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European countries entered the confinement phase each on their own and now start the exit phase in exactly the same way. If criticism rained a few weeks ago for the lack of coordination, communication, and synchronization in many of the decisions, starting with the unilateral closure of borders, the same thing happens these days. The same political fragmentation, the same powerlessness and the same clashes between national capitals and Brussels.

The European institutions do not have health or border competences, nor can they force any government to expect unanimity in decisions such as those adopted to curb infections or the opposite. But in a political and economic Union, when there is an operational Internal Market and so many shared interests, expecting a little more synchronization is the minimum. If not in time, at least in form and substance. "Good neighbors talk to each other," said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, today.

Last week, Von der Leyen had prepared the guidelines for an exit strategy. A "European roadmap that shows the path towards a common lifting of containment measures", as it has been baptized. "While recognizing the specificities of each country, the European roadmap establishes criteria that should be met before starting to lift the restrictive measures. It also includes a series of recommendations to ensure a gradual, consolidated and coordinated exit across the EU" says the document.

A date was even planned to make it public, and it was announced, but the pressure of a few angry governments had to delay it. These are not slogans or instructions to obey, but a minimum common denominator that the Commission proposes taking into account the health and economic situation. But the problem, especially last week, is that this roadmap generated serious difficulties. Not all countries, far from it, are in the same phase. Two weeks ago, Austria or Denmark relaxed the pressure . There are countries where more than 500 people still die a day. Some were in a hurry and others less. Setting an exit guide was too early for those most affected and too late for supporters of a less conservative line. And it set conditions that, perhaps, certain states could not fully comply with, even wanting to soften certain aspects of the closure.

The Community strategy, which draws on the recommendations of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the Commission's Expert Group on Covid19, in addition to the indications of the World Health Organization, has three legs. "That there is a clear epidemiological criterion that shows a significant decrease in infections during a sustained period of time. The second, that there is sufficient sanitary capacity in terms of beds, equipment and reserves if necessary. Not only ICU capacities for patients of the coronavirus, but also for the rest of those affected by other serious diseases. The third is self-explanatory: sufficient capacity is needed to monitor the spread of the virus, which includes testing on a large scale, "explained President Von der Leyen .

Both she and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel , have reiterated that the key idea is "gradualness". Everything must go phase by phase, little by little. This affects local or national authorities, but also on a continental scale, such as lifting border controls. "It will not be done in one trick," they said. The document published today, in fact, points out that "it is not a sign that containment measures can be lifted immediately", but rather serves to "provide a framework to guarantee EU cross-border coordination while recognizing the specificity of each Member State ".

In the strategy there are also more long-term reflections. "There are four important points, touchstones. Of course, the Single Market, the internal market. It is a common good for the EU, it is the beating heart of the European economy and it allows social cohesion. It is affected by the measures of confinement and closure and the essential priority is to restore it. The second is to improve it. Correct and strengthen it, especially in the industrial strategy. The third point is the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework, the European budget. It is a key element and must be use all possible instruments. And finally, we cannot forget the external dimension and multilateralism, "summarized Charles Michel.

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  • Ursula von der Leyen
  • European Comission
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  • Covid 19

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