International cooperation and multilateralism are the basis of the EU's contribution to the international response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, reaffirms the Commission in a Communication adopted on Wednesday 8 April, detailing the EU's approach to ensure the success of this fight, which no country or regional bloc can tackle alone.
In its relations with partner countries, the EU will focus its assistance on the humanitarian, health, social and economic consequences of the crisis and its support will target both urgent short-term needs and longer-term structural effects on societies and economies, thus reducing the risk of destabilisation, the Commission highlights.
"We will focus on the most affected countries in need of health assistance, such as countries in Africa, our neighbouring countries, the Western Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa, parts of Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean", the institution specified. The focus will be on the most vulnerable.
EU action will focus on responding to the immediate health crisis and resulting humanitarian needs, on strengthening partner countries' health, water and sanitation systems and their research and preparedness capacities to respond to the pandemic, and on mitigating the socio-economic impact of the crisis.
€15.6 billion in European aid. The Commission confirms the announcement made the day before by President Ursula von der Leyen that the EU is ready to mobilise €15.6 billion to help partner countries affected by the pandemic to cope with it, particularly in Africa, by redirecting planned aid to address this priority (see EUROPE 12463/7). These funds will come from existing resources for EU external action.
The majority of the envelope will go to support in addressing the immediate social and economic consequences (€12.28 billion). This includes providing direct budget support and concessional financing to developing countries to help them adopt reforms for their socio-economic development and measures to protect workers during the crisis. It also involves mobilising the macrofinancial assistance (MFA) instrument for the Western Balkans and neighbouring countries facing a balance of payments crisis, in tandem with support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Breakdown by geographical area: of the €15.6 billion, €3.25 billion is earmarked for Africa, including €1.19 billion for neighbouring North African countries.
€3.8 billion is for the Neighbourhood region as a whole - €2.1 billion for the South and €962 million for the Eastern partner countries - and €800 million for the Western Balkans and Turkey.
There is also €1.42 billion in guarantees for Africa and the Neighbourhood countries from the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD).
The EU will support Asia and the Pacific to the tune of €1.22 billion, a further €291 million for the Africa/Caribbean/Pacific (ACP) region, €918 million for Latin American and Caribbean countries and €111 million for Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs).
Implementation of global emergency response support. €502 million is earmarked for EU action, including the WHO response plan, humanitarian aid to countries, support for global efforts to combat export restrictions, support for research, etc.
2.8 billion will go to strengthening health, water and sanitation systems and the research capacities of partners.
The Commission is announcing an EU health security initiative with the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) worth €6 million. The programme, which will start in the second quarter of 2020, will cover the 23 neighbourhood and enlargement countries.
It will invite the Western Balkans to accede to the EU's common Agreement on Government Procurement to enable them to participate in procedures for the joint procurement of medical equipment and to extend the European early warning system for communicable diseases to these countries.
A donor conference. The Commission is ready to organise "a virtual donors' conference soon", says President Ursula von der Leyen in a statement. This is to fill the current funding gap (7.5 billion euros) identified by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board.
To consult the communication online: https://bit.ly/39SMVAr (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Aminata Niang)