The Council approved conclusions on the “Team Europe” package that is part of the EU’s global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its conclusions the Council expresses its deep concern about the global spread of the COVID‑19 pandemic, which continues to claim lives worldwide and have far-reaching social and economic effects. The Council stresses the urgency of protecting the lives and livelihoods of all people, leaving no-one behind, […]
Covid-19: EU recovery plan should prioritise climate investment
The proposed EU recovery package to tackle the profound economic recession caused by Covid-19 aims to create a sustainable future. The Covid-19 health crisis and its economic consequences are priorities for the EU and the recovery package proposed by the European Commission aims to relaunch economies, based on a greener, social and digital approach for […]
Euro area unemployment at 7.3%
In April 2020, the second month after COVID-19 containment measures were implemented by most Member States, the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.3%, up from 7.1% in March 2020. The EU unemployment rate was 6.6% in April 2020, up from 6.4% in March 2020. Eurostat estimates that 14.079 million men and women in the […]
EU Drug Markets: Impact of COVID-19
EMCDDA and Europol analyse impact of pandemic on EU drug markets. New report provides window onto EU drug market changes during COVID-19 What effect is COVID-19 having on the largest criminal market in the EU? This question is explored in EU Drug Markets: Impact of COVID-19, a new report out today from the European Monitoring […]
New smartband will help observe social distancing to check COVID-19 spread
A group of researchers has developed a wearable smartband for monitoring body temperature while keeping the required distance between people. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, social distancing has become a part of daily life for many. The importance of keeping a safe distance between people to contain the COVID-19 pandemic is frequently emphasised. Thanks to the […]
International coordination to encourage the conduct of COVID-19 clinical trials
Regulators are highlighting the need for a comprehensive international coordination mechanism to allow the conduct of adequately powered, randomised controlled trials, which can generate sound evidence on the effects of therapeutics or vaccines against COVID-19. This follows a call made by EMA’s Human Medicines Committee (CHMP) for the research community to pool resources into large, well-designed, multi-arm clinical […]
Webinar: Cancer and COVID-19
Cancer is a major public health problem with a high morbidity and mortality rate. It is the second cause of death, after diseases of the circulatory system, although in men it is, since 2000, the first cause of death. Cancer patients are considered a risk group in the COVID-19 pandemic, as cancer and cancer-related treatments […]
#EUvsVirus Matchathon to boost the scaling up of creative solutions to Covid-19 challenges
Building on the success of the #EUvsVirus Hackathon, the European Innovation Council (EIC), under the patronage of Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, is organising a Matchathon with the participation of the 120 winning teams from the hackathon, investors, corporates and public authorities, including among others, public procurers and hospitals; academia and research institutions, from all across Europe and beyond. […]
The science behind embracing new forms of social organisation after Confinement
As lockdown restrictions ease across Europe, governments are considering just how much and how widely they should advise citizens to socialise with people outside their own household. The idea is that everyone interacts within a small group of people to prevent COVID-19 from spreading further. For example, as of 10 May, the Belgian government allows […]