“We need a vaccine that is safe, that comes fast and can be produced at large scale as soon as possible”, said Peter Liese, health-spokesperson of the largest parliamentary group in the European Parliament, (EPP Christian-Democrats), ahead of the presentation of the Commission’s Vaccine Strategy. The Commission will come with a set of proposals on Wednesday to make a vaccine against Covid-19 available for EU-citizens and the rest of the world as soon as possible. One key element of the proposal is a common advanced purchase of vaccines. The Commission will propose to spend 2.4 billion Euro of EU emergency plan to reserve doses of vaccine, even though the vaccine is not yet authorized. This builds up on an initiative of France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands that already concluded a contract with company AstraZeneca last week.
"The European Commission is setting the right priorities. After the corona crisis, it is very important that we strengthen the health systems in the European Union and invest the money in environmentally friendly technologies," states the spokesperson of the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP/Christian Democrats) Dr med. Peter Liese about the European Commission's proposals for a new financial framework and the recovery plan after the Corona crisis. "It is extremely important for Europe to be able to act during this period. The Franco-German initiative has largely overcome the division between North and South. We must not deny our support to the states most affected by the corona crisis, e.g. Italy, because otherwise, the corona virus has the potential to kill Europe. It is important that we invest in the future. Ursula von der Leyen quite rightly says that the younger generation faces burdens with high debts. We must therefore not invest in outdated technology, but must invest in the future, which means above all in the protection of the climate. In that way the Commission has set the right priorities. However, I am somewhat sceptical as to whether the proposed instruments are sufficient to actually achieve the goals. In the European Parliament, we will take a close look at the matter and we will insist that the Member States indeed look to the future," said Liese.
Many people are now wondering whether it is responsible to take the airplane when going on (summer) holidays. Therefore, the Christian Democrats in the European Parliament have taken up the topic "Corona and Tourism". In a comprehensive paper, the Members of Parliament are pressing for tourism to be allowed to resume, but: at the same time, they are calling for strict measures to prevent a second corona wave. In particular, they call for the recommendations by the European agencies responsible for aviation as well as the agency responsible for disease control (EASA and ECDC) to be rapidly implemented. Concretely this means: wearing masks needs to be mandatory and distancing needs to be ensured in airplanes. EASA and ECDC have proposed that the airlines should ensure that social distancing not only kept at the airport but also in the aircraft, meaning that at least the middle seat must be left free or a whole row.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have issued recommendations for the prevention of Covid-19 infections in aircraft. According to these recommendations, passengers should wear masks and there should be a distance between them in the aircraft. For this purpose, it is said that one seat per row or every second row in the aircraft should be left free. MEP Peter Liese, EPP spokesperson for health emphatically welcomed the recommendation. "This recommendation was overdue. I think it completely disproportionate that we allow restaurant owners; fitness studio operators and others to work only under strict conditions and with the necessary distance, but that the airlines still have the option of operating the aircraft down to the last seat.
Read more: EU agencies recommend protective masks and distance for air travel