which allows Member States, as an exceptional measure, to pay up to €7 000 to farmers and up to €50 000 to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) active in processing, marketing or development of agricultural products or cotton, except fishery products. The aim is to make use of available funds under existing rural development programmes to provide support to farmers and SMEs worst-hit by the COVID-19 crisis and to address the liquidity and cash-flow problems stemming from the closures of shops, markets and restaurants.

    4. 24 June 2020
      Council agrees on the postponement of certain tax rules

      The Council adopted an amendment to the Directive on administrative cooperation in the area of taxation allowing member states an option to defer by up to 6 months the time limits for the filing and exchange of the following information: automatic exchanges of information on financial accounts of which the beneficiaries are tax residents in another member state, and reportable cross-border tax planning arrangements.

    5. 24 June 2020
      Supporting Sudan through EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flight

      On 24 June 2020, 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.

    6. 18 June 2020
      Supporting Central African Republic and the regional response to the pandemic in the Horn of Africa to limit socio-economic risks of the pandemic

      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. The Commission has also on 17 June announced a €60 million package to help tackle the health and socio-economic impact of the pandemic, in support of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in its mandate to coordinate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Horn of Africa.

      • 18 June 2020
        EU funding for the transport of medical goods, medical teams and patients

        EU 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. On 18 June, a pilot operation has successfully delivered over seven tonnes of personal protective equipment to Bulgaria, including over 500,000 protective masks, purchased by Bulgaria with transport costs covered by the EU.

        • 16 June 2020
          Commission unveils EU vaccines strategy

          The Commission presented a European strategy to accelerate the development, manufacturing and deployment of vaccines against COVID-19. An effective and safe vaccine against the virus is our best bet to achieve a permanent solution to the pandemic. With this strategy, the Commission will support efforts to accelerate the development and availability of safe and effective vaccines in a timeframe between 12 and 18 months, if not earlier.

        • 15 June 2020
          ‘Re-open EU’: New web platform to help safely resume free movement and tourism in the EU

          The Commission launched ‘Re-open EU’, a web platform that contains essential information allowing a safe relaunch of free movement and tourism across Europe. To help people confidently plan their travel and holidays during the summer and beyond, the platform will provide real-time information on borders, available means of transport, travel restrictions, public health and safety measures, as well as other practical information for travellers.

        • 11 June 2020
          European Investment Bank to provide BioNTech with €100 million in financing for COVID-19 vaccine development

          The European Investment Bank (EIB) and immunotherapy company BioNTech SE signed a €100 million financing agreement to support the development of BNT162, the company’s COVID-19 vaccine programme. BioNTech is the first European company to enter clinical testing, having started a clinical trial in Germany in April and a further clinical trial in the United States at the beginning of May. The EIB financing is backed by both Horizon2020 InnovFin and the European Fund for Strategic Investments.

        • 11 June 2020
          Commission recommends partial and gradual lifting of travel restrictions to the EU after 30 June, based on common coordinated approach

          The Commission recommended 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. It also set out an approach to progressively lifting the restriction afterwards.

        • 10 June 2020
          Strengthening action to tackle disinformation

          The coronavirus pandemic has been accompanied by a massive wave of false or misleading information, including attempts by foreign actors to influence EU citizens and debates. In the Joint Communication, the Commission and the EU High Representative analysed the immediate response and proposed concrete actions that can be quickly set in motion to fight disinformation around the coronavirus pandemic.

        • 10 June 2020
          €55 million for Syrian refugees and local communities in Jordan and Lebanon

          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.

        • 8 June 2020
          EU grants €314 million to innovative companies to combat the virus and support recovery

          The Commission has awarded nearly €166 million via the European Innovation Council Accelerator Pilot to 36 companies set to combat the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, over €148 million will be granted to another 36 companies set to contribute to the Recovery plan for Europe, bringing the total investment from Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation programme, to €314 million in this round.

