Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), Chair and Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, hold a press conference to present the results of the work of the Committee on collecting the evidence and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to give answers on the impact it had on citizens and their fundamental rights, the businesses, the health sector and international community. The transcript is the result of an automated process. Please check against delivery.

Strasbourg

press conference

VAN BREMPT, Kathleen (S&D, BE)

MONTSERRAT, Dolors (EPP, ES)

EU's response to covid-19 (T)

Special Committee COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and recommendations for the future

Press conference by Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), Chair and Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES), Rapporteur, on the Special Committee' report on lessons learned and recommendations for the future following the COVID-19 pandemic

SOUNDBITE (English), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&amp;D ,BE), chair, Welcome, all of you. And in front of you is a very proud chair of the COVID Committee. Proud of the report of Mrs. Montserrat that we voted yesterday, proud on the work of the COVID committee itself.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, And I do know when I talk to people that there is some sort of fatigue when it comes to the pandemia. People want to move on, and rightly so. And we are already in a next crisis. But still, it is very important that the European Parliament has taken the time to look in depth to what happened during the pandemic, of course, with a very specific view at a European level, because without any doubt the pandemic was one of the most fundamental and profound crisis in the history of the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, We were not ready to deal with a pandemic like that. And the question is, if you would ask me, are we ready to date? And the answer is still no, although many things already happened, think about the vaccination strategy during the pandemic, the creation of HERA, for instance, as a new European institution. Still, there's a lot of things that need to be done.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, And in that sense, I think it's very important what we did in the COVID committee and with the vote of the report yesterday. The report is more than just lessons learned. Let it be clear: it presents a clear road map to a more resilient and crisis resilient Europe. In order to get there, I really want to stress that the COVID committee worked more than a year in-depth. We had, for instance, eight commissioners coming to the committee.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, Commissioner Kyriakides came more than once, of course, but we had commissioner Schinas, Breton have seen us, Gentiloni, Dombrovskis, Urpilainen. We had all the relevant EU institutions. We had chiefs epidemiologist. We had responsible national health ministers and of course, as you know, one of the things that I consider also very important: we looked in-depth into the global issues as well.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, And for that we had the World Health Organisation, the World Trade Organisation, the International Labour Organisation, and of course we also had missions, we went to Biontech and to EMA. We also went to the north of Italy. Everybody remembers the first images when the Pandemia hits the European soil in northern Italy and the effect that it had.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, And we had an international mission to South Africa and to Ethiopia, which was also very interesting. That all resulted in a report with which what I said already clear recommendations that also quite brought in in looking, for instance, at the climate crisis that needs to be solved to be able to prevent future pandemics.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, A call to the Commission and member States to ensure that future procurement contracts and manufacturer remain liable. And it also goes into the aspect of long term financial and technical support for medical capacity. That is extremely important and as I said, very important. The global issues.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, We are looking forward to negotiations on the pandemic treaty and clear recommendations over there as well because, despite the many good things has happened during the pandemic, especially at a European level there was one failure that we all agree upon: it was the fact that there was not equal access to vaccines and it was not as affordable for everybody, especially the Global South. And that creates further polarisation in the world.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, As we know, being in another crisis today, that's something that we really need to tackle as well. I really need to thank before I give the floor to our rapporteur. I really need to thank many people because, you know, have some experience in this Parliament, but I've never seen 3000 amendments in a report. That resulted in 350 compromises to get there.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, Many people worked enormous hours, including a lot of weekends. Our political staff, the staff of the Secretariat, members in the Parliament, and of course the rapporteur and the shadow rapporteurs. And as I said, there's always something you need that you want to have better. But it's an excellent report and I give very gladly give the floor to Mrs. Monserrat to explain what is in detail in the report.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, Thank you. Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here today with her. And of course, I want to join with her, you know, all the thanks to all the head of unit, all the members of the Secretariat, advisors, MEPs, shadows coordinators, too. So thank you, you know, for the big work that we did, because for me, it's the first time too, that I saw a report with 3300 amendments and 350 compromise.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, And yesterday afternoon we arrive, you know, we vote in favour of this report. I stand before you today to present the findings and recommendations of the Special Committee on COVID 19. The pandemic has reminded us all of the paramount importance of health, both for our citizens and our institutions. For this reason, we can say now that today health is a priority for the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, The report adopted by the committee is a structure around four pillars first health. Second, a coordinated approach with respect for democracy and fundamental rights. Third, social and economic impact. The Fourth is the European Union's role in the world. Each pillar addressed critical issues and draw significant conclusions.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, The report culminates in a set of concrete recommendations for the future. We have recommended that we strive towards building a European Health Union and a more resilient European economy and society. We must have answers not only about our health, but also about our security, well-being and way of life.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, It has become evident that no single country can effectively tackle a pandemic that knows no borders. The success of Europe's response to future pandemics hinges on solidarity, responsibility and effective coordination among European Union governments and citizens. It is crucial to remember that we face an unprecedented situation that needs unprecedented solutions.