Doslovný zápis z rozpráv

Utorok, 10. marca 2015 - Štrasburg

18. Globálna konferencia na vysokej úrovni o Ebole (rozprava)

  La Présidente. – L'ordre du jour appelle le débat sur les déclarations du Conseil et de la Commission sur la conférence mondiale de haut niveau sur le virus Ebola du 3 mars 2015 (2015/2606(RSP)).

  Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, President-in-Office of the Council. – Madam President, to date the Ebola virus disease has taken a heavy toll on life: almost 24 000 people have been infected and more than 9 800 have died. It is a global problem. No country in the world can feel completely safe as the Ebola virus disease does not respect national borders, and is a challenge that demands our highest attention.

The Presidency welcomes the High-Level Conference on Ebola from Emergency to Recovery organised by, and under the patronage of, the European Union, in close cooperation with the United Nations and the governments of the three most affected countries – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The Presidency would like to convey its gratitude to High Representative Federica Mogherini and to the EU Ebola Coordinator, Commissioner Stylianides, and also to Commissioner Mimica and Commissioner Andriukaitis for an outstanding organisation of this event.

The large number of high-level speakers and participants representing the affected region, the EU and its Member States, international organisations, UN agencies and NGOs, proved that the international community is greatly concerned by, and actively engaged against, the Ebola virus disease. We are cooperating in a joint effort to combat this dreadful epidemic.

Commissioner Stylianides will, I believe, go into much greater detail in the work and the outcomes of the Conference, but let me, for my part, share some thoughts from the Council’s point of view.

This conference confirms that despite the stabilisation of the outbreak, the international community must ‘keep up the momentum’ and continue to provide the international aid, which is essential. We cannot afford to become complacent. We have to maintain our attention on the response to the epidemic and prevent any increase in infections.

Our efforts need to focus on the target of bringing the number of infections to zero because even a single case not identified quickly enough can pose a significant threat. The target of bringing the number of infections to zero, and maintaining that level, is ambitious, yet, by working together, we can achieve it.

The conference took place at a crucial moment as we are moving from the emergency response to the recovery phase. It marked a step forward, for participants to look ahead, discuss the lessons learned and start focusing on recovery and reconstruction of public services, enhancement of preparedness, alert and response systems, health, education, risk communication, social protection and reviving the economies of the affected countries and of other countries with a potential risk of outbreak of the disease.

All the participants shared the opinion that the crisis can only be solved with a common and comprehensive approach addressing critical gaps in essential services, allowing the affected countries and countries which are at potential risk to build long—term resilience and protect themselves from future shocks.

The Ebola virus disease is primarily a regional problem. Therefore, the Presidency welcomes the commitment of the Presidents of the three affected countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – to establish coordinated regional recovery plans together with roadmaps and coordinating structures.

This conference has shown once again the commitment of the EU and its Member States in tackling the epidemic and assisting the countries in need. The EU reacted quickly. Several mechanisms were rapidly activated such as the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the Health Security Committee.

Starting from early September, the Council and the European Council provided political guidance for the EU response and worked on the basis of the ambitious objective of mobilising financial aid amounting to EUR 1 billion. We have surpassed that objective, and have provided also in—kind assistance and expertise, thus giving the EU one of the leading roles in the global Ebola response. Last October, the European Council nominated Commissioner Stylianides as the EU Ebola Coordinator.

Today and tomorrow, we must work along the lines identified by the Conference, notably, to ensure that funds already pledged are made available and maintain international support until there are no more Ebola cases. We must also make the response more mobile and flexible; promote regional cooperation; assist countries in West Africa on prevention, containment and preparedness and help them build resilient health systems; and we must also improve governance and accountability of local and national systems.

International engagement needs to be maintained, and I note that further high—level meetings will be held in Washington next month.

The Council also welcomes the valuable support of the European Parliament in addressing the Ebola crisis. Discussions in different committees, debate in the plenary and the resolution adopted in September by the European Parliament gave an important signal to the international community on the EU’s dedication to overcome the epidemic.

The Council is looking forward to the report by Charles Goerens that will serve as an important element in further discussions on the lessons learned and on the strengthening of health systems in developing countries to prevent future crises.

Allow me to conclude by expressing our deepest tribute and appreciation to the constant dedication of health workers and international governmental and non-governmental organisations to tackle the Ebola epidemics, their exceptional courage, self-sacrifice and professionalism.

I would like to thank you very much right now for having this debate tonight and I also look forward to a fruitful discussion.

  Christos Stylianides, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, it is very important that we are having this discussion today, only one week after the High—Level Conference on Ebola, as has already been said by the Presidency. It proves once again the interest of Parliament in our fight against the virus, against its tangible consequences on the ground.

Allow me to share with you a brief assessment of the conference we organised last week in Brussels. First, the conference succeeded in bringing together all the key actors in the fight against Ebola. In a joint effort between the European Union and the three affected countries, their presidents played a central role in the proceedings, but also involving the United Nations and the West African region, as well as the African Union.

Why do I insist on this joint effort? Because everything we do in the fight against Ebola needs to be done with, and for, the affected countries, especially their people.

Second, the conference underlined the fact that our immediate priority still has to be to ‘get to zero cases’ in all three countries and sustain this for 42 days. You know very well the medical conditions and that we need to further adjust our response in the field. Of course, by shifting from big treatment centres to community—level response, out in the provinces, we have to work even more with communities. This was timely because, while Liberia may now be close to a sustainable ‘zero’, case numbers have unfortunately again been going up in Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Third, the conference reflected the joined—up way in which we as the European Union have approached Ebola – as a collective effort between Federica Mogherini, Neven Mimica, Vytenis Andriukaitis, Carlos Moedas and myself as Ebola Coordinator, with the Commission and the EEAS working together to get things done, as we have been doing ever since the Ebola outbreak started.

The conference also heard how an unprecedented research effort is helping in the fight to get to zero, and how the European Union, through fast—tracking very substantial amounts of research funding, is making a big contribution to meeting the research priorities identified by the WHO. The conference also agreed that a coordinated research effort both in the inter—epidemic periods and in emergency situations is a crucial element of preparedness. The Commission is actively working to achieve this.

Fourth, the conference agreed a framework for recovery of the three countries. It heard how massively Ebola has hit their economies, which were on a path of strong growth before Ebola.

The co—Chairs’ conclusions from the conference set out the key sectors on which the recovery effort needs to focus: healthcare, certainly, to provide people with basic care, and to make sure the three countries are better prepared to deal with future epidemics; but also water and sanitation, nutrition, and social safety nets, with, of course, a particular focus on the most vulnerable. In the very short term, there is a need to vaccinate people, and provide primary care, clean water, and sanitation. If we do not invest in these things, it will be just a matter of time before another epidemic erupts.

So we now have a common roadmap with strong support from the three presidents. The next steps will be a discussion on the fringes of the World Bank spring meetings, in April, and then a UN—led pledging conference at the end of May.

Fifth, and very important, the conference provided a big boost for regional cooperation. This became one of my top objectives upon my arrival from the Ebola—affected countries last November. Over the last few months, the three countries have taken concrete steps in that direction. The presence of the three leaders in Brussels last week and their mutual commitment are very encouraging, and all actors agree that this is crucial for preventing and containing future epidemics.

As the European Union, we are already providing hands—on support for cross—border preparedness in the region. We will look at how to strengthen this further. In short, the conference more than lived up to expectations; but it is part of a process – not the end point, but the beginning.

Finally, a word of thanks to the European Parliament delegation to the conference: Linda McAvan, Louis Michel, Charles Goerens and Michelle Rivasi. The European Parliament’s contribution to the discussion was greatly appreciated.

  Davor Ivo Stier, u ime kluba PPE. – Gospođo predsjednice, konferencija na visokoj razini koju je organizirala Europska unija u Bruxellesu bila je važan korak za koordinaciju odgovora međunarodne zajednice na pandemiju ebole. Bila je to jedinstvena prilika da se razmotri trenutačno stanje ali i da se razmisli o lekcijama koje smo izvukli.

