Düsseldorf (dpa) - Health Minister Jens Spahn proposes a European alliance for mutual support in the event of a pandemic and other health crises.
The new alliance could be a kind of "health NATO", said the CDU politician of the "Rheinische Post". In order to be able to act quickly if a virus broke out in a member state, common structures were needed that could access experts, doctors and resources. Then you would not have to create national reserves with protective masks 27 times, but could build up a European reserve.
Due to the scarcity and cost of protective clothing and masks in the Corona crisis, the EU Commission announced in March that it would build up such a strategic reserve for all EU countries. In concrete terms, this works in such a way that the EU fully finances the purchase, but individual EU countries take over the purchase and storage. European civil protection is also to be expanded drastically and will in future also have its own aircraft, helicopters and field hospitals. The budget for the RescEU program is to be increased by two billion euros, as the responsible EU Commissioner Janez Lenarcic said at the beginning of June.
In addition, Spahn would like to expand the European health authority ECDC into a kind of European Robert Koch Institute. "All of this" will also be discussed in the course of the German EU Council Presidency, which begins in July.
Basically, Spahn demanded: "We have to trust and trust ourselves more as Europe. Especially in an increasingly bipolar world situation, which is determined by China and the USA." Define Europe as a protection and innovation community for the 1920s. The right level of globalization is also important. "With protective masks and pharmaceuticals, we shouldn't be so dependent on the world market."
Spahn once again expressed concern about pictures of crowded crowds in the park or at demonstrations. "We have achieved a lot together. Now it is up to us through our behavior whether we Germans have the most difficult part of the pandemic behind us." The corona virus was still there, he warned. "We see that wherever the virus makes it too easy, for example when partying like in Göttingen or Leer. Then there are big and dangerous outbreaks."
Information on the expansion of RescEU from 2.6.2020
