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Multiple social media posts, including many on Facebook (here,herehere), claim thatBritishPrime Minister Boris Johnson refused an offer of 50,000 ventilators from the EuropeanUnion. The UK did not join an initial effort byEuropean Union member states to jointly procure medical supplies, including ventilators. But the nature of the procurement process means thatthe EU could not offerany country aspecificnumber of ventilators.

The European Commission launched a joint procurement procedure on March 17, 2020 to secure ventilators on behalf of European Union member states (here). The UK did not take part in this initiative,having missed a deadline to participate (here).

Owing to an initial communication problem, the UK did not receive an invitation in time to join in four joint procurements in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a UK government spokesman said in a statement (here). As those four initial procurement schemes had already gone out to tender, we were unable to take part in these but we will consider participating in future procurement schemeson the basis ofpublic health requirements at the time.

StefanDeKeersmaecker, aspokesmanat theEuropeanCommission, told Reuters:For this joint procurement,suppliers still have to sign a framework contract, andmemberstates have to place their orders. When placing these orders, thememberstates and the suppliers will negotiate the quantities and deadlines for deliveries.In the context of this joint procurement,it is therefore not the Commission itself which is offering ventilators.

False: an offer of 50,000 ventilators was not made to the UK Governmentby the European Union.It is not yet clear how many ventilators can be secured bytheEuropean Union joint procurementscheme.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact checking workhere

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False claim: Boris Johnson refused offer of 50,000 ventilators from the European Union - Reuters

PARIS - The European Union announced Wednesday it will earmark about $16 billion for Africa and other low-income regions to fight coronavirus.

Most of the financing does not include new money, but rather shifts existing loans and funds to the coronavirus response.

Africa is the biggest winner in the package, getting about $3.8 billion of the total.

Africa is a priority for the EuropeanUnionand we are very much aware it is under huge pressure, that the crisis could have consequences of an entirely different scale than in other parts of the world,said Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief.

The funding for Africa will focus on strengthening health preparedness and response, as well as research intocoronavirus. The EU is also earmarking about $80 million for African coronavirus testing labsconnected to theGates Foundationphilanthropy group.

Other EU funds are being channeled to parts of Europe, Asia, Latin America and other regions.Borrell said the money will come from the EUs executive arm, European investment institutions and member states.

Especially in countries without enough doctors, testing and protective medical equipment, with no access to clean water, the consequences of the pandemic could be devastating, Borrell said.

Borrelladded thatEU support will focus on the immediate health needs of vulnerable countries, on strengthening their national capacity, and on helping to mitigate the social and economic consequences of the virus.

Link:
EU Earmarks Billions for Africa, Other Nations, to Fight Coronavirus - Voice of America

BRUSSELS/COPENHAGEN/BAMAKO/DAKAR, 4 April 2020 - A UNICEF shipment of 7.5 tons of vital health supplies is arriving in Bamako, Mali today on a Danish flight, co-financed between the European Union (EU) and the Government of Denmark.

The supplies will support UNICEFs humanitarian work for children and families in Mali, as well as providing support to the Government of Mali in preventing and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the wider UN system. It is the first offshore flight to land in Mali in support of UNICEF and broader coordinated efforts to respond to the pandemic. Additional supplies are expected to be delivered to Mali in the coming days.

In such challenging times, the EU is glad to be making the best use of resources available and helping UNICEF, one of our implementing partners in many EU-supported actions across Africa, in its work to transport life-saving supplies to Mali, said EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenari.

We are grateful for the generous support of the European Union and the Government of Denmark, which is helping us to reach children in Mali with essential supplies despite unprecedented supply chain disruptions across the world, said UNICEFs Director of Supply Division, Etleva Kadilli. In these uncertain times, UNICEF and partners are demonstrating the importance of working together for the health and well-being of every child.

The flight is carrying vital supplies, , equipment for the fight against malnutrition, supplements for pregnant and lactating women, and essential medicines for children. The supplies were supported by the Swedish and German governments. With the wider UN system, UNICEF is supporting the Government of Mali to respond to the pandemic through work including:

The flight to Bamako is co-financed at 75% by the European Civil Protection Mechanism that has been activated by the Government of Denmark for consular assistance to repatriate Danish and other EU citizens from Mali.

More here:
European Union and Government of Denmark support UNICEF in shipping vital supplies to Mali - UNICEF

The European members of the 17+1 group are dissatisfied with their "privileged" relationship with Beijing. Their trade deficit with China (US$ 75 billion) is growing. Chinese investments are going mostly to the wealthiest countries of the Old Continent. Czech President Zeman slams the Belt and Road Initiative. This should be a warning for Italy.

Rome (AsiaNews) European leaders of the 17+1 group are dissatisfied with their privileged relationship with China, this according to a report by the Prague-based China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe (CHOICE).

The 17+1 is an informal forum of countries that includes China and 17 countries in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, including 12 European Union member states.

Beijing is using the 17+1 group as a platform to promote the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping designed to boost his country as the worlds main trade hub. However, the much-vaunted cooperation with China is not bearing the desired results.

The European members of the 17+1 are increasingly irritated, their economic gains are modest; yet, Chinas influence in the region has grown considerably. The most troubling aspect is economic. The trade deficit of the European 17+1 members has widened significantly. The CHOICE study reveals that in 2018 it reached US$ 75 billion.

