EU: Borders remain open for food, medicine, and raw materials

The European Commission is working together with EU countries to ensure the flow of essential goods across borders. The commission emphasized that this public health emergency “can only be effectively managed through solidarity and a coordinated solution across Europe.”

In a statement issued in Brussels, the commission outlined its strategy for addressing the consequences of the coronavirus Covid-19 outbreak. In addition to announcing an investment package of €37 billion and a list of measures that EU member states themselves can take to limit the economic damage caused by Covid-19, the European authority also focused on supply security. This concerns not only the transport of (industrial) raw materials but especially of food products.

Many EU countries have already ‘closed their borders,’ which in some cases also affected the transport sector. Meanwhile, EU countries have agreed that these ‘closed borders’ apply only to people, not to the transport of goods. The commission is working with the member states to ensure the flow of essential goods across borders, the statement stressed.

The European Commission also called on member states to “work together to ensure the production, supply, availability, and rational use of medical protective equipment and medicines within the EU, in an open and transparent manner, instead of taking unilateral measures that restrict the free movement of essential healthcare items.” In addition, a fast-tracked joint procurement procedure has been launched for such goods, accompanied by a recommendation on protective equipment that is not CE-marked.

The Covid-19 outbreak has had a major impact on European transport systems, given the close interconnection of European supply chains, supported by an extensive network of freight services on land, at sea, and in the air. The EU has temporarily suspended the driving and rest time regulations for truck drivers, and in some countries, the ‘weekend ban’ on freight traffic has also been lifted.

The international and European aviation sectors have been particularly affected. Last week, the commission drafted targeted legislation to temporarily relieve airlines from the “use-it-or-lose-it” rule. According to this rule, airlines must use at least 80% of their airport rights (slots) within a certain period in order not to lose their slot for the coming year.

Today, the EU finance ministers are holding a telephone meeting on economic prospects. Economists have already calculated that the growth forecast of one and a half percent for this year will turn into a loss of about one percent.