Maltese MEPs Miriam Dalli and David Casa agree that the European Union (EU) was slow in its response to the Covid-19 outbreak in Europe, however, they believe that the union is moving in the right direction for its recovery plan.

They were speaking during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, just before the MEP debate on the results of the latest European Council video-conference on mitigating the impact that COVID-19 is having on EU citizens and companies took place. 

The debate covered a number of topics like the MFF (new long-term budget), the use of tracing apps to fight the spread of Covid-19 and Covis-19 vaccines and treatment. Votes on the decision taken during these discussions are set to take place on Friday 15 May.

Speaking on behalf of Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Dalli said the EU’s response was too calm and not up to standard but also acknowledged that all EU bodies are hard at work and moving in the right direction.

She said that their aim is to not simply rely on the MFF but also go beyond it so that there are other funds for recovery.

“The reality is that the pandemic has highlighted a number of areas that need attention, such as poverty. There is also the issue of businesses who are facing bankruptcy and we want to have a strategy for all of EU members,” she said. She emphasised that this strategy needs to keep EU citizens as its main focus and that it needs to be based on three main pillars: economic growth, social wellbeing and environmental wellbeing. This means that any investment needs to move towards the promotion of the green deal, a digital economy and a sustainable industry.

In addition to this, Dalli believes that there needs to be investment in the health sector even though it is not completely under the EU's remit as this situation has shown us that we could have reacted in a more coordinated manner. “Some states decided to close off exportation of health resources, which was a detriment to smaller countries,” she pointed out.

She said that the Socialist Group is working on an joint agreement about this topic, one which promotes better communication regarding medical supplies among member states.

This includes the distribution of the vaccine across all member states but it should not be limited to it. She said that there are cases where people with rare conditions might not have access to their needed medication because of financial burdens.

“We are making proposals for a European Response Mechanism so that states show solidarity amongst each other in cases like this pandemic and for there to be regulations on abuse of antibiotics,” she said.

She added that this element of solidarity must also be shown when it comes to the much-disputed migration issue. "There are member states who look the other way we discuss this issue and we cannot go on having just one or two states carry all the weight. Saving lives is a top priority and the EU must also send a clear message to anyone meddling in human trafficking," she said.

Casa said that EU’s response could have been more urgent but he is pleased with the work that is being done.

As a Questor of the European Parliament (EP), he has had to ensure that parliamentary discussions keep on taking place despite the current restrictions.

Along with the rest of the team, he  also implemented measures that benefit citizens of Brussels and Luxemburg. These include, offering services to front-liners including accommodation and daily transport and meals. Furthermore, part of the parliament in Brussels is being used to host some vulnerable individuals while a part of the building in Luxemburg will start being used for Covid-19 testing in the coming weeks. “These are small steps but ones that show solidarity to the authorities of these areas,” Casa said.

He added that as an MEP, he has ensured that structural funds are accessible to all member states by making them more flexible, such as, removing the obligation of co-financing. Public health is the top priority and the EU has to ensure that all member states have access to medical supplies, especially when it comes to the Covid-19 vaccine.

He believes that the EU should strive to be the one to create the vaccine itself, however, what is important is that all of the world has immediate access to it, wherever it is produced.

Another topic he mentioned, was the EU mechanism Support to Mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) that is focused on scheme of employment that helps people whose businesses are close to bankruptcy.