Crisis management can only work on a European level! 27 organisations and associations comment in our #EBDTelegramm why dealing with #COVID19 requires joint solutions instead of national egoisms. Read their statements in the following #thread:
#EUSolidarity #EuropeUnited

. @linn_la_s, #EBDpräsidentin: "The current #coronacrisis is a border-crossing challenge which affects all #EUcitizens. Thus, the German government #Bundesregierung also needs to promote cross-border solutions!"

The German Retail Federation @handelsverband calls on the government to maintain the free movement of workers. @AntjeGerstein states: "The #EuropeanSingleMarket is one of the EU's greatest achievements - we can't jeopardise it under any circumstances!"

. @VolkerTreier of @DIHK_News urges the #EU to reduce legal uncertainties and bureaucratic obstacles: "Our companies are internationally active and differences between the regulations of EU countries lead to distortions of competition."

. @meinhardt of @BVMWeV argues that European countries can only work through the crises together. However, communitization through #coronabonds would not be an adequate way - instead the EU should utilise the European Stability Mechanism #ESM

Dieter Kempf of the Federation of German Industries @Der_BDI claims: "The open borders of the European Single Market have brought Europeans immense benefits. Massive disruptions of our transport and value chains can not become the rule in these times."

. @JRukwied of the German Farmers’ Association @Bauern_Verband stresses that agriculture needs an open and free Europe: "To ensure the food supply, it is essential to keep the borders within the EU open!"

Reiner Hoffmann of @dgb_news says that the EU #memberstates have a duty "to support each other in extreme emergency situations like this". For him, it is of the utmost importance to quickly help the weakest Member States without forcing others into austerity.

"National solo efforts and restrictions on fundamental freedoms will cause long-lasting harm to EU citizens" states @HolgerBingmann of @Der_BGA. Border controls and restrictions on the freedom of movement would rather exacerbate the crisis than ease the situation.

. @PhiloHeinz of @HKI_Verband stresses that the completion of the EU Single Market needs to be in the centre of political attention right now: "The dramatic economic consequences call for rapid aid, which must be granted equally to all Member States."

"The refugee crisis eroded the European community of values and has left behind an economic community without internal cohesion", argues Kirsten Lühmann of @dbb_news. "We cannot only focus on the economy - we have to solve the medical and social crisis together."

"Liberal professions are extremely relevant for the management of the #crisis", says Wolfgang Ewer of the Federal Association of Liberal Professions #freieBerufe (BFB). For him European solidarity is now particularly important.

. @Klaus_Mueller of @vzbv, finds that confidence in the "European success story" should not be damaged: "The European Single Market creates uniform rules for all citizens and businesses and benefits consumers in their daily lives. We have to give this priority again."

"The free movement of goods within the EU is essential for ensuring the supply of medical devices," says Marc Pierre Möll of the German Medical Technology Association @BVMed.

Norbert Fiebig of the German Travel Association @DRVDE comments: "The #coronapandemic shows how closely we are economically and socially interconnected with our neighbours. The crisis affects us all equally. #Solidarity is therefore the dictate of the moment!"

"The #EUGreenDeal can become the operating system of a crisis-proof EU", says @kainiebert of The German League for Nature and Environment @naturschutzring: "The EU SGP must be reformed so that the EU and its Member States are better prepared for future crises."

"More European solidarity must also mean joint action in the humanitarian field" states Adolf Bauer of @SoVD_Bund. He welcomes the EU initiative to jointly purchase needed protective equipment, medicines and medical devices to redistribute them among the Member States

Lina Furch of @CCRECEMR | German Section: "Close partnerships between towns, municipalities and districts in border regions are proving their worth, as many provide support across borders and work on joint solutions."

The German Caritas Association @Caritas_web urgently calls to not forget those in need of help in these difficult times. "The pandemic poses an enormous threat to the people in the refugee camps on the Greek islands" says Prelate Dr. Peter Neher. #LeaveNoOneBehind

The #Coronapandemic puts social inequalities under the magnifying glass: "Gender-sensitive solutions must therefore be at the heart of political and economic crisis management" states @l_lisimaier of the National Council of German Women’s Organizations @Frauenrat

"Mutual assistance, exchange of information and collective efforts to find a cure for the virus will be central to addressing this emergency" emphasizes Michael Krekels of the German Confederation of Managers @FK_Verband.

. @Boettger_IEP of @IEP_Berlin emphasizes that European cooperation and more far-reaching competences at EU level will be needed to manage future crises and challenges together. This is why the #coronacrisis questions European cohesion and solidarity.

. @mltstb of @JEF_de demands: "In order to make European solidarity crisis-proof (and to empower the current EU), the European Union needs stronger common mechanisms, like an EU crisis center, joint bonds and an empowered EU asylum authority."

The Central Committee of German Catholics @zdkonline critizes that support services for pandemic control in Europe and solidarity worldwide are missing beyond German borders. They demand to support citizens by investing in health care systems and short-term aid offers.

EUROSOZIAL, Parity Association for German-Polish and European Co-operation, explains that such a crisis requires all governments in Europe to stand together, so that new solidarity can grow. Coordinated action at the European level would have made border closures obsolete.

. @TobiKoeck of @DBJR_ declares: "The #virus is not limited to national borders. That's why the EU must now act in solidarity. The EU must now use its powers and implement, among other things, economic measures."

. @ChristianMoos of @EuropaUnionDE criticizes border closures during the #coronacrisis: "They create the illusion of the ability to act but, in fact, are an obstacle to the supply of all the goods that are now important to the people of the EU."

Ulla Rüdenholz of the European Movement Bavaria demands European solidarity in form of #Coronabonds in order to help #Italy and #Spain. She warns that a hesitation in economic support could pose a threat to the Euro and thus to the EU.

. @TFojkar of @IntBund states: "Dealing with the pandemic determines the future of the European Union. Now the EU has to prove whether it is able to cope with cross-regional crises."

The complete statements can be read (in German) in the #EBDTelegramm on our website: https://www.netzwerk-ebd.de/nachrichten/ebd-telegramm-coronavirus/ [end]