European ministers discuss implementation of financial package to support fight against COVID-19

European foreign affairs ministers welcomed in an informal video conference held on Monday the announcement that almost 36 billion euros have been mobilized by the Team Europe package to support partner countries in the fight against COVID-19 and its socio-economic consequences.

The ministers met to discuss the progress made in the implementation of the Team Europe package, which was launched on April 8, 2020.

The resources within the package would be allocated to partner countries in cooperation with them, and on the basis of a joint assessment of needs, according to a press release from the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).

The European Council stressed the urgency of protecting the lives and livelihoods of all people, especially those that are most in need. It called for a rights-based and people-centered approach that focuses on the most vulnerable groups and people, including the urban poor, migrants, and refugees. The Council also reiterated its support to the coordinating role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the global public health support.

Before the discussion, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus briefed the ministers on the role played by the WHO during the COVID-19 pandemic in ensuring global coordination and assistance to the most vulnerable countries.