The competent ministers met on Friday 20 March during a videoconference exchange lasting more than 3 hours to take stock of the existing obstacles within the internal market, as well as the state of the production chains for the medical equipment needed to cope with Covid-19, in the presence of the Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, and the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager.
During the videoconference, the Vice-President briefed Ministers on the main elements of the recently adopted temporary framework for state aid to support the economy in the context of the epidemic. During the exchange, Member States first of all welcomed the responsiveness and flexibility shown by the 'von der Leyen' Commission in the crisis (see other news).
In view of the export restriction on certain items of medical equipment, several ministers stressed the need to facilitate the movement of goods and merchandise (in particular medical equipment, food and essential goods) between Member States. As such, they focused in particular on Poland and the major slowdowns on its border with the Baltic States. On this front, the situation is reportedly improving.
In addition, Member States have coordinated their efforts to reorganise the textile sector to produce protective masks. Some Member States have also insisted on the need to preserve the industrial base in Europe, weakened by the health crisis, in the face of attempts by non-Member States to "prey" on it.
At the moment, we are told that no further meetings of this type are planned. This conference followed a decision taken at the last Competitiveness Council (see EUROPE 12435/8). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)