Charles Michel: "If Europe fails in the face of the pandemic, we will give the extremists a political advantage"

The European Commission approved this Wednesday another batch of measures, in particular on the homologation of coronavirus tests, to coordinate the response of the 27 countries of the Union to the second wave of the covid-19 pandemic, much faster and more virulent than planned before summer by Brussels.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, considers it essential that the community partners overcome the new lash with "a common strategy of rapid tests, tracing and vaccination".

Michel hopes to weave that consensus into a series of summits to be held, starting this Thursday, by videoconference over the next few weeks.

On the eve of the meeting, Michel warns, during an interview with EL PAÍS and other European media, that the political bill for a failure in the face of the pandemic would be very high and would add to the human drama of tens of thousands of deaths and the devastating economic impact caused by the virus.

Question.

A few hours from the virtual meeting of European leaders, in what situation is Europe?

Answer.

You have to tell the truth openly.

The situation in Europe is serious, terrible.

We must act urgently.

States are doing everything necessary to face this crisis, but we must be more efficient in terms of testing, tracing and containment measures.

Movement restrictions, which are being reintroduced in many countries, come at a huge political, social, economic, psychological and perhaps even democratic cost.

Q.

Unlike the first wave, when the population accepted the restrictive measures with little question, now we see a growing number of riots and protests.

R.

We face a very complex and very difficult situation.

And it is true that there is social reaction.

The only way to avoid those restrictions in the coming months is to be very efficient in testing and tracking.

The reliability of rapid tests has improved in recent weeks but mutual recognition of tests between countries should be considered to facilitate travel across Europe.

Hence, efficiency is crucial and demonstrating that we develop a strategy that works.

Show that we stop the spread of the virus and its negative consequences for the economy and society.

The social consequences were already worrying us before the summer and that is why the important agreement of July faced the crisis and prepared the recovery.

P.

Part of the public opinion does not seem to perceive this European response and is puzzled by the diversity of responses at the national or even regional level. Is the breeding ground for populists being created?

R.

It is an important issue, yes.

At the European Council of [15 and 16] October, the leaders already raised the need for a European communication strategy to give a common message to citizens about the risks derived from this crisis.

The idea must be that we are all in the same boat and we must take it seriously.

We are facing a second wave of infections, with great pressure on our hospitals and our health systems and that is why it is very important to manage communication and always tell the truth.

Without a test, tracing and vaccination strategy, restrictive measures will return with serious economic, social, psychological and perhaps democratic consequences.

Why?

Because extremist political parties will be able to take advantage of the risk of failure to push forward their undemocratic dialectic against European values.

We must protect European values ​​and show that Europe is a powerful democracy made up of 27 democracies that are capable of dealing with the crisis and being efficient.

Q.

What measures will be taken at the European summit on Thursday?

R.

The European Council must give a political impulse to overcome the obstacles that prevent an effective strategy.

It is a matter of days: there must be clear progress in the coming days to keep the situation in Europe under control.

Q.

What obstacles are you referring to?

R.

We need a clear signal from the Heads of State and Government in favor of a common approach because each country has its own reality, its own processes, its consultation standards, its experts and different competencies at the national and regional level.

That makes it very difficult to agree on a timetable and a strategy.

The political momentum of the European Council must overcome that obstacle and develop a more efficient strategy for testing and tracing.

Q.

What do you propose in relation to rapid tests?

Should there be joint purchases?

A.

We must have these rapid tests and a purchase by the Commission would be important to ensure that all Member States have them.

If we are not efficient in the strategy of tests and tracing, first, and in the vaccines, later, there is a risk of fragmentation.

If some States offer an efficient national strategy and others do not, we would be faced with the same fragmentation that we tried to avoid with the financial package decided in July.

Q.

Do you expect the 27 to harmonize the quarantine periods?

R.

It would be good, yes, if we agreed on a common period.

Quarantines are another good example of why it is difficult to reach an agreement.

Each government must take into account the opinion of its experts at the national level.

But it is better if we can agree on it at European level.

P.

The financial agreement of July has not yet been agreed with the European Parliament and the money may not arrive until the end of the year.

Is there the need to expand it in view of the deterioration of the crisis?

R.

The figure that we agreed to is huge, 1.8 trillion euros, higher than what has been injected into China or the US. And shortly before they had been mobilized through the Commission, the European Stability Mechanism and the European Bank of Investments another 540,000 million, which are available.

So now we are facing a question of credibility.

What you have to do is apply what was agreed in July, not lose momentum.

It is urgent to reach an agreement.

We are ready to take into account the legitimate concerns of Parliament, but it is unrealistic to think that the July agreement can be completely redone.

The priority now should be that the money reaches countries in early 2021 and not at the end.