Iako trenutačno svjedočimo nekim pozitivnim trendovima u borbi protiv epidemije, moramo nastaviti ulagati maksimalne napore, ne samo kako bi potpuno pobijedili ovu bolest već i pomogli dugoročni razvoj pogođenih zemalja. Jer izuzev trenutačnih efekata ove krize poput gubitaka brojnih ljudskih života, ebola je ostavila duboke socioekonomske posljedice u najteže pogođenim zemljama Gvineji, Liberiji i Siera Leoneu.

Upravi zato je osim direktne humanitarne pomoći iznimno važno nastaviti koristiti razvojnu pomoć kako bi se pomogla tranzicija i uspostavila koordinacija između oporavka, rehabilitacije i razvoja. Trebamo koristiti razvojnu pomoć kako bismo ulagali u dugoročni razvoj održivih zdravstvenih i obrazovnih sistema.

Međutim, ne smijemo pritom iz vida izgubiti široku sliku. Moramo povećati ulaganje i napore u izgradnju upravljačkih i institucionalnih struktura pogođenih zemalja. Na prošlotjednoj konferenciji predstavnici Gvineje, Liberije i Siera Leonea su istaknuli da namjeravaju izgraditi regionalni plan za oporavak. EU svakako treba poticati regionalnu suradnju, dobro je poticati zemlje primateljice razvojne pomoći da sudjeluju u kreiranju i provedbi vlastitih razvojnih programa.

Na kraju, moramo inzistirati na promociji dobre vladavine, izgradnji institucionalnih kapaciteta i vladavine prava kako bi promovirali održiv razvoj.

  Linda McAvan, on behalf of the S&D Group. – Madam President, firstly I would like to congratulate the Commission. It was a good conference, Commissioner, and you got the whole world together to tackle the problem, so that in itself was very important.

The lesson I took away was firstly that the crisis is not over. There are still new cases and we have got to stay on the ground and deal with them. Secondly, we need to plan for the future. How can we do that? I have some meetings with the ministers from the affected countries. What they are looking for in the immediate future are some quick wins – to get the children back to school and budget support for the health systems. They want people to feel that life is getting back to normal. Debt relief was another priority so that they have some resources to invest in their own education and health systems. I think that colleagues are perhaps not aware how small the budgets of these countries are. We were told that USD 550 million was the budget for Liberia. That is like a small town in the United Kingdom, the entire annual budget.

But the key lesson for me as well is that we have to invest in health for the long term. You both said this – the Commission and the Council. Last week, Save the Children published a report. That report showed that the cost of the emergency response is greater than the estimated cost of building health services in the three countries concerned. So that should be our lesson. We have got to have a health service that is free at the point of use and accessible. It is a scandal that we ask the poorest in the world to pay for their health services. We should get rid of user fees now. In September we go to New York, we have the sustainable development goals conference, and we have to put universal health care at the top of that agenda.

(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question under Rule 162(8))

  Jonathan Arnott (EFDD), blue-card question. – To me the question on Ebola is not so much could we have done more, but rather could we have reacted quicker? A makeshift hospital perhaps in two days would be better than a state—of—the—art hospital in six weeks.

My brother worked as an aid worker in Malawi and what he saw there on the ground is often so different from what we get in our, almost Western—centric mind set. I wonder, do you agree that perhaps, on a personal level as much as on a party political level, we do sometimes have that sheltered view in the West – every bit as much in the UK as in the EU?

  Linda McAvan (S&D), blue-card answer. – I think that is why it is extremely important to meet the countries concerned and ask them how they see us getting their systems going again. That is why we had a meeting last week with the President of Liberia, and I had a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone to talk about the issues.

We have to respond, get the systems working quickly, listen to the people on the ground, and the NGOs, like Médecins Sans Frontières, but we have to invest for the future as well. An emergency response that ends in April, and then nothing else happens, will mean we will have another crisis in years to come.

  Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea, en nombre del Grupo ALDE. – Señora Presidenta, señora Kalniņa-Lukaševica, señor Stylianides, Beatrice Yardolo fue dada de alta el viernes pasado. Es, de momento, la última persona infectada por el virus del Ébola en Liberia. Es una noticia esperanzadora, pero estamos muy lejos de cantar victoria.

