Sara Cerdas MEP, spokesperson and negotiator for the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, has called for a resolution on the coordination of health assessments and travel restrictions in the Schengen area. During the debate, she defended the creation of a “Union for European Health,” based on “effective, coordinated and shared management information.”
The MEP criticised the way EU Member States have managed the pandemic, saying that “despite the efforts of the European institutions, there appears to be a real lack of coordination between Member States” and called for a common and transversal approach to health assessments and the dissemination of information, to provide EU citizens with a “better perception and understanding of measures” and to generate “confidence in EU institutions at all levels.”
“The Commission” she said “working together with the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC), should promote with the Member States a common methodology for data collection, with the standardisation of case and death definitions for COVID-19. Only thus, we will be able to standardise the assessment of epidemiological risk across the Union. There is an urgent need to develop a common framework of public health measures to be adopted by public authorities in view of the different levels of risk, thus allowing a better perception and adherence of rules by citizens.”
Sara Cerdas believes that “only with effective coordination can we ensure an efficient and resilient single market that guarantees the availability of services and products across the EU and to all its citizens.”
The European Parliament will vote on a resolution on this matter on Thursday the 17th of September.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
