What is the EU doing in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic

Background

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new type of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). It was first identified in China in December 2019.

In December 2019, there was an outbreak of COVID-19 in the Chinese municipality of Wuhan, quickly spreading to other regions of China and the world. By January 2020, isolated cases had appeared in some EU member states.

At the end of February 2020, Italy reported a significant increase of COVID-19 cases concentrated in the northern regions of the country. Most other EU member states started reporting cases of people infected.

By March 2020, all EU member states had reported COVID-19 cases. The number of cases has since continued to increase.

The Council, together with other EU institutions, is closely monitoring the situation and taking action. This includes adoption of relevant EU legislation and ongoing coordination with member states to share information, assess needs and ensure a coherent EU-wide response.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is coordinating the worldwide response. On 11 March 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The EU is directly contributing to the global response of the WHO.

By May 2023, the pandemic had, according to the WHO, caused almost 7 million deaths (6 921 614). On 5 May 2023, the WHO declared an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency.