The EU is providing financial support to 18 EU Member States and the UK for the transport of essential medical products with a total of €150 million through the Emergency Support Instrument (ESI), the Commission announced on Friday 18 September.
This is part of the €220 million made available in April under the ESI for the transport of equipment, medical staff and patients to where they are most needed.
For example, between April and September, the ESI supported the transport of more than 1,000 tonnes of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, more than 1,000 tonnes of PPE purchased by Italy, and more than 400 tonnes of protective goggles, disposable gowns, masks and protective clothing to Lithuania by plane and train.
The budget for the Emergency Support Instrument is €2.7 billion. It has been designed to respond to needs in a strategic and coordinated manner at the European level.
As a financial component of the ‘Joint European Roadmap towards lifting COVID-19 containment measures’, the ESI contributes to mitigating the immediate consequences of the pandemic and anticipating the needs for exit and recovery. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)