EU Chief Apologizes To Italy Over Coronavirus Pandemic
By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – The chief of the European Union’s executive has made “a heartfelt apology” to Italy for the block’s slow response in handling the coronavirus pandemic. Italy suffered more than 21,000 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest toll in Europe, officials say.
“Yes, it is true that no one was indeed really ready for this,” explained Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU’s executive European Commission. “It is also true that too many were not there on time when Italy needed a helping hand at the very beginning,” she added. “And yes, for that, it is right that Europe as a whole offers a heartfelt apology,” Von der Leyen said in comments monitored by Worthy News.
She made the remarks this week to a mainly empty European Parliament where she cautioned: “Saying sorry, only counts for something if it changes behavior. The truth is that it did not take long before everyone realized that we must protect each other to protect ourselves.”
Italy hopes these words will translate into concrete financial aid. But several EU nations struggle to find enough money to deal with their coronavirus outbreaks. The Parliament of France, for instance, approved an emergency budget overnight, including the government’s 110 billion euro ($120 billion) plan to save the economy from virus-related collapse.
The approval followed French President Emmanuel Macron questioning China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Macron told the Financial Times newspaper that it was in his words “naive” to suggest that China, where the virus originated from, had dealt better with the crisis. He stressed that things “happened that we don’t know about.” Macron spoke while the French navy investigated how the coronavirus infected more than 1,000 sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. The outbreak led to growing pressure on French government officials to explain why it could have happened.
The incident underscored how the pandemic had impacted many in Europe, where several countries slowly want to end lockdowns that have affected millions of people. The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 95 percent of those who died of the new coronavirus in Europe have been over 60. But the WHO also warned that young people should not be complacent. Worldwide, some 155,000 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported.
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