The first of five "Covid-19" reports prepared by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) was debated and adopted on Friday 26 June during a Standing Committee session organised by videoconference. This text, defended by German MEP Andrej Hunko (GUE), is devoted to the lessons to be learned from the response to the pandemic and how to ensure the defence of fundamental rights in such circumstances.
The aim was to draw an overview without stigmatising or congratulating any particular Member State, even though the text deplores a tendency towards nationalist withdrawal and certain authoritarian and repressive responses. The preparation of such an episode, transparency of decisions as to their merits and their delimitation over time - particularly with regard to containment and deconfinement - as well as the essential national, European and international coordination are advocated.
In this sense, the resolution adopted by PACE calls for a regional system established by the European Union to support international institutions responsible for pandemic management. It also stresses the importance of parliamentary control to be preserved as far as possible in the event of a crisis and calls for a reform of the World Health Organisation (WHO), in particular as regards its funding - too dependent on voluntary contributions - and its powers, which should enable it to make unannounced visits to Member States in the event of a health crisis.
The Standing Committee's exchange with the Director of the WHO the same morning noted a convergence of views between that organisation and PACE. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)