Hasta 2018, al menos, no podemos esperar cero casos de ébola en los países afectados. Tenemos tres países con un tejido social roto, ocho millones de niños desescolarizados por el brote, un alto nivel de desinformación que genera desconfianza y discriminación, y una preocupante situación económica y política. El Ebola Recovery Assessment, para la recuperación de los países afectados, es más que bienvenido. Resulta clave desarrollar y fortalecer los sistemas sanitarios devastados para garantizar el acceso a los servicios de salud de los pacientes no afectados por el ébola.

Quiero terminar felicitando a la Orden Hospitalaria de San Juan de Dios, Premio Ciudadano Europeo 2014, por su admirable labor social y sanitaria en África desde hace más de treinta años y por su ejemplar lucha contra el ébola.

  Lola Sánchez Caldentey, en nombre del Grupo GUE/NGL. – Señora Presidenta, señor Comisario, el caso del ébola pone de manifiesto cómo patentes y licencias obstaculizan el acceso de la gente a los medicamentos. Esta limitación existe en países en desarrollo —lo vemos en el caso del ébola y hace años lo veíamos con el sida—, pero también en la Unión Europea.

En España, por ejemplo, han muerto 4 000 personas enfermas de hepatitis C, debido al precio del medicamento, bajo la mirada impasible de un Gobierno absolutamente inhumano.

El actual modelo de investigación biomédica es un negocio que enriquece a unos pocos en detrimento de la salud global. Si tienes dinero, puedes pagarte la medicina y si no, lo tienes muy difícil, puedes llegar a morirte, aunque seas europeo. Además, los actuales incentivos a la investigación a través de patentes no logran recaudar lo suficiente para el desarrollo de nuevos fármacos necesarios, como en este caso los del ébola.

La investigación de nuevos medicamentos no suele estar orientada por las necesidades de salud pública, sino por el beneficio económico de las empresas farmacéuticas. Parece, Señorías, que investigar contra el ébola no era rentable. Urge repensar alternativas que ayuden a toda la sociedad y no solo a las farmacéuticas o a aquellos que lo puedan pagar.

La Unión Europea debería asumir el liderazgo en explorar nuevas formas en la investigación biomédica que promuevan el acceso asequible a los resultados de I+D, pero también la creación de conocimiento como bienes públicos. Estamos hablando de vidas, así que vamos a ver de qué lado nos ponemos.

(La oradora acepta responder a una pregunta formulada con arreglo al procedimiento de la «tarjeta azul» (artículo 162, apartado 8, del Reglamento))

  Doru-Claudian Frunzulică (S&D), question "carton bleu". – Madame la Présidente, permettez-moi de parler en français.

Je voudrais demander à notre collègue, Mme Sánchez Caldentey, qui nous a donné beaucoup de dates concernant le virus Ebola, si finalement, après tous les efforts que la communauté internationale a faits pour les trois pays atteints par le virus Ebola, vous ne croyez pas que nous devrions lutter pour n'avoir aucun cas de contamination par Ebola dans la région. C'est seulement à ce moment-là que nous pourrons dire que nous sommes sur la bonne voie.

  Lola Sánchez Caldentey (GUE/NGL), respuesta de «tarjeta azul». – Pues por supuesto que ahora la prioridad es acabar con el ébola en los países en los que se está desarrollando. Y pararlo. Por supuesto que sí. Pero vamos a ir al origen de este problema. Porque el ébola se ha ido de las manos porque no se investiga sobre él, porque no es rentable para las farmacéuticas. Y esto puede seguir pasando con esta enfermedad y con muchísimas otras que no sabemos ni cuándo pueden aparecer.

  Maria Heubuch, im Namen der Verts/ALE-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin! Ich bin sehr froh, heute vom Rat zu hören, dass weiterhin Gelder und Hilfen in diese Krisenländer fließen werden, denn es ist natürlich unbedingt notwendig, die Gesundheitssysteme dort aufzubauen. Wir müssen uns darauf konzentrieren, Ebola zu kontrollieren, aber nicht nur Ebola, sondern auch andere Krankheiten wie Malaria, Hepatitis C und so weiter.

