“Coordination between member states when lifting containment measures is central”, says CEEP
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Today [15th April 2020], the Commission, in cooperation with the President of the European Council and responding to the call from the heads of state and of government for a coordinated exit strategy, has put forward a European roadmap to phase-out the containment measures put in place due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Welcoming the objectives of this roadmap aimed at promoting pan-European cooperation whilst progressively lifting lockdowns across the continent, Valeria Ronzitti, CEEP General Secretary, commented:
“When designing exit strategies, a one-size-fits-all approach is impossible to implement across the EU, as territories and sectors are unevenly affected. European guidance is however needed to promote solidarity and cooperation across the continent. Failing to implement a coordinated approach could prove contrary to the whole EU integration, which was aimed at increasing economic and social convergence between and within Member States.”
“We welcome the fact that the Roadmap stresses that public health remains at the top of the agenda and should prevail on the economy. Notwithstanding the importance of restarting the economy to mitigate the enormous economic and social impacts of the crisis, the protection of public health, combined with the serious evaluation of the capacity of each national healthcare system, should remain the first guiding principle.”
“We now call upon Member States, as well as the EU, regional and local institutions to involve the social partners in the design of the de-containment process. By their nature and representativeness, employers and trade unions are the perfect interlocutors to prepare and issue guidelines on how to safely bring sectors, regions and Member States out of lockdowns.”
“SGI providers, which have maintained activities throughout the crisis, have implemented specific health and safety measures to protect workers. With its partners of the platform ‘SGI facing COVID-19’ and their joint expertise, CEEP can therefore contribute to shaping concrete guidelines.”
For further information, please contact:
Maxime STAELENS, Communication Advisor
Email: maxime.staelens@ceep.eu
Tel.: + 32(0) 2 229 21 40
Website: www.ceep.eu
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