After having faced sharp criticism from within the EU over its inactivity in assisting the country’s within the bloc that have been the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the European Commission is still struggling to find its footing when it comes to enacting far-reaching and legally enforceable measures that will help reduce the threat of the ongoing outbreak.
Christine Lagarde, the European Central Bank’s (ECB) President, has come under fire for saying that the national governments, and not the ECB, are responsible for protecting highly indebted Eurozone countries.
The European Commission, however, is viewing the crisis as an opportunity to try and prove that it can act quickly and effectively. To that end, the Commission has been signalling that Brussels is ready to make a last-ditch effort to secure itself an important role in the fight against the pandemic.
“It is not possible to stop the virus, but it is of utmost importance to slow its spread,” Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission President said on March 13, comments that came just before the EU executive formed a Corona response team and pledged to provide medical equipment and funds for research and the development of a coordinated European response to COVID-19.
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/european-commissions-latest-response-to-covid-19/