Following Thursday’s announcement by President von der Leyen that the EU is sending 30 ventilators from the rescEU medical reserve, Austria and the Netherlands are now also answering Czechia’s request for assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. With 15 ventilators from Austria, 105 from the Netherlands and 30 from rescEU the request of 150 ventilators from Czechia is fully answered to. Austria has also offered 30 high-flow nasal oxygen therapy devices.
“At a time when most of Europe is again struggling with the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, I thank Austria and the Netherlands for their support through our EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre continues to work closely with civil protection authorities from all participating states and we are ready to channel more assistance to Czechia. We must continue to fight this virus together,” said Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič.
This support comes on top of 620,000 masks and 50,000 protective gowns already delivered from the rescEU reserve, as well as in-kind assistance provided to 22 countries in need via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Background
The rescEU reserve includes different types of medical equipment, such as protective masks or medical ventilators used in intensive care, and is constantly replenished. The reserve is hosted by several Member States who are responsible for procuring the equipment. The European Commission finances 100% of the assets, including storage and transport. Currently 6 EU countries host rescEU: Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Sweden and Romania.
The Emergency Response Coordination Centre of the EU manages the distribution of the equipment to ensure it goes where it is needed most, based on the needs expressed by countries requesting EU assistance under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Earlier on in the outbreak, via the Civil Protection Mechanism, the Commission mobilised European Medical Teams for Italy composed of nurses and doctors, helped dispatch ventilators, masks and disinfectants across Europe, as well as repatriating more than 80,000 EU citizens on EU funded flights.
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