European Commission President Ursula
von der Leyen said Thursday that Italy was right to call for the
European Union to take action in the early stages of the
COVID-19 pandemic in her speech at the State of the Union
conference of the European University Institute.
"I remember the call for Europe coming from Italy," von der
Leyen said.
"The people of Italy demanded that Europe steps in.
"They demanded European solidarity and coordination. And they
were right.
"Italy was right. Europe had to step in. And that is what we
did".
She added that the G20 Global Health summit that will take place
in Rome on May 21 will be crucial for the future.
"I want us to be ahead of the curve," she said.
"And the whole world needs to be ahead of the curve, too. This
is also why I have proposed holding a G20 Global Health Summit.
"I will co-host it with Prime Minister Draghi in Rome later this
month.
"Because we must now move from the ad-hoc solutions of this
year, towards a sustainable system. A system, that works for the
whole world. Because viruses know no borders.
"In Rome, we want to discuss international cooperation in health
emergencies, including NGOs, foundations and civil society.
"These are new alliances for better solutions. Yes, preparedness
comes at a cost. But the cost of preparedness is tiny compared
to the cost of inaction.
"The world needs a new beginning on health policy. And our
health renaissance begins in Rome".
She added that the EU is willing to discuss suspending patents
to help COVID vaccinations move faster worldwide.
"The EU is also ready to discuss any proposals that address the
crisis in an effective and pragmatic manner," she said.
"That is why we are ready to discuss how the U.S. proposal for a
waiver on intellectual property protections for COVID-19
vaccines could help achieve that objective.
"In the short run, however, we call upon all vaccine producing
countries to allow export and to avoid measures that disrupt the
supply chains".
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