The EU commission will propose straight purchasing the bloc’s tactical stockpiles of medical equipment, crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic revealed on Thursday (30 April).

The EU executive in late March proposed to established a stockpile of face masks, extensive care equipment and other necessary medical gear to deal with scarcities in member states throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the reserve’s guidelines, concurred by EU countries, member states have to volunteer to carry out a procurement, purchase particular equipment, and store it – all of which is funded by thecommission

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Up until now, out of the 27 member states, Romania and Germany have actually concurred to buy and store gear for the stockpile.

Deliveries have actually currently been made from Romania to Italy, which is among the hardest-hit EU countries by the pandemic. Spain will likewise soon get gear from the reserve.

Lenarcic, who is likewise the European Emergency situation Reaction Planner within the commission, informed a group of reporters that the EU executive remains in conversation with numerous more member states and, in overall, a lots countries have “signalled their readiness to consider participating in forming such a reserve”.

EU countries at the centre of the coronavirus break out have actually dealt with scarcities of important medical equipment, and at first member states hesitated to shareequipment

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Lenarcic stated the commission desires to get ready for a possible second wave in the coronavirus pandemic, or other break outs, by itself purchasing, setting up storage and sending out the gear where it is required most.

“If everything in the EU crisis management system depends of voluntary solidarity of member states, then you get into difficulty when all of them are effected,” he stated.

“That’s why we need to have system in place that would provide for effective solutions in such cases, which are no longer theoretical,” Lenarcicadded

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” I desire to propose that the commission would be able straight to participate in procurement of equipment predestined for European tactical reserve. Now [currently] we can’t,” he stated.

Lenarcic stated he imagines 5 to 6 local centers for such EU stockpiles. The Slovenian commissioner added that the tactical stockpile acts as a”solidarity, ensured in advance”

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He did not state when the concept for the brand-new procurement approach would exist, however stated the commission is”working on the proposal”

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Lenarcic stated the decision to develop a tactical stockpile, which was concurred by member states in “record time”, was among the lessons discovered throughout the preliminary stage of the crisis.

House on fire

The EU stockpile is complimentary to another tool, the civil defense system, where a member state in difficulty can request for assistance from other member states.

Early in the crisis, Italy set off the system, and other member states were criticised for their sluggish reaction.

“There was a time when the Italian request for assistance went unanswered. But that was more a matter of lack of personal protective equipment than lack of solidarity,” Lenarcic stated, including that now medical professionals from other countries have actually gone to Italy, while Italian clients have actually been dealt with in Germany.

“When everybody is affected or afraid it will be, it is difficult to share something that you yourself believe you will need,” he stated, including: “In a village, when one house is on fire, neighbours will come and help you. But when all houses are on fire… then it’s more difficult.”

Crisis management is a member state proficiency, and countries typically just delegate powers to the EU when action on the EU level is considered more reliable.

” This [crisis] experience shows that there is maybe an excellent factor to do more things in health and civil defense at European level,” Lenarcic stated.

He pressed back versus criticism that the commission did refrain from doing enough at the start of the break out, stating that it alerted about this infection at the end of January and contacted member states to get ready for all situations.

“We don’t have a hidden storage in the cellar of the Berlaymont where we keep our stockpile of masks and gloves,” he quipped, referring to the commission’s Brussels head office.

He added that there has actually been internationally excessive need and insufficient supply of protective and medicalequipment

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Lenarcic stated the commission desires to decrease the EU’s vulnerability by promoting domestic production, diversifying supply chains, and developing tactical reserves.

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