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, While accepting that mistakes were made, particularly in the early stage of the pandemic, the European Union responded with all available instruments at its disposal. The leadership shown by the European Union in driving vaccine research, development and coordination of health, economic and social measures has been crucial in saving millions of lives, not only within the European Union, but also globally.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, The medical emergency had far reaching effects on the security and stability of social and economic conditions, particularly impacting the lives of vulnerable individuals, including millions of chronic patients. Delays and interruptions in diagnosis and treatment have had devastating consequences, especially for cancer patients.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, So we cannot allow this to happen again. Moreover, we recommended that in future health crises, schools and other education facilities should remain open if the epidemiological situation allowed it, while always respecting the health and safety of students and teachers while prioritising the protection of the public's health.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, The COVID digital certificate has been proved to be effective to limit the effects of pandemic, even if it has to be recognised that its application needed to be harmonised and avoid limitations of the citizen civil rights. In terms of the European Union financial support, we report that European Union funds have helped more than 30 million people to keep their jobs and almost 3 million companies, mainly as a means to stay in business, and that these instruments have helped to reduce unemployment in Europe by 1.5 million people.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, However, we call for measures aimed at preserving employment in exams to be further strengthened through aid, improve training, training for workers, as well as support for the self-employed in the sectors most affected by the pandemic. The development and deployment of COVID 19 vaccines proved to be a game changer in the pandemic, highlighting the essential role of the European Union health, research and development, robust intellectual property protection and effective incentive systems played a crucial role in ensuring the continuity of this vital work.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, To further strengthen our position, we have recommended increasing the share of GP production on our territory in Europe and facilitating more investments in pharmaceutical research and development in Europe. This includes securing access to critical materials, very important, reinforcing Europe strategic outflow autonomy enhance, and maintaining openness to the dynamics of the global supply chain.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, Furthermore, the European Union must enhance its protection against threats posed by these information and misinformation campaigns, as well as cyber attacks targeting essential services such as finance, industry and health care. We need to be better prepared and equipped to save war our institutions and citizens from such destabilising influence.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, The report includes important provisions such as the call for access to non redacted versions of vaccines contracts for members of the European Parliament with publication only, if legally permissible. We also emphasised the need to keep the European Parliament informed about purchase agreements and joint procurement efforts.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, Furthermore, we are able to, we advocate for increased the scrutiny powers of the European Parliament in deciding emergency measures and control over the proposals. A stand alone agency, EDA, at national level. We also call for ensuring that national parliaments are not close even in a pandemic, and for ensuring oversight of all government measures and actions.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, Transparency in vaccine related matters, including secondary effects. It is also a priority that it is in our report. Additionally, we seek transparency in the cost of research and development imports in publicly funded initiatives and projects while respecting business confidentiality.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, On the issue of intellectual property rights and the TRIPS waiver. We have engaged in extensive discussions and debates and found an agreement that acknowledges the usefulness of intellectual property while backing a time limited through waivers. The report presents today represents a comprehensive roadmap for Europe's future.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, The Chair was saying that this is not just a recommendations. This report is the roadmap for Europe's future. By embracing the lessons learned and taking decisive actions, we can forge a path towards a stronger European Health Union and a more resilient economy and society.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES) rapporteur, So we are committed to live together in solidarity, fully utilising our capacities to coordinate effectively and bring added value to the governments and citizens of the European Union. So this is a conclusion of this exten report with 3300 amendments and 350 compromised. So we are open to receive your answers. Thank you very much.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, You're always always welcome to read the report. I know it's it's not a small one. You need some time to do so. And sometimes with all these compromises, it's not very easy. Readable. We know that. So we may might have a look on how we can translate that in a better way, because it is important.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, And let me start by telling you that that we, although we're a year ahead of of the next elections and we don't know who will be next in the European Parliament, but we will insist that also already this commission takes up the recommendation if possible.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, But of course, the next commission needs to take this report as a sort of basis when working on both health care and health systems, but also on everything that relates to the becoming much more resilient, becoming much more crisis resilient.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&D ,BE), chair, And that is a very broad perspective. But of course it is also important, this report for the academia, the world to the academic world who worked relentlessly during the pandemic in trying to find solutions, and for a broader public and NGO. So it is more than just a report for the commission. It's a broad report for a broader public that we've written.

Q&amp;A, Question regarding the report not looking at the different approaches adopted by different EU Member States.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Dolors MONTSERRAT (EPP, ES), Rapporteur, -

Q&A, Question regarding the supposed hearing of the CEO of Pfizer and the hearing of supposed hearing of Ursula von der Leyen.

SOUNDBITE (German), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&amp;D, BE), Chair, -

Q&A, Question regarding the speakers views on some of the citizens and MEPs having a radical different view on the pandemic than the rest of the people.

Q&A, Question regarding the support offered for journalists in relation with the effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on the media.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kathleen VAN BREMPT (S&amp;D, BE), Chair, - 