During the plenary session in the European Parliament in Brussels (13-16 May 2020), David SASSOLI, makes an opening statement at the resumption of session concerning the the International Day of Nursing. He announced that the W.H.O., the World Health organization declared 2020 the year of nurses. The following transcription is the result of an automatic process. Check Against delivery.

Brussels

statement

plenary session

SASSOLI, David Maria (S&D, IT, S&D, IT)

healthcare safety (T)

Coronavirus outbreak (T)

Resumption of session: opening statement by David SASSOLI, EP President, on the International Day of Nursing

SOUNDBITE (Italian) David SASSOLI, EP President, Colleagues, yesterday, we celebrated the International Day of Nursing and the W.H.O, the World Health Organization declared to 2020 the year of nurses.

SOUNDBITE (Italian) David SASSOLI, EP President, And so I'd like to start today's plenary with words of thanks and praise to the men and women in white coats who have provided essential services with courage and humanity in such difficult times. Our shared duty is to ensure that they can carry out their work in security and to do so efficiently.

SOUNDBITE (Italian) David SASSOLI, EP President, Countries have made hospitals, healthcare, material, equipment available to others. Thanks to the efforts of civil society and this is an effort demonstrating civil to civil society that shows wealth for all of our countries.

SOUNDBITE (Italian) David SASSOLI, EP President, Today, we have to strengthen the EU's capability in the healthcare field. This is a duty that we owe to our citizens. The parliament has asked for a European mechanism for a health care response to ensure that we can work together to prepare a response, a coordinated response to any type of health care crisis.

SOUNDBITE (Italian) David SASSOLI, EP President, The Covid 19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for a public health policy, a policy which will be more proactive and one which involves greater cooperation in order to build systems for health care and assistance for assistance which will be resilient and which will ensure greater solidarity in Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Italian) David SASSOLI, EP President, On the 9th of May 1957 years ago, solidarity between six European countries pushed us towards arriving at a Europe of peace and security. As Robert Schuman said, this Europe arose from clear, concrete realizations and which created genuine solidarity in practice.

SOUNDBITE (Italian) David SASSOLI, EP President, And this has led to lasting peace. While much has improved lives of all of our citizens. This was an ambitious project, but one which was also extremely pragmatic. Learning from the errors of the war and the sacrifices that had been made to bring this war to an end.

SOUNDBITE (Italian) David SASSOLI, EP President, Seventy five years of peace now. This is a shared project and we have many challenges facing us in the future. Europe, with its men and women and young people, is capable of developing and showing the solidarity that we've seen in this period of great emergency and with the solidarity.

SOUNDBITE (Italian) David SASSOLI, EP President, Our task will be all the easier. We have a great deal of responsibility on our shoulders and we have to be up to citizens expectations in Europe. We have to be able to think properly about the future of Europe and how we are going to deal with the immediate crises that face us.

SOUNDBITE (Italian) David SASSOLI, EP President, This crisis is teaching us a great number of things, but in particular that we can only recover together. Thank you.