L-impatt tal-pandemija COVID-19 huwa sottovalutat b’mod qawwi mill-UE- Alfred Sant

Minkejja li vvota favur riżoluzzjoni tal-Parlament Ewropew dwar l-azzjoni kkoordinata tal-UE għall-ġlieda kontra l-pandemija COVID-19 u l-konsegwenzi tagħha, Alfred Sant esprima numru ta’ riżervi f’dikjarazzjoni li saret wara dibattitu plenarju li kien indirizzat mill-President tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea Ursula von der Leyen.

Ir-riżoluzzjoni adottata mill-Parlament tappella lill-Kummissjoni Ewropea biex tipproponi pakkett ta’ rkupru u rikostruzzjoni massiva għall-investiment biex tappoġġja l-ekonomija Ewropea wara l-kriżi, lil hinn minn dak li diġà qed jagħmlu l-Mekkaniżmu Ewropew ta’ Stabbiltà, il-Bank Ewropew tal-Investiment u l-Bank Ċentrali Ewropew.

Alfred Sant innota li x’aktarx qed jissottovalutaw l-effetti tal-mewġ li jirriżulta mit-tnaqqis ekonomiku kif ukoll il-firxa attwali ta’ dawn l-effetti, anke jekk is-sitwazzjoni tas-saħħa pubblika titjieb b’mod ġenerali skont l-aħjar xenarji possibbli.

“Il-‘bazooka finanzjarja’ li qed tintuża fuq livell Ewropew mhix impressjonanti biżżejjed, anke jekk miżjuda mal-isforzi nazzjonali tal-gvernijiet tal-Istati Membri, speċjalment meta mqabbla ma’ dik tal-Istati Uniti.

Barra minn hekk, il-mod kif ġie nnegozjat u miftiehem jittradixxi n-nuqqas ta’ viżjoni komuni dwar l-għanijiet li qed jiġu stabbiliti”, iddikjara Alfred Sant.

 

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Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic is grossly underestimated by the EU – Alfred Sant

Despite voting in favour of a resolution in the European Parliament on the EU’s coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, Alfred Sant expressed a number of reservations in a statement following a plenary debate that was addressed by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

The resolution adopted by the Parliament calls on the European Commission to propose a massive recovery and reconstruction package for investment to support the European economy after the crisis, beyond what the European Stability Mechanism, the European Investment Bank and the European Central Bank are already doing.

Alfred Sant noted that we are likely underestimating the ripple effects resulting from the economic downturn as well as its actual extent, even if the public health situation improves overall according to the available best-case scenarios.

“The financial “bazooka” being used on a European level is not impressive enough, even if added to the national efforts by member state governments, especially when compared with that of the US.

Moreover the way it was negotiated and agreed betrays the lack of a common vision regarding the objectives that are being set”, stated Alfred Sant.