Furious Italian MEP criticises Brussels for abandoning Italy - 'Our patience has ran out!'

[beijingwalker]

Furious Italian MEP criticises Brussels for abandoning Italy - 'Our patience has ran out!'
A FURIOUS ITALIAN MEP has criticised the European Union for sending billions to Turkish President Recep Erdoan while abandoning its third largest economy Italy during the coronavirus.
By OLI SMITH
PUBLISHED: 13:47, Sun, Mar 15, 2020 | UPDATED: 14:00, Sun, Mar 15, 2020

A furious Italian MEP has launched a scathing attack on the European Union for abandoning member-states like Italy during the coronavirus. Annalisa Tardino took Brussels to task for appearing to agree to send billions of euros to Turkey this week - but falling silent when Italy requested aid. There is growing concern within Brussels that the long-lasting impact of the coronavirus could end up tearing the EU apart.

Speaking in the European Parliament this week, Ms Tardino spoke out against the EU’s "surrender" to Turkey when President Erdogan opened his country’s border with Greece.

In response, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appears to have agreed to send billions of euros to Istanbul in a bid to avert a migrant crisis.

Ms Tardino lashed out at EU chiefs for their "weakness in the face of Turkish President Erdogan's blackmail".

The Lega MEP also criticised the silence from Brussels in the face of the cornavirus crisis throughout Italy.

A furious Italian MEP has launched a scathing attack on the European Union (Image: GETTY)

Matteo Salvini, leader of the Lega party, hit out at the European response (Image: GETTY)

Italy, which has been the hardest hit European country, asked for urgent medical supplies under a special European crisis mechanism.

However, no EU country responded to the call for help and instead China had to step in to help Italy.

Germany even banned the export of medical masks and other protective gear after the request was made.

Matteo Salvini, leader of the Lega party, hit out at the European response, saying: “Italy needed help and it has been given a slap in the face.

"The only help that has come from Europe has been to cause the collapse of the stock market and to make the spread go crazy. Yesterday Italy lost €68bn of savings.”

Ms Tardino echoed this, saying: “The situation of the hotspots in Greece, which we had already discussed in vain, has taken on even more dramatic, more tragic feature due to the weakness of Europe in the face of Erdoğan's blackmail.

“Islands are now holding six times their regular capacity, children are living in inhuman conditions in refugee camps, and millions of immigrants are arriving from Turkey.”

Tardino lashed out at EU chiefs for their "weakness in the face of Turkish President Erdogan's blackmail" (Image: GETTY)

The MEP added: “It is a devastating, bleak picture. Greece is alone, as was Italy.

"And what does Europe do? It is reaching out to Erdoğan, as if the billions of euros handed over already were not enough.

“This, while we cut the funds for agriculture and while Ms von der Leyen is still weighing up whether to support Italy in the face of the coronavirus emergency.”

“Rather than punishing Turkey, we are negotiating. This is the Europe we don't like! The time at your disposal has run out, as well as the patience of European citizens."

https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...us-COVID-19-European-Union-Greece-Turkey-news

 

[Glass]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1239237647031242752

The dynamics between Italy and other EU nations after this pandemic will be interesting.

 

[beijingwalker]

The EU Is Abandoning Italy in Its Hour of Need,China Is Filling The Void
In a shameful abdication of responsibility, fellow countries in the European Union have failed to give medical assistance and supplies to Italy during an outbreak. China is filling the void.
BY ELISABETH BRAW
| MARCH 14, 2020, 2:06 PM

Hospital employees wearing a protection mask and gear work at a temporary emergency structure at the Brescia hospital, Lombardy, on March 13. MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Italy is in lockdown. Schools and universities are closed, soccer games suspended, and restaurant visits banned amid a rapid spread of the novel coronavirus in the country. Just grocery stores and pharmacies are allowed to stay open, and only absolutely necessary travel is permitted. One might think that fellow European Union countries would count their blessings and send their Italian friends a few vital supplies, especially since the Italians have asked for it. They have sent nothing.

EU countries’ shameful lack of solidarity with the Italians points to a larger problem: What would European countries do if one of them faced an even greater crisis?

The Union Civil Protection Mechanism is the bland name under which the EU’s crisis hub—the Emergency Response Coordination Centre—operates. It monitors natural and manmade disasters around the clock, and when an EU member state can no longer handle a crisis on its own it can turn to the crisis hub. The hub forwards the appeal to other member states, which can then volunteer assistance. (The assistance is later reimbursed by the recipient country.)

Two years ago, for example, with devastating forest fires spreading around the country, Sweden turned to the Emergency Response Coordination Centre, and Stockholm’s plea yielded a heartwarming response. Portugal sent two firefighting aircraft; Germany contributed five helicopters and 53 firefighters; Lithuania sent one helicopter and Norway eight. France dispatched 60 firefighters and two aircraft; Denmark sent 60 firefighters; Poland sent over 130 firefighters and more than 40 fire trucks. Italy, itself in a dangerous forest-fire season, sent two aircraft.

When the European helpers arrived in Sweden, locals greeted them with applause. It was a powerful illustration of a frequently forgotten reality: The European Union is about more than tedious financial transactions; it’s also about helping fellow European countries in need.