Genauso wichtig ist natürlich der Aufbau dieser Länder in wirtschaftlicher Weise. Allein deshalb scheint sich diese Konferenz schon gelohnt zu haben. Die Präsidentin von Liberia, Frau Johnson Sirleaf, hat davon gesprochen, einen Marshallplan zu finden. Herr Stylianides, Sie haben davon gesprochen, für diesen wirtschaftlichen Aufbau einen gemeinsamen Plan gefunden zu haben, und das lässt mich sehr hoffen. Trotzdem bin ich nach wie vor der Meinung, dass wir in dieser Ebola-Krise Fehler gemacht haben, und wir müssen aus diesen Fehlern lernen. Wir brauchen ein Konzept für die Zukunft, auch eine Art Marshallplan, um gerüstet zu sein, um Strukturen zu haben, in Krisen jeder Art schnell und koordiniert und zielgerichtet eingreifen zu können.

  Valentinas Mazuronis, EFDD frakcijos vardu. – Gerbiama pirmininke, mieli kolegos, ebolos epidemija – tai didžiulė grėsmė pasauliui, tai grėsmė mūsų valstybių gyventojams. Mes privalome imtis visų priemonių, kad tiek pasaulio, tiek mūsų valstybių piliečiai jaustųsi saugūs. Trys aspektai, į kuriuos privalome kreipti ypatingą dėmesį. Pirmas – tai lėšų, skirtų kovai su ebola, paskirstymo tikslingumas. Manau, kad turime užtikrinti, jog finansinė parama būtų skiriama ir toms valstybėms, kurios yra arčiausiai Europos Sąjungos sienų ir epidemijos židinių. Antra, lėšų, skirtų kovai su ebola, panaudojimo tikslingumas. Pirmiausia įrenkime vandentiekį, vandens tiekimą, nuotekas, tualetus, kitus elementarius sanitarinius įrenginius. Nešvaistykime lėšų bet kur. Tik mūsų bendros pastangos, teisingi prioritetai – tai mūsų sėkmės garantas kovoje su epidemija.

  Joëlle Mélin (NI). – Madame la Présidente, un an après les premiers cas d'Ebola, un premier bilan s'impose. Il est clair que malgré les alertes, les réponses locales et internationales ont été beaucoup trop tardives et sont donc partiellement responsables de l'ampleur de l'épidémie – plus de 9 000 morts. Qu'une des grandes causes de contagion que sont les enterrements avec des rites locaux persiste – il y a donc toujours des poches de cas répertoriés. Mais malgré tout, l'épidémie a été, heureusement, assez vite circonscrite.

Pour autant, nous pouvons ajouter que la saison des pluies va provoquer des occasions d'autres fièvres, dont le paludisme, et de nouvelles paniques. Que, malgré nos demandes, rien n'a été envisagé quant à la mise en place de centres d'accueil dans les États membres, que les 4,9 milliards d'euros prévus et les 2,4 milliards déjà versés n'ont pas fait l'objet de la mise en place de structures de contrôle. Nous verrons bien ce qu'il en sera en avril et en juin lors des réunions des donateurs.

Pour toutes ces raisons, nous resterons très vigilants pour ne pas revivre 40 ans de dotation à l'Afrique qui se sont soldés par des puits sans fond, sans profit pour les populations locales.

  Birgit Collin-Langen (PPE). – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Heute, mehr als ein Jahr nach dem Beginn der Epidemie, kämpfen wir immer noch für das eine große Ziel der endgültigen Ausrottung, der Vernichtung des Ebola-Virus. Aber das ist nicht das einzige Ziel, für das wir kämpfen müssen. Es ist von entscheidender Bedeutung, die Gesamtheit der betroffenen Sektoren anzugehen. Wir müssen eine integrative, sektorübergreifende, umfassende und nachhaltige Sicht auf Wiederherstellungsmaßnahmen haben. Gleichzeitig müssen wir den dringenden Bedarf abdecken, der da wäre: Sicherstellung der Betreuung der durch Ebola verwaisten Kinder und der sozialen Integration der Ebola-Opfer, Wiederherstellung und Stärkung der medizinischen Grundversorgung, Sicherstellung der Wasserversorgung, sanitäre Anlagen und Entwicklung der Hygiene.

