COVID19: European Commission measures

The EU’s next seven year budget should be a key instrument in the recovery plan to confront the negative economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on April 2.

Every available € in the EU budget will be directed to address the #coronavirus crisis, rule will be eased to enable the funding to flow rapidly and effectively. With the new solidarity instrument, SURE, the EU will mobilise €100 bn to keep people in jobs & businesses running. pic.twitter.com/68qFhTwGbH

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 2, 2020

“Some people are talking about a Marshall Plan. The European budget should be the Marshall Plan we lay out together,” von der Leyen said while proposing a package aimed at support of the most affected countries.

A number of member states, including Spain along with the European Council president Charles Michel, have been calling for an EU Marshall Plan to support European economy in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Fighting to save peoples’ lives and protect peoples’ livelihoods is the overriding mission of all public authorities across the EU.
We are doing just that.

Watch the press conference by President @vonderleyen #coronavirus https://t.co/lGuraATMiV

— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) April 2, 2020

“We all know that in this crisis we need quick answers and we cannot take two or three years to invent new tools,” von der Leyen pointed out, “the MFF (Multiannual Financial Framework, the EU’s long-term budget) is the strongest tool we have,” she concluded.

“We want to shape the MFF in such a way that is a crucial part of our recovery plan,” the president added.