Coronavirus: European roadmap shows path towards common lifting of containment measures
date: 23/04/2020
The roadmap establishes key principles such as factors to consider regarding the timing of a relaxation in confinement rules; the need for a European approach that balances public health benefits with social and economic factors and avoids negative impacts; and the need for accompanying measures such as better data collection and reporting, expanded testing capacity, more resilient national healthcare systems, a strengthened supply capacity in medical and personal protective equipment, and developing and fast-tracking the introduction of a vaccine. The Commission's roadmap also lists concrete recommendations Member States should consider when planning to lift containment measures. As confinement measures are gradually lifted, the roadmap notes that there is a need to strategically plan the recovery to revitalise the economy and get back on a path of sustainable growth. The Commission will develop a Recovery plan, based on a revamped proposal for the next long-term EU budget (Multiannual Financial Framework) and the updated Commission Work Programme for 2020.