EPP Group proposes urgency procedure in Parliament for Coronavirus measures

The EPP Group welcomes the urgent measures proposed today by the European Commission to respond to the coronavirus outbreak and proposes to adopt them in an urgency procedure in the European Parliament.

"People’s health and European economy are at stake. It is important that Europe acts united. We would like to adopt these law proposals as soon as possible in an urgent Parliamentary session", say Peter Liese MEP, Markus Ferber MEP and Marian-Jean Marinescu MEP.

Liese welcomes the plan to increase medical stockpiling capacities. "We need joint public procurement and European capacity building. As an industry continent, we must be capable of assuring our own supply of medicines and protective equipment. Unilateral national responses increase the shortage of medicines in other EU countries", says Liese, who is the EPP Group Spokesman for Health.

Ferber stresses that the help for companies must be "accessible first of all to SMEs". "We need a flexible interpretation of state aid rules, short-hour work subsidy schemes, introduction of tax rebates and exemptions for the sectors most concerned. These measures must be temporary, exceptional and specific to the current situation and should not be seen as a pretext to further weaken the EU’s fiscal rules", said Ferber, who is the EPP Group Spokesman for Economy and Monetary Affairs.

Marinescu sees the proposal to ease slot rules as beneficial for the aviation sector and for the environment. "We need to ensure that in the current situation, airlines aren't forced to fly empty or almost empty, just to keep their time slots. The new rules should take effect immediately to ensure the continuity of flights and connectivity for both passengers and freight," concludes Marinescu, who is the EPP Group Spokesman for Transport and Tourism.