(15 April 2020) – Today, the Commission, in cooperation with the President of the European Council, has put forward a European roadmap to phase-out the containment measures due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The necessary extraordinary measures taken by Member States and the EU are working. They have slowed down the spread of the virus and saved thousands of lives. But they come at a dramatic cost to people, society and the economy, and cannot last indefinitely.
While recognising the specificities of each country, the roadmap establishes criteria to meet before starting to lift restrictive measures. It also includes recommendations to ensure a gradual and coordinated exit across the EU.
As the virus knows no borders, we also have to take into account the global dimension of this crisis. It can only be defeated through international coordination and cooperation, to improve our pandemic preparedness.