rescEU medical stockpile: right on time
The right tool at the right time to address the global COVID-19 pandemic.
By Knowledge Network – Staff member
The global spread of COVID-19 in early 2020 led to additional measures taken at Member States level to avoid the emergency escalating throughout the EU. To meet these challenges, in a rapid ‘tour de force’ the Civil Protection Committee adopted the Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/414 of 19 March 2020, which included among the rescEU capacities the stockpiling of medical countermeasures or personal protective equipment aimed at combatting serious cross-border threats to health.
The first rescEU reserve of medical countermeasures was set up by the Romanian Department for Emergency Situations (IGSU).
The European Commission allocated a direct grant of up to €10 million for the establishment of an initial reserve of medical countermeasures, consisting of personal protective masks and medical ventilators for intensive care. The biggest challenge for the Romanian authorities was to procure the materials, considering the scarce availability and the fierce competition on the volatile international market at that time.
This is to be seen just as another example of Member and Participating States’ engagement to contribute to the overall European response to emergencies and a reflection of the most important characteristic of European Civil Protection – SOLIDARITY.
In coordination with ECHO, the items were purchased through an emergency procurement procedure and stored by IGSU in their own warehouses.
The Emergency Response Coordination Centre mobilised the rescEU reserve only a few weeks after its creation, to respond to critical needs of the front line authorities responding to the pandemic in UCPM Member States and Participating States. Since 25 April 2020, IGSU carried out ten rescEU missions (using both land and aerial transport), delivering 847 000 FFP2 and FFP3 protective masks to Croatia, Italy, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Spain, and 30 medical ventilators for intensive care to the Czech Republic.
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The Knowledge Network – Staff member
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