The European Parliament on Tuesday voted in favour of the mobilisation of €20.5 million from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to Ireland to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The release of funding was approved by an overwhelming majority of MEPs with 675 in favour 8 against and 13 abstentions.
Commenting on the outcome, Frances Fitzgerald, MEP for Dublin, said:
“Ireland applied for EU solidarity funding to be unlocked following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March last year. In November 2020, Ireland secured €23.3 million in funding through the EU Solidarity Fund which has gone to support our health service and to control and prevent the spread of the virus.
“With today’s approval from Parliament, we will now unlock an additional €20.5 million of crucial EU Solidarity funding to support our health service in Ireland. While infection rates now remain relatively low, we still need significant funding to control and prevent the spread of the disease and to ensure our resilience as our vaccination programme is rolled out.
“Europe’s economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic has always been based on solidarity and providing support to where it is most needed. For Ireland, having access to the European Solidarity Fund allows us to quickly unlock funding and direct it to our health services.”
ENDS
Notes to the Editor:
· The EU Solidarity Fund is one of the main EU instruments for disaster recovery and, as part of the EU coordinated response to the coronavirus emergency, its scope has been recently extended to cover major health emergencies.
· In total, this overall aid package represents 530 million euros in financial support under the European Solidarity Fund as an additional financial contribution to the efforts deployed by 17 Member States and three accession countries to fight the coronavirus health emergency.
· The final report as voted on by the European Parliament can be accessed here: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2021-0157_EN.html
