Brussels, 23/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - Over 2,800 dead from Ebola, international pledges of aid but little deployment, the countries of West Africa overrun, a risk of contagion to other countries in the region - the update given in Brussels by experts to the European Parliament's development committee chaired by Linda McAvan (S&D, United Kingdom) alarmed MEPs on Tuesday 23 September.
A few days after the call launched by the Parliament for a coordinated international emergency plan to counter this threat to regional and global security (see EUROPE 11158), MEPs discussed measures - with representatives from the affected African countries and with experts from the UN and NGOs - that could be taken immediately and lessons that should be learned for the future. The reluctance of the member states to take action to implement an air bridge and to ensure a system for medical evacuation (Médivac - see EUROPE 11155) has roused MEPs' indignation. The day the EU28 health ministers had an informal exchange of views on the issue (see other article), the MEPs decided to refer it to the staff of High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton in order to try and obtain the political mobilisation of governments.
“I'm going to send an urgent letter to the Presidency of the Council and to the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton to deal with this issue of evacuation and to know who will participate in the meetings and who will take the decisions”, McAvan stated.
During the debate, Enrique Guerrero Salom (ALDE, Spain) called for the member states to be sent a request ahead of the donor's conference for Ebola in New York on Thursday 25 September “so that they might commit”. He also called for the hand of the member states to be forced in order to obtain ratification of the 11th EDF, given that thus far most of the €150 million committed by the Commission has been for a transitional period and for resources for other purposes. On 19 September, the EEAS announced €80 million from member states. Guinea's ambassador to the EU, Ousmane Silla, called for the ACP countries to be involved in any future meeting on Ebola (Guinea is a country affected by Ebola and Silla currently chairs the ACP Group.) He requested the European Parliament's support “to call on the EU for an urgent international conference to be held so as to show solidarity for the war to be waged against Ebola” (our translation).
Charles Goerens (ALDE, Luxembourg) was outraged that Europe was not able to carry out a medical evacuation and that “a nurse has to wait four days to get an American plane”. “I'm ashamed”, he said. Christopher Stokes, General Director at Médecins sans frontières (MSF) pointed out that Medevac is very simple to organise. It has been spoken about since the end of July, he said, indicating that there are 315 volunteers. It took 48 hours simply to get a plane, he railed. It would have been quicker to ask one from the United States than from the EU, he continued. He said that an airlift for medical evacuations was needed. The Commission had been asked about this but had not yet replied. He added that MSF had asked for €30 million, only a quarter of which had been met. Donors prefer to fund treatment centres, he said, but that is not enough. The situation is very fluid and MSF is urging donors to be flexible in their support, he stated. Claus Sorensen, ECHO Director General pointed out that he had approved the French document calling for a joint approach to medical evacuations. The problem, in his view, is that some states do not have the capacity. Adding that the EU institutions do not have the necessary capacity, the EEAS representative recognised that he had felt a certain reticence on the part of the member states to fully commit themselves. He was of the opinion that the main issue lay with the political leaders. (AN)