The coordinated response to the global pandemic dominated the meeting of European foreign ministers, which was held by videoconference on Monday 23 March. This coordination effort concerns both the repatriation of European citizens trapped in third countries due to the coronavirus and support for the most vulnerable countries, stressed the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, at the end of the meeting.
Given the scale of the pandemic and the global crisis it is creating, "the only response is a stronger global cooperation among people, regions and countries. Locking yourself away and trying to find solutions on your own is exporting the problem", he said.
The EU will continue its repatriation efforts. This does not refer to all Europeans living outside the EU, but only to those who are trapped because " they are unable to return home by the method planned when they started their journey", because of the travel restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 100,000 people are affected.
"Bringing them home by other means is our priority, but that requires co-ordination, and it has to be done by commercial flights; the capacity we have with the civil emergency system is not designed for 100,000 people", said the Commission Vice-President.
Since Europe became the epicentre of the global pandemic, flights co-financed by the EU through its Civil Protection Mechanism have only involved those from Morocco (13 German flights and 1 Belgian flight), Tunisia (605 citizens by Austrian flights - see EUROPE 12449/5) and China.
For the rest, the EU facilitates - through the European External Action Service and EU delegations in third countries - consular coordination for commercial flights chartered and paid for by Member States. However, these are becoming rarer.
Josep Borrell reported difficulties in Latin America and South Africa, where a growing number of European citizens have requested repatriation assistance. He said he has spoken with "many colleagues in Latin America and Southeast Asia" to try to find solutions.
The High Representative also underlined the EU's desire to counter the "disinformation" stigmatising European citizens.
Assessment of repatriations. Through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, more than 1,800 European citizens have so far been repatriated since the outbreak began in China.
Belgium repatriated 223 European citizens from Tunisia last weekend.
Germany continues to organise flights (of which 13 co-financed by the EU for 3,000 citizens) to bring home European citizens from Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, the Philippines, Argentina and the Dominican Republic.
Latvian planes will repatriate European citizens from Georgia, while Lithuania will do the same with Europeans from Indonesia. The Czech Republic will organise flights from Egypt, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Poland will repatriate EU citizens from Chad, Sudan, Nepal and the Maldives, and the UK will bring home British nationals and EU citizens from Peru.
The Civil Protection Mechanism also co-financed 75% of the cost of aircraft that repatriated 1,381 EU citizens from Wuhan, Japan, New Zealand, Morocco and Tunisia.
Increase coordination with the UN. This is the second priority, in order to "mobilise efforts, in the near future, to support the most fragile countries". Mr Borrell stressed, in this regard, the need to be "vigilant towards Africa, where the impact of the epidemic could be rapidly out of control".
The Foreign Affairs Council also discussed humanitarian aid to Iran (see EUROPE 12452/9). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)