Europe owes an apology to Italy for its slowness to respond as the coronavirus hit the country, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday.
Italy was the earliest country in Europe to suffer a serious outbreak of the disease, and issued an emergency appeal to other European Union member states for medical supplies in February.
But no EU countries responded, amid a scramble for equipment in short supply across Europe, fuelling a sense of abandonment and disillusionment in Italy towards the bloc that worsened as countries including France and Germany imposed export restrictions on protective equipment as they sought to secure their own stocks.
"Yes, it is true that no one was really ready for this. It is also true that too many were not there on time when Italy needed a helping hand at the very beginning. And yes, for that, it is right that Europe as a whole offers a heartfelt apology," Ms von der Leyen said in a speech to the European Parliament.
Nevertheless, Ms von der Leyen insisted that the continent had learned its lesson and had caught up to become “the world’s beating heart of solidarity”.
Member states have since taken in coronavirus patients from neighbouring countries where they have available hospital capacity, and medical staff and supplies have since been sent to Italy from various parts of Europe.
“The real Europe is standing up, the one that is there for each other when it is needed the most,” Ms von der Leyen said.
"The one where paramedics from Poland and doctors from Romania save lives in Italy. Where ventilators from Germany provide a lifeline in Spain. Where hospitals in Czechia treat the sick from France. And where patients from Bergamo are flown to clinics in Bonn."
"We have seen medical supplies go from Lithuania to Spain and respirators go from Denmark to Italy. In fact, we have seen every piece of equipment go in every direction across Europe, from whoever can spare it to whoever that needs it," she added. "This makes me proud to be European."
She spoke as the parliament prepared to debate Europe's response to the pandemic, including initiatives to finance a recovery from what is expected to be an economic downturn of historic scale.
Loan schemes
The commission has relaxed spending and borrowing rules to give member states more freedom to address the crisis, and the bloc’s finance ministers last week signed off on a suite of measures including loan schemes for businesses and to support employment.
Member states will also be able to borrow from the EU’s bailout fund, with stricter conditions than normal as long as the spending is for healthcare purposes.
This fell short of meeting the hopes of Italy and eight other member states including Ireland that the bloc would agree to jointly guaranteed debt, which proponents say would bring down borrowing costs and be an essential demonstration of solidarity in the face of the crisis.
But this is strongly opposed by member states such as the Netherlands, where there is deep public aversion to what is seen as a risk of being left on the hook for the debts of weaker economies.
EU leaders will next week debate how to fund a recovery fund for the crisis, and attempt to sign off on the bloc’s next seven-year budget, a topic on which there is division between member states who want a cheaper EU and those who support increasing funding to make up for the loss of Britain’s contribution due to Brexit.
