Article | EU & the Corona Crisis
EU responds to Corona Crisis
European Union agreed on a recovery package worth 750 billion euros [about 65,000 billion Indian rupees] to deal with the impacts they are facing due to the coronavirus, which has killed nearly 150,000 people in the union and has put many economies on hold. Italy, one of the hard-hit countries in the bloc, alone will receive about 30 per cent of the package
Anwar ashraf Journalist, Deutsche Welle
I
It was the first face-to-face meeting of the European leaders in months. The pandemic has halted its regular meets and summits. They were about to discuss the ways to bring back the European Union on track in
28 July 2020 | www.urbanupdate.in
the aftermath of the corona crisis including a package for recovery. It was easy to see the initial divide among the leaders: While German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron were seen wearing face masks, the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was seen without one. The divide widened further during the marathon discussions that lasted over 90 hours – days and nights. It was tough to make a common decision. But in the end, the 27-member union agreed on a recovery package worth 750 billion euros (about 65,000 billion Indian rupees) to deal with
the impacts they are facing due to the coronavirus, which has killed nearly 150,000 people in the union and has put many economies on hold. A little over half of the amount (390 billion euros) will be given as grants to the member states, while the rest will be provided on easy loan terms. Italy, one of the hard-hit countries in the bloc, alone will receive about 30 percent of the package. It was a cheer-up moment after a deal was announced. The European leaders were seen relieved. But is everything well in the European Union?
Groups in the group
The idea of the European Union started taking shape after World War II. Most of the European countries were badly affected by the war and this common ground brought them together. It developed further with time and resulted in visa-free nations (Schengen area) and a common currency (Euro). Although not all EU countries are part
