Brussels, 24/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - Following the European summit of Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October, the heads of state and government decided to increase aid to the African countries hit by the Ebola epidemic to €1 billion, or an additional €550 million on top of the €450 million already made available by the European Commission and the member states. They also decided that the new Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Christos Stylianides of Cyprus, should be appointed European coordinator on Ebola, working closely with the ERCC, the European institutions, the member states and international organisations. This is in line with the decision to appoint a coordinator made by the foreign ministers on 20 October, with this highly contagious haemorrhagic fever continuing to rage through Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. “Additional assistance is needed to scale-up the response on the ground, notably regarding medical care and equipment, as well as reinforced exit screening”, the Council stresses.
The heads of state and government decided on three principles to tackle the Ebola epidemic: 1) providing financial assistance to help the countries of West Africa hit by the epidemic, assistance which now stands at €1 billion; 2) making humanitarian personnel from across Europe available in the African countries affected, to provide the care required and responsibility in the event of contamination, and means of evacuation if needed; 3) the appointment of a coordinator to personify the coordination efforts of the Europeans. “Deeply concerned” by the continuing spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa, the heads of state and government called for the immediate implementation of the measures decided upon, first of all by the European health ministers on 16 October, and then by the European foreign ministers on 20 October. At a high-level meeting, the health ministers decided to carry out verifications of the effectiveness of the controls set in place in the African airports concerned and to step up the coordination of the control measures taken on entering the member states (EUROPE 11178). The foreign ministers then acknowledged the need to increase the aid made available jointly by the EU in coordination with the UN beyond the level of the €450 million already made available by the EU under humanitarian aid, civil protection and development assistance (EUROPE 11180). Of the €450 million initially allocated, €180 million was provided by the Commission, with the rest coming from the member states; of the extra €550 million, €24.4 million will come from the Commission and will be made directly available as immediate support to ensure the protection of humanitarian workers and the treatment of patients and to stop the spread of the virus, particularly by developing vaccines.
In its conclusions, the Council welcomes the decision made by the Commission and the member states to guarantee appropriate care on the ground for humanitarian workers affected by the disease, including their evacuation if needs be. Stressing that the scale of the epidemic is a threat not just to the economy and stability of the countries affected, but to the whole of the region, the Council calls upon the High Representative and the Commission to develop a raft of measures focusing on the political, economic and security implications of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Equally, with the emergence of the first cases of Ebola in Europe, the state of preparedness of the European Union to tackle the virus is of the greatest importance, to protect the European countries and their citizens. Protection measures are needed to reduce the risks of contagion, together with preventative measures coordinated at EU level, such as controls on entry, the Council states. It calls upon the President of the Commission and the High Representative to report back to the next meeting of the Council on the measures adopted.
“It is absolutely essential that everybody take on their share and that those those who cannot do so with medical personnel do so by budgetary means”, said French President François Hollande (our translation). Arguing the need to stay away from both “alarmism, which seeds panic, and inaction”, Hollande said that screening should be extended to modes of transport other than aviation, such as maritime transport, and that France would make provisions to this effect.
“We want to make sure that health care personnel have treatment and evacuation possibilities (…). This is not only a humanitarian crisis, but a political, economic and social one as well, even for countries which have not been affected, which are the victims of worry”, said Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.
British Prime Minister David Cameron argued that it was important for the EU to increase its aid to the African countries. “This is a success (…). We have managed to double the commitment”, Cameron said, stressing that the “United Kingdom is at the forefront of the efforts, with £125 million pledged and military forces”.
“We must ensure that the disease does not spread, we do not want a pandemic”, said the Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven, adding that Sweden was one of the member states which had contributed the most and that it would continue to do so. (IL, AN, MD, SP, CG)