Plenary highlights: recovery fund, contingency EU budget, tracing apps

18 May 2020 02:14 PM

MEPs called for a €2 trillion recovery package to help overcome the damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic during the May plenary session.

Covid-19

Recovery fund

Parliament is calling for a €2 trillion recovery package to boost Europe’s economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a resolution adopted on Friday, MEPs said funds should be disbursed mostly through grants and warned the European Commission against using misleading figures.

Contingency plan for EU budget

MEPs want the Commission to table a contingency plan to guarantee continuity of EU funding in case the EU’s next long-term budget is not ready on 1 January 2021. The idea behind the resolution adopted on Wednesday is to create a safety net for people and organisations benefitting from EU funding and avoid disruption to EU programmes.

Tracing apps

Any tracing apps used to manage the spread of the coronavirus should respect people’s privacy and any use of personal date should be minimal and time limited, MEPs stressed in a debate on Thursday.

Vaccines and treatments

MEPs discussed on Thursday how to speed up the development of a vaccine and medicines for Covid-19 treatment, emphasising that these should be available to everyone.

Hungary

MEPs urged the Commission and -Council to protect democracy and the rule of law in Hungary. In a debate on Thursday, many members underlined thatthe country’s emergency measures to fight Covid-19 are not in line with EU rules.

Transport

Parliament approved measures on Friday to ease – requirements on – the transport sector including airlines, ships and railway companies, with the aim of minimising the effect of the pandemic on the sector.

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