Die drei am stärksten betroffenen Länder verloren mehr als 200 Jahre an medizinischer Expertise durch das Versterben der Ärzte an Ebola. In dieser Hinsicht ist es wichtig, ein sofortiges medizinisches Ausbildungsprogramm für Ärzte und Krankenschwestern auszuarbeiten, um den Mangel an lokalem und medizinischem Personal zu überwinden.

Parallel zu den Anstrengungen, die die EU und die internationale Gemeinschaft auf dem Gebiet der Forschung der Ebola-Impfstoffe unternommen haben, sollten durchführbare Programme zur Impfung der Bevölkerung in den am meisten betroffenen Ländern aufgestellt werden.

(Die Rednerin ist damit einverstanden, eine Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“ gemäß Artikel 162 Absatz 8 der Geschäftsordnung zu beantworten.)

  Arne Gericke (ECR), Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“. – Frau Collin-Langen! Sie sprachen von endgültiger Ausrottung. In diesem Zusammenhang würde ich den Begriff mal zulassen.

Was halten Sie denn davon: Polio war so gut wie ausgerottet. Es ist wieder aufgekommen. Polio hat Strukturen entwickelt, die einmalig sind, die man einfach für solche Krankheitserreger wie Ebola übernehmen kann. Das heißt, wir sollten vielleicht Polio so lange finanzieren, bis es auch wirklich zu Ende gebracht worden und ausgerottet ist, und dann die Strukturen davon nutzen, um auch bei anderen Viren wie Aids und Ebola darauf aufzubauen. Was halten Sie davon?

  Birgit Collin-Langen (PPE), Antwort auf eine Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“. – Ich denke, es muss ja generell unser Ziel sein, dass wir alle Epidemien – Ebola ist eine – bekämpfen und natürlich auch sinnvolle Strukturen übernehmen und auch finanzieren, damit wir eine solche Sache dauerhaft in den Griff bekommen. Ebola geht zurück, aber die ersten Nachlässigkeiten beginnen wieder. Und so ist es notwendig, dass man da von vornherein Vorsorge trifft.

  Norbert Neuser (S&D). – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Die Ebola-Epidemie ebbt Gott sei Dank langsam ab, aber sie ist noch nicht überwunden. Nach erheblichen Startschwierigkeiten hat die EU einen guten, einen engagierten Job gemacht. Ich will ausdrücklich unserem Kommissar für seine bemerkenswerte und respektvolle Arbeit, die er dort geleistet hat, danken. Der Dank erstreckt sich aber auch auf diejenigen, die als Ärzte und als Pflegerinnen und Pfleger die wahren Helden bei der Bekämpfung von Ebola sind. Das waren Lichtblicke in einer Tragödie. Diese Tragödie hätte vermieden oder zumindest eingegrenzt werden können, hätten wir nicht drei fragile Staaten gehabt mit schwierigen Gesundheitssystemen. Und das sollte die Lehre für die Zukunft sein: Wir müssen in der Entwicklungspolitik dafür sorgen, dass wir robuste, starke Gesundheitssysteme aufbauen.

  Louis Michel (ALDE). – Madame la Présidente, Monsieur le Commissaire, je voudrais joindre ma voix aux remerciements et aux félicitations qui vous ont été adressés.

J'ai été plutôt fier, malgré les quelques critiques que j'ai entendues, du rôle de l'Union européenne face à cette crise. Il y a eu une mobilisation rapide. C'est vrai qu'il y a des lenteurs logistiques sur le terrain, qui sont essentiellement dues au déficit en capacités en matière de logistique et d'infrastructures dans les différents pays.

C'est la raison pour laquelle je voudrais me focaliser sur le plan d'infrastructures durables et sur l'amélioration des ressources humaines et médicales sur le terrain. C'est un premier point. Cela a été demandé: le fameux plan Marshall a été réclamé – demandé, en tout cas – ou sollicité par les différents chefs d'État de la région. C'est une première question.

