Remarks by Vice-President Margaritis Schinas and Commissioner Stella Kyriakides at the press conference on preparedness for future possible outbreaks of COVID-19

Remarks by Vice-President Margaritis Schinas

"Let me start by saying that now we know more about the virus. More about its impact. But we don't know everything yet. Our duty is to remain vigilant and preventive. This is an opportunity to avoid improvisation and plan ahead in the next 3 months.

The set of measures we are here to present aim to counter further eventual outbreaks of COVID-19. We draw on the lessons of the past months we are reinforcing our preparedness on all fronts, preserving the single market, freedoms, and facilitating the path towards economic and social recovery across the EU.

The virus is still with us and is still expanding in several regions world-wide. Within the EU, there are some focalised and well identified outbreaks, where action is being deployed to ensure they remain under control.

In the last 4 months, public health measures helped bring the pandemic down to a level manageable by national health systems, which, in turn, allowed for the progressive lifting of many restrictions and the resumption of most activities across Europe in this very atypical European summer.

A range of measures has also been introduced at EU and national levels to mitigate the social and economic impacts of the pandemic and kick start the economic recovery and our leaders are meeting on Friday to seal hopefully the agreement on the Next Generation EU.

This period of lower transmission rates is an opportunity to reinforce our capacity of response.

Today's proposal sets out actions that need to be taken to avoid generalised lockdowns in case of a second wave.

1.      We don't want the most vulnerable parts of our population to suffer from social distancing and inequalities in access to health relief.
2.      We don't want to see the economic recovery and social life be cut off again.
3.      We don't want to limit freedoms in the single market.

What we do want is to have a clear framework on what actions need to be taken to ensure that our economy and society continue building resilience; to manage orderly, efficiently and in a coordinated way new outbreaks.

The proposal has three main focuses:

First, it stresses the need for coordination. We will never get tired to make this point. Since actions converged, the situation got better. And this is the approach we want to apply in the future. We do not want to see a lack of coordination.

Second, we put emphasis on inclusiveness. Specific measures are foreseen to address the situation of vulnerable individuals and ensure preparedness that embraces all people in the EU.

And thirdly, we aim to reduce risks linked to the coexistence of COVID-19 with seasonal influenza as of next fall. This will be the first time that these two cycles will coincide. The focus is on due organisation of health facilities and immunisation programmes to ensure the efficient performance of health systems take into account this coincidence we will have for the first time next fall.

We are also strengthening contact-tracing capacities, including at local level and through mobile applications. Our colleague Thierry Breton introduced into College and approved today a set of criteria for ensuring interoperability between the different tracing apps being developed. We are confided that efforts will continue at global levels to ensure effective prevention, preparedness and response to health threats at international level as it is obvious this virus does not stop at EU borders.

Thank you."

Remarks by Commissioner Stella Kyriakides

"We are here with you today together with Vice-President Schinas to send a very strong message – a strong message that we must not let our guard down.

We have from the beginning, and I have always stressed, that we need to look at the science and the science speaks for itself. We still have COVID-19 amongst us. We have come a long way and we recognise that. But no one can predict what will come ahead in the coming weeks and months. Last month, we saw Member States lifting containment measures and citizens returning to what I have always called a new normal. Much needed by everyone.

However, we know and see that Member States are reporting smaller and bigger outbreaks localised in many Member States. We are here today to say that preparedness will be key, especially before the autumn and winter months.

Once again, we are here today calling on Member States and also EU citizens that we need to have joint actions and we need to be vigilant.  

We need to have testing and contact tracing, we need to be able to have improved public health surveillance, health capacities and ensure that we have personal protective equipment.

We need to prevent and not only to contain.

This is why in this communication we are asking Member States to run stress tests in order to see that these systems are all in place before and if we have an increase in new cases. Stress tests for contact tracing, for testing, for public health surveillance.  

We need a clear overview of needs from Member States in order to know stocks of medical supplies and necessary stockpiles.

The last few months, each and every day, we have witnessed the tragic loss of life, the impact on the vulnerable groups, on societies and on economies. 

We now need to address how to break the chain of transmission. We need to avoid generalised lockdowns and we need to protect our economies and societies and citizens from another wave like the one we had in the previous months. 

Vice-President Schinas mentioned the interaction between COVID-19 and seasonal influenza. I call this the cocktail effect. This is something that we may be encountering that we did not encounter a few months ago and we are raising in this communication the need for Member States to be prepared for this, through different ways of ensuring that they have an adequate supply of flu vaccines, they start their campaigns much earlier to vaccinate and also to address vaccine hesitancy. 

We also need today and this is stressed in the communication to address individual responsibility.

We must all continue to keep physical distancing, we need to wear face masks when this is not possible, we need to continue to use hand hygiene.

This is a new normal. We have shown through solidarity, through personal discipline and through community spirit that we are able to fight COVID-19. We are facing a global pandemic. We do not have the right to say this is too much, I'm too tired, this is enough. This would mean giving up all the sacrifices made by everyone – by Member States, by economies, by citizens, by the health care professionals over the last few months. This would mean risking lives.

So we need to build up a shield – a shield to protect the most vulnerable. Each and every one of us can make a difference. A Communication cannot beat COVID-19 but with this pandemic we are facing, communication is key.   Many of the messages we are sending out today is to join again with Member States as we have been the last four months continuously in order to be able to coordinate and to prevent rather than contain. But when we have incidences, to be able to contain effectively to avoid general lockdowns.  

Thank you so much."