        • 7 June 2020
          EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flights to the Democratic Republic of Congo

          The EU Humanitarian Air Bridge is operating three flights to the Democratic Republic of Congo, carrying on board humanitarian workers and essential supplies to help the country tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Since the beginning of May, the EU has organised four other Humanitarian Air Bridge flights - three to the Central African Republic and one to São Tomé e Príncipe. Further flights are planned to Africa, but also to other regions with high humanitarian needs.

        • 4 June 2020
          European Commission pledges €300 million to Gavi

          On the occasion of the Global Vaccine Summit, the Commission announced 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.

        • 3 June 2020
          Commission takes steps to make €11.5 billion available for crisis repair and recovery in 2020

          The Commission proposed modifications to its budget for 2020 to make €11.5 billion for crisis repair and recovery available already in 2020. To bridge the period until ratification of the amended Own Resources Decision, and make much needed funding available to workers, businesses and Member States already in 2020, the Commission proposed to adjust the current 2014-2020 long-term budget in order to allow for higher spending still in 2020. The proposal made on 3 June comes on top, making sure that the additional 11.5 billion for REACT-EU, the Solvency Support Instrument and European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD) will become available as early as possible this year.

        Mejju 2020

        1. 28 May 2020
          Coronavirus Global Response: launching a new campaign with support of Global Citizen

          The pledging marathon that started on 4 May will now see the launch of a new campaign with the international advocacy organisation Global Citizen, “Global Goal: Unite For Our Future”, that will culminate in a Global Pledging Summit on 27 June. Together with Global Citizen, the Commission will step up the mobilisation of funding to enable the world to overcome this pandemic – and avoid another.

        2. 27 May 2020
          Commission presents a Recovery plan for Europe

          To ensure the recovery is sustainable, even, inclusive and fair for all Member States, the European Commission has proposed to create a new recovery instrument, Next Generation EU, embedded within a powerful, modern and revamped long-term EU budget. The Commission has also unveiled its adjusted Work Programme for 2020, which will prioritise the actions needed to propel Europe's recovery and resilience.

        3. 26 May 2020
          Council adopts temporary rules to extend the time limit for general meetings of “European companies” (SEs) and cooperatives (SCEs)

          The Council adopted the Commission's proposal for a temporary derogation from the rules governing “European Companies (SEs)” and the European Cooperative Society (SCEs), only four weeks after the Commission had proposed it. The European Parliament had given its consent on 14 May. The measures will allow European Companies and the European Cooperative Societies to exceptionally hold their general meetings within twelve months of the end of the financial year, instead of within six months as provided for in the legislation.

        4. 20 May 2020
          EU allocates additional €50 million in humanitarian aid

          The 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. This funding will help vulnerable people facing major humanitarian crises, notably in the Sahel and Lake Chad region, the Central African Republic, the Great Lakes region in Africa, Eastern Africa, Syria, Yemen, Palestine and Venezuela, as well as the Rohingya.

        5. 20 May 2020
          EU-funded research project brings new rapid diagnostic to the market

          One of the 18 projects, which were recently selected to receive funding of €48.2 million from Horizon 2020 to develop diagnostics, treatments, vaccines and preparedness actions is already delivering positive results. Researchers involved with the “HG nCoV19 test” project have obtained approval to put a new rapid point-of-care diagnostic for COVID-19 on the market. Bringing together public and private organisations from Ireland, Italy, the United Kingdom and China, the “HG nCoV19 test” project developed a new portable diagnostic system to detect viral infection that gives accurate and reliable results in 30 minutes.

        6. 19 May 2020
          Boosting urgently needed research and innovation

          The Commission has mobilised another €122 million from the Horizon 2020 programme for urgently needed research into the coronavirus. The new call for expressions of interest, open until 11 June, contributes to the Commission's €1.4 billion pledge to the Coronavirus Global Response initiative, launched by President Ursula von der Leyen on 4 May 2020.

