The European Parliament approved on Friday by a very large majority various measures proposed by the Commission to combat the effects of the crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and to support the affected Member States. Among these, the mobilization of 3.08 billion euros, coming from the EU budget and intended to support health systems.
This windfall of some 3 billion will pass through the EU’s emergency aid instrument (2.7 billion) and rescEU, this mechanism for the joint purchase of medical equipment to build up strategic reserves (masks, respirators, vaccines, etc.) hosted by voluntary member states. The emergency aid instrument must complement the other EU instruments, by organizing targeted support for the Member States and regions most affected. According to the Commission’s explanations, this will range from financial support for the transport of medical equipment or patients to support for the development of medicines and screening methods, as necessary.
Awaiting green light from member states
The flexibility in the use of EU cohesion policy funds by member states has also been validated by MEPs. This will globally allow the Member States to have access to European funds which reach them via the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund or the Cohesion Fund, by allocating them for 2020-2021 without being bound by the keys to preexisting distribution, in particular. The condition of co-financing by local authorities is also abandoned in the context of the fight against the pandemic and its consequences.
The proposal has yet to receive the green light from the Member States.
Aid to the most disadvantaged via the European Fund for Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) will also be temporarily facilitated, with the possibility of 100% EU co-financing for the supply of equipment, foodstuffs and goods essential to vulnerable people like the homeless. Belgium benefits from more than 10 million euros annually from this Fund. The state had until now add 15% of aid out of its own pocket, but this condition is abandoned for 2020, explains Friday the Belgian MEP Petra De Sutter (Groen, Verts / ALE), who recalls that, last year, 168,476 people used food aid services every month.
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At the same time, the European Parliament approved additional support measures for the agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
MEPs finally agreed to postpone the entry into force of the new EU medical device rules for a year to the end of May 2021. The regulation was expected to be fully applicable from May 26, 2020, but Europe wants to avoid shortages or delays in bringing key medical devices to market. The member states will again have to approve.
The plenary was spread over two days, Thursday and Friday. Coronavirus obliges, very few parliamentarians were actually present in the hemicycle in Brussels, the votes being done by email. Remote voting had already been used in March, a first for the European Parliament.
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