Deuxième question. Je crois que, dans les débats tenus lors de cette conférence, est aussi apparue une notion à laquelle je tiens beaucoup: la notion de couverture sanitaire universelle. En d'autres termes, il s'agit d'aider les pays concernés à mettre en place un embryon de sécurité sociale, de manière à avoir des interventions et, surtout, à gommer les inégalités sociales devant la maladie.

  Josu Juaristi Abaunz (GUE/NGL). – Señora Presidenta, esta lucha es un esfuerzo conjunto, como ha dicho el señor Comisario, y no un problema regional como ha mencionado la señora Kalniņa-Lukaševica. Me ha parecido que las palabras del Consejo reflejan cierta autocomplacencia que durante demasiados meses no ha estado justificada sobre el terreno.

Allí, Médicos Sin Fronteras y otras ONG, también con la ayuda de la Comisión y algunos Estados miembros, mantienen un enfoque flexible ante una epidemia aún imprevisible. Y creo que esta es una de las lecciones que la Unión Europea debe aprender de esta crisis: más capacidad de reacción, más ayuda y mejor adaptada a las necesidades sobre el terreno y la evolución de la epidemia.

Me gustaría que, al igual que acaba de anunciar la Organización Mundial de la Salud, también la Unión Europea encargue a un grupo de expertos independientes la tarea de evaluar la respuesta de la Unión ante el brote del ébola.

  Michèle Rivasi (Verts/ALE). – Madame la Présidente, il y a trois conclusions à cette conférence internationale. D'abord, un remerciement pour la Commission. Je crois que tous les chefs d'États – que ce soit celui du Liberia, de la Sierra Leone ou de la Guinée – ont vraiment remercié à la fois les États-Unis et l'Europe. La deuxième chose est qu'ils demandent une aide, parce que leur économie est en piteux état – on parle même de situation de guerre –, et la troisième chose est d'annuler la dette des pays. Ils l'ont demandé, je tiens à le dire à nos collègues.

En premier lieu et dans tous les cas, il faut faire attention, Ebola n'est pas fini. Dernièrement, j'ai eu des informations indiquant qu'il y avait encore quelques foyers en Guinée et en Sierra Leone. Nous sommes donc loin d'une situation où tout serait fini et où nous pourrions repartir comme avant.

La deuxième chose est qu'il n'y a absolument plus de confiance dans ces pays en ce qui concerne les structures. Maintenant, il y a des morts du paludisme et certaines femmes ne veulent plus aller dans ces structures tant elles ont vu de morts en sortir. Il faut donc rétablir la confiance et il faut planifier. Dans la planification, il me semble qu'il faut raisonner sur le plan régional et faire en sorte qu'il y ait vraiment des hôpitaux, car contrairement à ce qui a été dit, avant le virus Ebola, il n'y avait pas d'infrastructures sanitaires; ce n'est pas le virus Ebola qui a entraîné cela. Il faut vraiment penser à des laboratoires mobiles parce que plus vite nous aurons diagnostiqué les maladies, plus vite nous pourrons réagir. Il faut aussi former le personnel et mettre en place une éducation gratuite. Il faut savoir que dans ces pays, on paie l'éducation; au Liberia, c'est payant. C'est avec tout cela que nous arriverons à remonter ces pays.

PRZEWODNICZY RYSZARD CZARNECKI
Wiceprzewodniczący

  Piernicola Pedicini (EFDD). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, io ho avuto modo, come molti di voi, di parlare con alcuni rispettivi parlamentari della Liberia, della Sierra Leone e anche della Guinea, i quali mi hanno spiegato molto chiaramente, come a tutti noi, che Ebola ha avuto un effetto impattante davvero devastante, non soltanto dal punto di vista sanitario ma anche e soprattutto dal punto di vista economico, intanto azzerando del tutto un settore come il turismo.

Questo ha avuto a sua volta ha determinato un indebolimento dei sistemi sanitari che in quei posti sono già deboli, un indebolimento delle infrastrutture che permettevano le vie d'accesso all'acqua potabile ma anche un indebolimento di tutte quelle infrastrutture che permettevano l'informazione della popolazione e quindi di quelle infrastrutture che ci avrebbero permesso di agire per impedire alcune pratiche o riti pericolosi per il contagio.