        7. 14 May 2020
          EU supports the Horn of Africa region

          The EU is providing additional €105.5 million to countries in the Horn of Africa as the coronavirus pandemic risks worsening the humanitarian situation across the region where many continue to suffer from armed conflict, displacement, and recurrent droughts and floods.

        8. 13 May 2020
          Guidance on safely resuming travel and rebooting Europe's tourism in 2020 and beyond

          The Commission presented a set of guidelines and recommendations to help Member States gradually lift travel restrictions and allow tourism businesses to reopen, after months of lockdown. As soon as the health situation allows, people should be able to catch up with friends and family, in their own EU country or across borders, with all the safety and precautionary measures needed in place. The package also aims to help the EU tourism sector, by supporting businesses and ensuring that Europe continues to be the number one destination for visitors.

        9. 12 May 2020
          €117 million for treatments and diagnostics through the Innovative Medicines Initiative

          Eight large-scale research projects, aimed at developing treatments and diagnostics for the coronavirus, were selected in a fast-track call for proposals, launched in March by the Innovative Medicines Initiative, a public-private partnership.

        10. 8 May 2020
          EU sets up a Humanitarian Air Bridge

          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.

        11. 8 May 2020
          Commission delivers first batch of 1.5 million masks from 10 million purchased to support EU healthcare workers

          1.5 million medical masks will be delivered to 17 Member States and the UK to protect healthcare workers. This is part of a new Commission funded purchase of 10 million masks via the Emergency Support Instrument to provide direct support to Member States to mitigate the immediate consequences of the pandemic and anticipate the needs related to the exit and recovery.

        12. 8 May 2020
          Commission invites Member States to extend restriction on non-essential travel to the EU until 15 June

          The Commission invited Schengen Member States and Schengen Associated States to extend the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for another 30 days, until 15 June. The lifting of travel restrictions should be phased: as underlined in the Joint European Roadmap on lifting containment measures, internal border controls will need to start being lifted gradually and in a coordinated manner before restrictions at the external borders can be relaxed in a second stage.

        13. 4 May 2020
          Coronavirus Global Response: €7.4 billion raised for universal access to vaccines

          The Commission registered €7.4 billion, equivalent to $8 billion, in pledges from donors worldwide during the Coronavirus Global Response pledging event. This includes a pledge of EUR 1.4 billion by the Commission. This almost reaches the initial target of €7.5 billion and is a solid starting point for the worldwide pledging marathon, which began on 4 May. The aim is to gather significant funding to ensure the collaborative development and universal deployment of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines against coronavirus.

        14. 2 May 2020
          rescEU masks delivered to Spain, Italy and Croatia

          Following earlier delivery to Italy, more batches of FFP2 protective masks have been distributed 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.

        April 2020

        1. 30 April 2020
          State aid measures

          In April the Commission approved 127 State aid measures to support businesses and protect livelihoods across Europe during the coronavirus outbreak. We continue working closely with EU countries to ensure our economy can bounce back strongly after the crisis.

        2. 29 April 2020
          Western Balkans: EU reinforces support to address COVID-19 crisis

          The European Commission announced over €3.3 billion of EU financial support mobilised jointly with the European Investment Bank to the benefit of the Western Balkans' citizens. This package aims to address the immediate health and resulting humanitarian needs of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as help with the social and economic recovery.

        3. 28 April 2020
          Banking package to facilitate lending to households and businesses in the EU

          The Commission adopted a banking package to help facilitate bank lending to households and businesses throughout the EU. The aim of this package is to ensure that banks can continue to lend money to support the economy and help mitigate the significant economic impact of the coronavirus.

        4. 24 April 2020
          Coronavirus Global Response: EU launches pledging effort

          The EU joined forces with global partners to kick-start a pledging effort – the Coronavirus Global Response – starting on 4 May 2020. 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.

