COVID19: Solidarity we give today is solidarity we receive tomorrow

The EPP Group calls for solidarity with all the countries and regions affected by the coronavirus outbreak. "The truth is that we do not know what will happen in the next few weeks. That is why we should remember that the solidarity we give today is the solidarity we receive tomorrow. That is what Europe is all about", said Esteban González Pons, EPP Group Vice-President, in today's debate in the European Parliament, ahead of the vote on measures proposed to soften the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis.

"This is not a war, it is a pandemic. Doctors do not ask for medals, they ask for more money for health systems. They do not ask for speeches of blood, sweat and tears, but simpler things, such as mercy and masks, dignity and respirators, consolation and testing kits. Are we, Europeans, unable to share this among us? Are we really not going to help each other recover when the pandemic finally passes?" said González Pons.

He also deplored the lack of unity in Europe. "Faced with a single problem, the European Member States have given 27 different responses, as if the virus stopped at each border. European institutions are not failing, but solidarity between European Governments is failing. The European Union does not fail, the Europeanism of European national leaders fails", González Pons said.

As well as a united and solidary European response to the coronavirus crisis, the EPP Group also wants to preserve the internal market, and make sure that goods as well as medical equipment are able to cross borders unhindered. "In this crisis, we need to unlock all resources in the healthcare industry and guarantee free flow of goods and medicines across borders. We need to guarantee pensions and salaries. No one must be left behind", insisted González Pons.

"After the crisis, we need a relaunch of the industrial production of medical equipment in Europe. We need to invest more in medical research and the fight against diseases. We need to address the economic impact of the crisis. We want our economies to survive the crisis", he concluded.