A team of European doctors and nurses from Romania and Norway, deployed through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, has been dispatched to Milan and Bergamo to help Italian medical staff working to battle the coronavirus. Austria has also offered over 3,000 litres of disinfectant to Italy via the Mechanism. The European Commission is coordinating and co-financing this European assistance.
President Ursula von der Leyen said: “These nurses and doctors, who left their homes to help their colleagues in other Member States are the true faces of European solidarity. The whole of Europe is proud of you. The Commission is doing everything it can to help Italy and all our Member States at this time of great need.”
Yesterday Italy also received a delivery of personal protective equipment coordinated through the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre. Several EU Member States have also sent protective equipment such as masks, overalls and ventilators to Italy, as well taking Italian patients for treatment in their countries.
The Emergency Response Coordination Centre is the heart of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and coordinates the delivery of assistance to disaster-stricken countries, such as relief items, expertise, civil protection teams and specialised equipment.