          •    Video message from President von der Leyen on the Coronavirus Global Response

        5. 23 April 2020
          Medical Devices Regulation

          The Commission welcomed the adoption by the European Parliament and the Council of the proposal on the date of application of the Medical Devices Regulation. The adopted amendment takes into consideration the need for an increased availability of vitally important medical devices across the EU, and at the same time continues to guarantee patient health and safety until the new legislation becomes applicable.

        6. 22 April 2020
          Macro-financial assistance package to support ten neighbouring countries

          The Commission proposed a macro-financial assistance package worth €3 billion for ten enlargement and neighbourhood partners to help them 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.

        7. 22 April 2020
          Exceptional measures to support the agri-food sector

          Additional exceptional measures were proposed to further support agricultural and food markets most affected.  Among others, these are measures for private storage aid in the dairy and meat sectors, the authorisation of self-organisation market measures by operators in hard hit sectors and flexibility in fruits and vegetables, wine and some other market support programmes.

        8. 21 April 2020
          EU mobilises help for Italy, Croatia and neighbouring countries

          Following requests for assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the EU is coordinating and co-financing the delivery of aid shipments in the EU and in neighbouring countries.

        9. 20 April 2020
          Commission launches data sharing platform for researchers

          The European Commission together with several partners launched a European COVID-19 Data Platform to enable the rapid collection and sharing of available research data. The platform, part of the ERAvsCorona Action Plan, marks another milestone in the EU's efforts to support researchers in Europe and around the world in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

        10. 17 April 2020
          Unique EU consular operation brought home over 500,000 EU citizens from abroad

          As of 17 April, the EU has managed in an unprecedented repatriation effort to bring home over half a million of its citizens who were affected by coronavirus travel restrictions across the world. At the beginning of the outbreak, around 600,000 EU citizens declared themselves stranded outside the EU. Most of them in the Asia-Pacific region and the Americas.

        11. 16 April 2020
          Guidance to ensure full data protection standards of apps fighting the pandemic

          The Commission published guidance on developing new apps that support the fight against coronavirus in relation to data protection. It aims to offer the framework to guarantee that citizens have sufficient protection of their personal data and limitation of intrusiveness while using such apps. This guidance is accompanying an EU toolbox on contact tracing apps, also published on 16 April.

        12. 16 April 2020
          Additional measures to support the agri-food sector

          Two new measures were adopted to further help the agri-food sector. The measures will increase the cash flow of farmers and reduce the administrative burden both for national and regional authorities and for farmers in these particularly challenging times.

        13. 15 April 2020
          European roadmap shows path towards common lifting of containment measures

          The Commission, in cooperation with the President of the European Council, put forward a European roadmap to phase-out the containment measures due to the coronavirus outbreak. The roadmap lists principles and recommendations Member States should consider when planning to lift containment measures.

        14. 15 April 2020
          Further steps towards safe and reliable testing

          Guidelines on coronavirus testing methodologies were presented by the Commission. They aim to support Member States in effectively using testing tools in the context of their national strategies and during the different stages of the pandemic, including when phasing out confinement measures.

        15. 14 April 2020
          €2.7 billion from the EU budget to support the EU healthcare sector

          The European Commission proposed to activate the EU's Emergency Support Instrument on 2 April to directly support the Member States’ healthcare systems in their fight against the pandemic. On 14 April, the Council gave its fast approval, so that the €2.7 billion instrument can immediately begin providing direct support where most needed.

        16. 8 April 2020
          Member States invited to prolong restriction on non-essential travel to the EU until 15 May

          The Commission called for a coordinated approach to the prolongation, as action at the external borders can only be effective if implemented by all EU and Schengen States at all borders, with the same end date and in a uniform manner.

        17. 8 April 2020
          Supporting exit strategies through mobile data apps

          The Commission recommended steps and measures to develop a common EU approach for the use of mobile applications in response to the pandemic. It set out key principles for the use of apps and data as regards data security and the respect of EU fundamental rights such as privacy and data protection.

