Merkel, Macron urge EU to prepare for next pandemic

BRUSSELS (HRNW) – France, Germany and four other EU countries on Tuesday urged the European Union to take a greater role in preparing for any future pandemic, conceding that coronavirus responses had fallen short.

There should be a “common European approach” to such challenges in future, wrote France s Emmanuel Macron and Germany s Angela Merkel along with the leaders of Spain, Poland, Belgium and Denmark.

They addressed their letter and policy paper to European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, in the strongest attempt yet by the bloc s most powerful leaders to spur the EU executive to fix the disunity displayed during the crisis, especially in its earliest days.

As the global outbreak first took hold, member states privileged national responses by shutting borders, hoarding medical supplies and waving through major spending plans regardless of EU rules.