European Council Summit

Ahead of the European Council virtual summit tonight of EU heads of state and governments on Covid-19, Philippe Lamberts MEP, President of the Greens/EFA group, comments: 
 
"The only way out of this pandemic is if we work together. By acting together we best serve the common European interest. The heads of state and governments should agree to prioritise cooperation and coordination. Today's summit should agree on comparable measures across borders and a pan-European approach to testing. Joint planning and the central collation and evaluation of data on emerging mutations at the EU-level are urgently needed to get the virus under control. The virus doesn't recognise national borders.
 
"Member States need to address delays in the delivery of vaccines and bring about more transparency on where there are shortages of supplies. The Commission can rightly be criticised for having caved in to the pharmaceutical lobby on keeping vaccine contracts secret. Opacity is an insult to democracy, this secrecy cannot be allowed to continue. 
 
"We will not win this fight against the virus if we only focus on vaccinating Europe. We must ensure the equal distribution of vaccines around the world, to all countries, no matter their wealth. In these dark times, Europe should show our solidarity and support with the global south in the enormous task of vaccinating the world's population."