Although Chinese investment has increased, slightly exceeding US billion in 2017, it is concentrated in four countries: Czechia (Czech Republic), Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

What is more, the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies noted that eastern Europe received 2 per cent of total Chinese investments in Europe in 2018 and 3 per cent in 2019, with the largest share, 53 per cent, going to northern Europe.

Beijing's increasingly aggressive attitude is especially resented. Last year, Lithuania severely reprimanded the staff of the Chinese Embassy, suspected of threatening Lithuanian citizens who protested in Vilnius in favour of Hong Kongs pro-democracy movement.

In addition, Poland and Czechia have raised doubts about the technology of Huawei's 5G, the Chinese multinational accused by the United States of spying on behalf of China.

The European Union views China as a partner but also as a "systemic rival". Many European leaders suspect Beijing is using the BRI initiative to weaken the Union, trying to get the European 17+1 members to align with its geopolitical agenda.

The groups annual summit, originally set for 15 April, was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. For some leaders, this is not a major issue. Czech President Milo Zeman had already decided not to attend even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zeman wanted to turn his country into an "unsinkable aircraft carrier" for Chinese investment in Europe, but had to accept the fact that, despite Beijing's proclamations, Chinese money always goes to western Europe, and not on his side of the old Iron Curtain.

The displeasure of European 17+1 leaders runs counter to Italys cheerful embrace of China and Xis proposal to create a "health" Silk Road.

Despite the negative reaction of some allies (i.e. the United States), Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has repeatedly emphasised the importance of last years cooperation agreement with Beijing, which facilitated the arrival of Chinese medical supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Conversely, others note that China also donated and sold medical equipment to EU members states (the majority) that have not formally joined the BRI initiative.

See the article here:
CHINA EUROPEAN UNION Wake-up call for Europe: cooperation with China is not working - AsiaNews

Eleven children trapped on Greek islands will be flown to Luxembourg next week, the first of a European Union migrant relocation scheme that highlights the uncertain fate of thousands.

The group will leave Chios and Lesbos for Luxembourg as part of an EU voluntary effort to help the most vulnerable quit Greeces desperately overcrowded refugee and migrant island camps.

They are expected to be the first to move since eight member states and Switzerland pledged last month to take in 1,600 unaccompanied minors.

They are boys and girls all under the age of 12 and will fly out next Wednesday, said Manos Logothetis, the Greek migration ministrys general secretary. This is a crucial first step, the start of a process that we hope can set an example, he told the Guardian.

In an ideal world they would leave tomorrow but there is the issue of getting through bureaucracy that is there to protect the children, meeting the criteria set by the member states and, of course, coronavirus.

The pandemic has complicated relocation plans, with flights cancelled and restrictions on the movement of officials working with refugees. One volunteer country, Croatia, lost a building it had planned to house the children in last months earthquake.

The virus has also required extra medical tests being conducted on the children in addition to those needed to help check their age. European commission officials, who are co-ordinating the scheme, have been urging recipient countries to carry out tests on arrival to avoid delays.

Greeces centre-right government, which has itself described the Aegean island facilities as ticking health bombs, has been pushing for resettlement of the children since September.

In an interview with the Guardian last month, the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said: We sent out a letter to all the member states and got zero response. Weve been pushing very hard for a long time on this issue.

On Wednesday, Berlin said it was willing to accept 350-500 children in the next few weeks, 50 of whom would be taken as a matter of urgency. But Birgit Sippel, a German Social Democrat MEP, who sits on the European parliaments home affairs committee, said the delay in Germany fulfilling its pledge was the result of a political game and reluctance among Christian Democrats in the governing grand coalition to act. Describing the number of 50 as ridiculous, she said it did not [send] a strong signal regarding solidarity from one of the biggest countries in Europe.

Even if the pandemic had caused problems with organising flights, the German government had, she pointed out, repatriated EU travellers from around the world. While welcoming the decision, Greek officials said the process would probably be further complicated by Berlins demand for the unaccompanied children to be exclusively girls below the age of 14.

Coming up with the perfect match isnt easy, said one official.

At the end of February, Unicef counted 5,463 unaccompanied migrant children in Greece, including 1,752 living in overcrowded reception centres on the islands. Since that date the number is likely to have increased, as people have continued to arrive either seeking asylum or better prospects. More than three-quarters of the unaccompanied children are from three countries: Afghanistan (44%), Pakistan (21%) and Syria (11%).

The UN childrens agency is urging volunteer member states not to impose conditions on the children they accept, but instead to follow criteria based on need, such as the childs age, health and any disabilities.

Aaron Greenberg, regional adviser for child protection at Unicef, said the organisation was concerned that host countries could apply sub-criteria, such as taking in only girls, under-14s or certain nationalities, which would be a problem as the majority of unaccompanied children are boys aged between 14 and 18.

We need collective action in supporting Greece to handle this situation over the medium term, Greenberg added. Migration levels have ticked down, but its not over. We are still seeing a large number of unaccompanied children coming through. We are relieving stress, but the stress could build back up again. We need a comprehensive European agenda that goes beyond the emergency.

More here:
Migrant children on Greek islands to be flown to Luxembourg - The Guardian