German Ambassador Dr. Emily Haber on European Solidarity in the face of COVID-19- "alleviate, m

Ambassador Dr. Emily Haber

Meridian International Center organized a virtual convening with the Ambassador of Germany, Her Excellency Dr. Emily Haber, on European solidarity in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. The Ambassador described Germany's rapid and early response to the crises where the government- local and federal- united their efforts. The government took massive efforts in preparations of the country's hospitals where 30,000 ICUs' and 20,000 units of respiratory ventilators where it increased to 40,000 ICUs' and 30,000 ventilators. She also expressed the government is prepared for peaks where the nations' small laboratories took part of the massive general effort for testing where German scientists developed tests to determine the genetic code for the virus. These tests were mass produced, allowing Germany to have early and comprehensive testing,

Regarding the European Union solidarity efforts, the Ambassador expressed that there are existing mechanisms in place such as the European Central Bank setting up a program to purchase bonds to help the sovereign debt markets. The key, according to Ambassador Haber, is to ensure emergency mechanisms in place to support mitigating risks for employees of small and mid-sized companies.

Humanity is the central issue the Ambassador discussed, where she expressed that this crisis brings up the concerns about health security and personal lives. We cannot combat this extraordinary crises with an entirely fiscal approach but a more humane approach. That is why, she stresses, this is a time for humanity to join forces in ways of researching vaccine treatments and to extend solidarity within European countries and beyond.

So far, Germany has already opened up their ICUs' to France and Italy and have delivered medical supplies to the southern European countries badly affected by the crises. Collecting data for and from the medical sphere is the continued effort on the part of the country.