The Parliament is committed to helping EU countries deal with the coronavirus and address the socio-economic impact of the outbreak.
Parliament support
On 13 March, the European Commission set out the EU-coordinated response to counter the impact of the coronavirus.
The measures announced by the Commission to address Covid-19 were welcomed by Parliament President David Sassoli.
President Sassoli said the Parliament was committed to getting these measures approved as soon as possible.
EU strategy to manage the outbreak
The Commission proposes measures to:
- Ensure the necessary supplies to health systems by preserving the integrity of the Single Market and of production and distribution chains
- Support people so that income and jobs are not affected disproportionally and to avoid permanent effects of the crisis
- Support firms and ensure that the liquidity of the financial sector can continue to support the economy
- Allow EU countries to act decisively in a coordinated way, including by relaxing rules on state aid and support measures
Support for regions
Part of the EU response will be to amend funding rules, which must be approved by both the Parliament and the Council. Parliament’s regional development committee aims to conclude its examination of the proposal as quickly as possible. The measure would mean it would be easier to channel funding to affected areas and sectors.
Additional resources
Parliament’s budget committee also committed to deal with all initiatives to mitigate the impact of the outbreak as quickly as possible.
Measures to ease impact on aviation industry
The Commission has proposed suspending EU rules obliging airlines to operate most of their take-off and landing slots. Companies need to do so to avoid losing them, but in the current situation, the rules has led to so-called ghost flights with few passengers.
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