        18. 8 April 2020
          Commission calls on Member States to optimise supply and availability of medicines

          The Commission's guidelines to Member States focus on the rational supply, allocation and use of vital medicines to treat coronavirus patients as well as medicines which may be at risk of shortage. The proposed actions should allow for a more coordinated approach across the EU, preserving the integrity of the Single Market whilst protecting public health.

        19. 8 April 2020
          EU global response to fight the pandemic

          The European Commission and the EU High Representative set out plans for a robust and targeted EU response to support partner countries' efforts in tackling the coronavirus pandemic. The EU will secure financial support to partner countries amounting to more than €15.6 billion from existing external action resources.

          • Video message from President von der Leyen on the on the global EU response
        20. 7 April 2020
          EU medical teams deployed to Italy

          A team of European doctors and nurses from Romania and Norway, deployed through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, was 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.

        21. 6 April 2020
          Unlocking funds for 100,000 small and medium-sized businesses

          The European Commission has unlocked €1 billion from the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) as a guarantee to the European Investment Fund (EIF). This will allow the EIF to issue special guarantees to incentivise banks and other lenders to provide liquidity to at least 100,000 European SMEs and small mid-cap companies hit by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, for an estimated available financing of €8 billion.

        22. 3 April 2020
          Waiving customs duties and VAT on the import of medical equipment

          The Commission approved 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.

        23. 3 April 2020
          Facilitating cross-border treatment of patients and deployment of medical staff

          To support cross-border healthcare cooperation, the Commission issued practical guidance to Member States. Cooperation across borders can help ease the pressure on overburdened hospitals by transferring patients or sending qualified teams of medical personnel to offer assistance across borders.

        24. 2 April 2020
          Mobilising all resources to protect lives and livelihoods

          The Commission is further increasing its response by proposing to set up a €100 billion solidarity instrument to help workers keep their incomes and help businesses stay afloat, called SURE. It is also proposing to redirect all available structural funds to the response to the coronavirus. On 19 May the Council adopted the proposal. The instrument will become available once all Member States provide their loan guarantees. 

          Rules to protect the most deprived EU citizens and to help EU fishermen as part of this instrument entered into force on 24 April.

        25. 1 April 2020
          Commission scientists develop new control material for reliable coronavirus-testing

          European Commission scientists have designed new control material that laboratories can use to check the correct functioning of their coronavirus tests and to avoid false negatives.

        Marzu 2020

        1. 31 March 2020
          Strengthening resilience in countries hosting Syrian refugees

          In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the EU strengthened its support for refugees from Syria and vulnerable persons in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon through a new package of almost €240 million, raising the total assistance via the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis to more than €2 billion.

        2. 30 March 2020
          EU solidarity with Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood

          The Commission has reallocated €140 million for the most immediate needs in the Eastern Neighbourhood countries, and will redirect the use of existing instruments worth up to €700 million to help mitigate the socio-economic impact of the coronavirus crisis. Similarly, it announced up to €38 million in immediate support for the Western Balkans to tackle the health emergency, and reallocation of €374 million to help the socio-economic recovery.

        3. 30 March 2020
          Enabling free movement of critical workers

          The Commission issued new practical advice to ensure that mobile workers within the EU, in particular those in critical occupations to fight the coronavirus pandemic, can reach their workplace. Together with the Guidance on the implementation of the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU, this seeks to address practical concerns of citizens and companies affected by the measures taken to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

          • Video message by President von der Leyen on free movement of critical workers
        4. 27 March 2020
          Boosting budget for repatriation flights and RescEU stockpile

          €75 million from the EU budget should be made available to help Member States repatriate EU nationals and to increase the budget of the RescEU medical stockpile. Thanks to repatriation flights organised through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, almost 10,000 people have been already repatriated to Europe.