The European Union is about more than tedious financial transactions; it’s also about helping fellow European countries in need.

Last month, when COVID-19 began spreading rapidly in Italy, the country appealed for help via the Emergency Response Coordination Centre. “We asked for supplies of medical equipment, and the European Commission forwarded the appeal to the member states,” Italy’s permanent representative to the EU, Maurizio Massari, told me. “But it didn’t work.”

So far, not a single EU member state has sent Italy the needed supplies. That’s tragic for a country with 21,157 coronavirus infections and 1,441 deaths as of March 14, and with medical staff working under severe shortages of supplies.

To be sure, all governments need to make sure they have enough supplies for their own hospitals, patients, and medical staff. But no European country is suffering remotely as badly as Italy. Spain and France have a high caseload, but as of March 14, Finland has just 225 cases, and Italy’s neighbor Austria only 655. Portugal has 169 cases; Ireland 90; Romania, 109; Poland, 93; Bulgaria, 37; and Hungary has 25 cases. Many of those countries have benefited greatly from European solidarity in the past; a number of them are net beneficiaries of the EU, meaning they get more money out of their membership than they pay into it. The United Kingdom, no longer a member of the European Union, has 1,140 coronavirus cases—and it, too, has failed to help the Italians.

On March 12, a Chinese aircraft landed in Rome carrying nine medical experts and 31 tons of medical supplies including intensive care unit equipment, medical protective equipment, and antiviral drugs.

In the meantime, a partial and flawed savior has arrived. Close to midnight on March 12, a Chinese aircraft landed in Rome carrying nine medical experts and 31 tons of medical supplies including intensive care unit equipment, medical protective equipment, and antiviral drugs. Around the same time, a Chinese truck arrived in Italy bringing more than 230 boxes of medical equipment. It was less than Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi had promised Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio of Italy in a phone call on Tuesday, but two days after the phone call the supplies were on their way.

Italy has already had a taste of Europe’s lack of solidarity. During the 2015 refugee crisis some 1.7 million people arrived on EU territory, mostly in Italy and Greece (with Germany and Sweden the most common destinations), but in 2017 some EU member states were still refusing to accept them under a solidarity scheme. “The coronavirus crisis is similar to the refugee crisis: Countries that are not immediately affected are mostly not willing to help,” Massari said. “Different countries obviously have different threat perceptions. We [Italy] feel that the coronavirus is a global and European threat that needs a European response, but other countries don’t see it that way.”

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/14/coronavirus-eu-abandoning-italy-china-aid/

 

[cloud4000]

We are witnessing the unraveling of the EU. Look how it treats its smaller members like Greece. EU is basically a grouping run by two countries: Germany and France.

 

[beijingwalker]

This is more of mocking EU

 

[Arulmozhi Varman]

One of the laziest country in EU along with France and Greece, they should pull up their pants and try to face the issue than blame others shamelessly.

 

[beijingwalker]

One of the laziest country in EU along with France and Greece, they should pull up their pants and try to face the issue than blame others shamelessly.

Italy is a very important EU member, if it follows UK's path to leave EU, EU will dissolve in a heart beat.

 

[UKBengali]

Europe has shown that it does not believe in solidarity and has left Italy alone.
If they all gave the supplies that China has done, then many less Italians would have died.

 

[大汉奸柳传志]

Meanwhile the EU has fined Italy €7.5 million for subsidising their hotel industry during the shutdown...

https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...navirus-deaths-cases-euro-eurozone-stocks-spt

I'm beyond speechless

 

[Constantin84]

Meanwhile the EU has fined Italy €7.5 million for subsidising their hotel industry during the shutdown...

https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...navirus-deaths-cases-euro-eurozone-stocks-spt

I'm beyond speechless

The fine was for subsidies given in the early 2000's and not recovered until this day, not for subsidies given in this current shutdown....read your own link and stop peddling fake news.

 

[大汉奸柳传志]

The fine was for subsidies given in the early 2000's and not recovered until this day, not for subsidies given in this current shutdown....read your own link and stop peddling fake news.

guess that makes it totally fine then, long live the union!

 

[Ansu fati]

I don’t understand why the **** this stupid “lawmaker” has the need to connect EU’s negligence of Italy with Turkey
Half of the money aren’t paid
useful reminder that EU needs to pay 6B in total while turkish government spend 40+B euros so far
Eu offered 70M for humanitarian assistance to various NGOs about syrian refugees recently while giving directly 700M to greek government budget

 

[BHAN85]

This is more of mocking EU

I dont trust in China in this issue.
Covid-19 in europe = low oil prices = good for China

I trust in Russia about Covid-19. 0 deaths in Russia by Covid-19. They know how to handle the crisis, unlike EU.

 

[PakSword]

I trust in Russia about Covid-19.

Loll. they are probably not reporting the truth.

 

[BATMAN]

EU has kept it's borders open with Italy until few days ago.
Now EU is shutting it's borders with each other and blocking essentials supply crossing over to any border state, why Italy is complaining to be singled out?
Had Italy's 80+ people complained for being abandoned by Italian state?