The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, confirmed on Tuesday 7 April that part of Parliament's building in Strasbourg would be used to help in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, it will host a screening centre and a consultation area. In addition, Parliament will make part of its fleet of vehicles available for the transport of medical staff.
“We want to be with our host city and its citizens in these difficult times”, commented David Sassoli via Twitter, confirming a piece of information unveiled the day before by the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Amélie de Montchalin.
According to our information, on Monday Parliament’s President approved the agreement between Parliament's Secretary-General, Klaus Welle, and the French Prefecture of Bas-Rhin, which provides for the creation in the building of a screening centre with a bed area and a consultation area, including a doctor's surgery.
However, this “transformation” of the Parliament's premises will not be effective “for several weeks”, Alexandre Feltz, a doctor and deputy mayor of Strasbourg in charge of health, told the DNA newspaper. Parliament's press service, on the other hand, has indicated that it could be in place for several months, since no plenary is due to take place before the summer.
This decision responds to a call for solidarity from all coordinating MEPs on the Parliament’s Public Health Committee. According to German MEP Peter Liese (EPP), MEPs call on Member States to show solidarity and help each other, citing the case of Luxembourg, Austria and Germany, which have already taken care of patients from other countries (see EUROPE 12463/5). (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)