On Wednesday 24 March, the European Commission adopted a proposal to provide an additional €345.2 million in 2021 to escalate the battle against the coronavirus.
Amongst other things, the funds will be used to set up the ‘digital green certificate’ to allow free movement throughout the EU, improve waste water monitoring and improve the capacity to sequence coronavirus variants via the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) incubator.
€100 million will be made available to address any urgent initiatives linked to tackling Covid-19.
Johannes Hahn, the EU Budget Commissioner, said the extra funding “will allow us to find better responses to overcome the current crisis and to react quickly to emerging needs at European level”.
To finance these activities, the Commission is increasing the Emergency Support Instrument (ESI) and the EU’s contribution to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The funds will come from the EU’s Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve and from the draft amending budget (number 2 for 2021) adopted on Wednesday. This supplementary budget will have to be approved by both arms of the budgetary authority (Council of the EU and European Parliament). Link to the draft amending budget: https://bit.ly/2PpqXRf (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)