        5. 26 March 2020
          Ensuring essential freight keeps moving by air

          The Commission called on EU Member States to support air cargo operations during the coronavirus crisis. The new guidance recommends operational and organisational steps to keep essential transport flows moving, including medical supplies and personnel.

        6. 26 March 2020
          Commitment to international cooperation reaffirmed

          Participating in the extraordinary G20 Leaders' videoconference, President von der Leyen and the European Council President Charles Michel underlined that the EU was committed to international cooperation in tackling the pandemic and would continue to assist vulnerable countries and communities around the world.

        7. 25 March 2020
          Protecting critical European assets and technology

          Guidelines were issued to ensure a strong EU-wide approach to foreign investment screening in a time of public health crisis and economic vulnerability. The aim is to preserve EU companies and critical assets, in areas such as health, medical research, biotechnology and other, without undermining the EU's general openness to foreign investment.

          • Video message by President von der Leyen on guidelines to protect critical European assets and technology in current crisis
        8. 23 March 2020
          Ensuring continuous flow of goods across EU via green lanes

          New practical advice was issued on implementing Guidelines for border management, in order to keep freight moving across the EU during the pandemic. Member States are requested to designate all the relevant internal border-crossing points on the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) as ‘green lane' border crossings. They should be open to all freight vehicles, whatever goods they are carrying.

          • Video message from President von der Leyen on guidelines to set up ‘green lanes’
        9. 20 March 2020
          Activating fiscal framework's general escape clause to respond to pandemic

          The Commission proposed the activation of the general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact. Once endorsed by the Council, it will allow Member States to undertake measures to deal adequately with the crisis, while departing from the budgetary requirements that would normally apply under the European fiscal framework.

          • Video message by President von der Leyen on further measures to support the economy
        10. 20 March 2020
          European standards for medical supplies made freely available

          The European Committee for Standardization and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization made available a number of European standards for certain medical devices and personal protective equipment. This action will help both EU and third-country companies to swiftly start production and place products on the internal market more easily while ensuring a high degree of safety.

        11. 19 March 2020
          First ever RescEU stockpile of medical equipment

          The Commission decided to create a strategic RescEU stockpile of medical equipment such as ventilators and protective masks to help EU countries in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

        12. 19 March 2020
          Temporary framework to further support the economy

          The Commission adoptedTemporary Framework to enable Member States to use the full flexibility foreseen under State aid rules to support the economy in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak.

          By 31 March, the Commission already approved several schemes based on the Temporary Framework worth several hundred billions of euros to support Member States’ economies face the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. It took 18 decisions approving 27 national measures.

        13. 18 March 2020
          Protecting passenger rights

          The Commission published guidelines to ensure EU passenger rights are protected and applied in a coherent manner across the EU, in light of the mass cancellations and delays.

        14. 17 March 2020
          Commission launches European team of scientific experts

          An advisory panel on COVID-19 composed of epidemiologists and virologists from different Member States is brought together to formulate EU guidelines on science-based and coordinated risk management measures.

        15. 16 March 2020
          Protecting health and keeping goods and essential services available

          The Commission presented guidelines to Member States on health-related border management measures. The aim is to protect citizens' health, ensure the right treatment of people who do have to travel, and make sure essential goods and services remain available.

          • Video message from President von der Leyen on health-related border management measures
        16. 16 March 2020
          EU funding offered to innovative vaccines company CureVac

          The Commission offered up to €80 million of financial support to CureVac, a highly innovative vaccine developer from Tübingen, Germany, to scale up development and production of a vaccine against the coronavirus in Europe.

        17. 15 March 2020
          Ensuring supply of personal protective equipment in the EU

          The Commission took steps to protect the availability of supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), by requiring that exports of such equipment outside of the European Union are subject to an export authorisation by Member States.

