The EU support its Eastern Partners throughout the COVID-19 pandemic

Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the European Union has delivered concrete support to the citizens of the Eastern Partner countries to fight the coronavirus. As part of an EU-funded programme, over 11 million personal protective equipment (PPE), medical equipment and diagnostic tests will reach frontline health workers in the six partner countries.

On 22 June, the first deliveries arrived in Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Ukraine. This equipment will help respond to immediate needs. In Ukraine, for example, the supplies will provide health centres throughout the country with PPEs for a full month.

• Deliveries of medical equipment to Belarus
• Deliveries of medical equipment to Ukraine
• Deliveries of medical equipment to Azerbaijan

Deliveries to Armenia, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova will follow shortly. This support is being deployed through a two-year “European Union Solidarity for Health Initiative”, which will help cover immediate health needs, and will work with the health sector in partner countries to be able to better respond to future challenges.

The EU support, which is implemented in partnership with the World Health Organization, amounts to €30 million, of which 90% is for rapid response. By the end of July 2020, the six partner countries will have received in total value of €9 million of supplies and an additional €3.7 million worth of diagnostic tests and medical equipment.

This support is echoing EU’s long-term engagement within the Eastern Partnership; it is also in line with the EU’s 2020 Eastern Partnership policy, which aims to strengthen resilience in our Eastern partner countries by delivering well-targeted, tangible results for people.