PLUS: Romania, designated by EC to buy, stock and distribute medical equipment for EU

Romania has been designated by the European Commission to buy, stock and distribute medical equipment for all the European Union countries affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Save Romania Union (USR) - the Liberty, Unity, Solidarity Party (PLUS) Alliance announced on Tuesday. "The USR PLUS delegation to the European Parliament supported and promoted at the European Union level the creation of a European reserve of medical equipment, which became reality today. The work, started in February through Rapporteur Nicolae Stefanuta on the EU civil protection mechanism, endorsed by Dacian Ciolos and Renew Europe group, pays off for Europe and Romania. Our country has been designated by the European Commission with the task of buying, stocking and distributing medical equipment for the Union countries affected by the COVID-19 crisis," a USR PLUS Alliance release mentions. Based on this European contract, according to the European Commission, Romania has already bought 150 ventilators, as well as other essential medical material, the quoted source mentions. The materials are paid 100% by the European Union, and the initial budget of 50 million euro will be increased in order to cover as much as possible the European needs. The reserves will be distributed through a mechanism based on criteria such as: the number of confirmed cases and the capacity of the ICU wards. "This European strategic reserve is welcomed in the context of COVID-19, but is should permanently exist at the EU level. We will experience events of this magnitude more often, especially because of climate change. No European state, no matter how rich it is, can manage it alone. But, more than anything, it shouldn't manage it alone, but together, in solidarity with all the other Europeans," Nicolae Stefanuta said, as quoted in the release. "The USR PLUS delegation provides all the support so that the European strategic reserve be set up and distribute, as soon as possible, to hospitals in Romania, Italy, Spain or any other European state in difficulty," the quoted source added. AGERPRES (RO - author: Catalina Matei, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Rodica State, editor: Adina Panaitescu)