Until most recently, Europe had been at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak – which now has shifted to the United States. This crisis heavily impacted many European countries and triggered a coordinated response by the European Union (‘EU’) led by the European Commission (‘EC’) to tackle this severe public health emergency (i.e. a Member State competence) and mitigate the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic.
To begin with, the EU and individual Member States gradually put forward a series of financial stimulus packages that will help the economy and businesses in coping with this crisis. An overview of these measures is provided here. In the healthcare sector in particular, the EC promoted various instruments that focused on ensuring necessary supplies to national healthcare systems (e.g. PPE), while preserving the EU’s Single Market. An overview of these instruments is laid out in our client alert.