The European Commission announced on Monday 27 April Italy's preliminary application under the EU Solidarity Fund to deal with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Just 3 weeks after the EU Solidarity Fund was broadened to health emergencies, Italy was the first country to apply for support for the Covid-19 project", welcomed Cohesion and Reform Commissioner Elisa Ferreira on her Twitter account.
This is the first Member State to use the new arrangements recently introduced by the European Commission in the context of the health crisis, which extend the scope of the Fund to health emergencies (see EUROPE 12446/2).
For 2020, the Fund has €800 million at its disposal. This financial support covers the financing of medical equipment, support for vulnerable groups, measures to contain the spread of the disease, and strengthening preparedness.
The European Commission will collect all applications related to coronavirus until 24 June 2020 and will then assess them as a package. The aim here is to ensure fair treatment of national applications. It will then submit a proposal for financial assistance to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.
For expenditure to be eligible, Member States must apply within 12 weeks of the first expenditure, one source reminds us. It should be noted that all Member States, as well as those in the process of accession, are eligible for the Fund. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)