Coronavirus response: Slovak assistance to Italy illustrates solidarity within EU and NATO against global pandemic
Today (20 April 2020), Slovakia delivered medical supplies to Italy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: Slovak MFA
These included 300,000 surgical masks and 500 liters of disinfectant concentrate. Slovakia’s assistance was provided within the framework of the European Union Emergency Coordination Centre and in close consultation with the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC), NATO’s principal disaster response mechanism. This is yet another demonstration of solidarity and mutual support between NATO and EU member states.
At their recent meeting on 15 April 2020, NATO Defence Ministers took stock of the steps taken by NATO and Allies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ministers agreed a set of recommendations to strengthen our resilience, by updating our existing baseline requirements for civil preparedness, based on the lessons from the crisis and by working even closer with our international partners,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
“So it is significant that we were also joined by the European Union, by the EU High Representative, and our close partners Finland and Sweden, because COVID-19 is a threat to all of us and together, we can emerge stronger from this unprecedented crisis,” Mr. Stoltenberg added.