          • Video message from President von der Leyen on the European response to the coronavirus
        18. 13 March 2020
          Setting out coordinated response to counter the economic impact of the coronavirus

          The Commission presented an immediate response to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, centred on a European coordinated response, and via a range of tools, e.g. State aid, flexibility of the European fiscal framework, liquidity to the banking sector, EU budget, and more. ENTRY INTO FORCE 1 April 2020.

        19. 10 March 2020
          Easing impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the aviation industry and the environment

          Targeted legislation was announced to temporarily alleviate airlines from their airport slot usage obligations under EU law. This would release pressure on the aviation industry, and also decrease emissions by avoiding so-called ‘ghost flights' where airlines fly almost empty aircraft to keep their slots. ENTRY INTO FORCE 1 April 2020.

        20. 10 March 2020
          Corona Response Investment Initiative

          During EU leaders' videoconference on the response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Commission received a mandate to further step up its response to the coronavirus, and coordinate Member State actions. President von der Leyen announced a “Corona Response Investment Initiative” that should enable around €60 billion of unused cohesion policy funds to be redirected to the fight against the coronavirus. ENTRY INTO FORCE 1 April 2020.

        21. 6 March 2020
          Stepping up research and funding to address the coronavirus

          The Commission scaled up the emergency call launched in January to fight the COVID-19 outbreak. On 31 March, the Commission decided to support 1 additional project bringing the number of supported projects up to 18. They involve 140 research teams from across EU and beyond, and are funded with a total budget of € 48,5 million from Horizon 2020.

        22. 2 March 2020
          Corona response team set up

          President von der Leyen established a coronavirus response team at political level to coordinate our response to the pandemic, bringing together all strands of action – from medical, to economic, to mobility and transport.

        Frar 2020

        1. 28 February 2020
          Procuring medical equipment jointly with Member States

          The first out of four joint procurements of personal protective equipment was launched together with Member States. This turns the EU into one big buyer, encouraging suppliers to move quickly at scale and provide the maximum equipment possible at the best price. As of 24 March, producers have made offers covering, and in some cases even exceeding, the quantities requested.

        2. 24 February 2020
          Supporting global efforts to tackle the outbreak

          To boost global preparedness, prevention and containment of the virus the Commission announced a new aid package worth €232 million. The Commission has also stepped up its support to Member States in the context of the work on preparedness, contingency and response planning.

        3. 23 February 2020
          In solidarity with China, EU delivers additional protective equipment

          The Commission co-financed the delivery of more than 25 tonnes of personal protective equipment to China after the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated. This is in addition to over 30 tonnes of protective equipment mobilised by EU Member States and already delivered in February 2020.

        4. 1-2 February 2020
          EU citizens brought home

          The first repatriations by air from France and Germany, co-financed by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, brought home 447 European citizens, from Wuhan. The European Commission works on all fronts to support efforts to fight the coronavirus, helping Member States to repatriate their citizens and providing emergency services to China.

        5. 1 February 2020
          First aid delivered to China

          As an immediate first response, EU Member States mobilised and delivered a total of 12 tons of protective equipment to China.

        Jannar 2020

        1. 31 January 2020
          First funds mobilised for research on the new coronavirus outbreak

          €10 million are granted from the EU’s research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, to support research into the new coronavirus disease. The Commission launched an emergency request for expressions of interest for research projects.

        2. 28 January 2020
          EU civil protection mechanism activated for the repatriation of EU citizens

          As the outbreak of the novel coronavirus intensifies, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated following a request for assistance from France to provide consular support to EU citizens in Wuhan, China.

          The first European case was reported from France on 24 January 2020.

           

        3. 17 January 2020
          Health Security Committee's first meeting

          The Health Security Committee held their first meeting on the novel coronavirus.

        4. 9 January 2020
          Alert notification on the Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) opened

          Directorate General for Health and Safety (DG SANTE) opened an alert notification on the Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) where most Member States have since been sharing information on response and communication measures.