Ora l'Unione europea ha stanziato fino ad ora 1,2 miliardi ma questa cifra è dell'ordine di grandezza del debito di tutti e tre questi Stati messi insieme: pertanto noi proponiamo non soltanto l'alleggerimento ma anche la definitiva cancellazione del debito, naturalmente appoggiata e vincolata ad un programma di crescita delle strutture sanitarie.

  Mireille D'Ornano (NI). – Monsieur le Président, à l'évidence, ni la Commission, ni les autres organisations internationales n'ont été à la hauteur de l'enjeu dramatique qu'est le virus Ebola.

J'avais interrogé la directrice régionale de l'OMS pour l'Europe ainsi que la Commission sur les contrôles des populations immigrées qui venaient clandestinement dans l'Union – un flux migratoire en hausse de 153 % en 2014. Il m'a été répondu que cette immigration ne présentait aucun risque de propagation et qu'il revenait aux États d'effectuer ces contrôles aux frontières de l'Union.

L'irresponsabilité est toujours la règle dans ces institutions. Le FMI et la Banque mondiale ont, par ailleurs, une grande part de responsabilité dans cette crise. En accordant des prêts à des pays d'Afrique subsaharienne, les nouveaux éducateurs des peuples ont exigé des ajustements structurels qui ont réduit les budgets de santé de ces pays devenus incapables de traiter l'épidémie.

Enfin, les politiques migratoires ont conduit à vider l'Afrique de ses cerveaux et de ses médecins. C'est donc en brisant les frontières et l'indépendance économique des États que les antichambres du mondialisme ont favorisé ce fléau. On ne résout pas des problèmes avec ceux qui les ont créés.

  Maurice Ponga (PPE). – Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, je tiens à remercier le commissaire Stylianides pour son intervention et son engagement en tant que coordinateur européen pour le virus Ebola. Il a accompli un travail considérable et je voulais le féliciter. Je partage ses conclusions sur la nécessité d'avoir une approche globale dans notre lutte contre le virus Ebola.

Tous les acteurs doivent être impliqués, car si un pays reste infecté, nous n'arriverons pas à endiguer l'épidémie. En effet, ce n'est qu'en étroite collaboration avec les pays touchés – à savoir le Liberia, la Sierra Leone et la Guinée –, avec les pays de la région et avec les instances internationales que l'épidémie pourra être stoppée. Il est également nécessaire de réfléchir à la période de reconstruction des pays touchés et d'avoir une stratégie à long terme.

L'Union européenne a joué un rôle crucial dans cette lutte contre le virus Ebola en mobilisant des fonds pour venir immédiatement en aide aux victimes, mais également en allouant des fonds supplémentaires à la recherche sur le virus Ebola. Les fonds européens consacrés à la coopération et au développement devront également être mobilisés dans les mois à venir pour renforcer de manière durable les systèmes de santé dans les pays en développement. Il est aujourd'hui crucial que nous maintenions nos efforts et que nous tirions de cette crise des leçons de nos erreurs afin qu'à l'avenir, tant les pays concernés que la communauté internationale puissent répondre immédiatement à ce type de catastrophe.

(L'orateur accepte de répondre à une question "carton bleu" (article 162, paragraphe 8, du règlement))

  João Ferreira (GUE/NGL), Pergunta segundo o procedimento "cartão azul". – O Senhor Ponga referiu aqui a importância de mobilizar ajuda para estes países e referiu-se a vários programas da União Europeia que podiam e deviam ser mobilizados para apoiar estes países. Estamos de acordo. Mas é um facto que, hoje, mais de metade da dita ajuda internacional acaba por regressar aos países doadores sob a forma de pagamento da dívida e do serviço da dívida externa destes países. E a pergunta que lhe quero fazer é se não considera a necessidade imperiosa de estabelecer o cancelamento da dívida destes países, acabando com este garrote, com esta sangria de recursos, em que a ajuda chega mas imediatamente volta a sair, para pagar uma dívida, que já foi várias paga, mas nunca pára de crescer.

  Maurice Ponga (PPE), réponse "carton bleu". – Monsieur le député, je ne comprends pas votre question sur le point du retour des dettes. Si cela concerne les pays en développement, je ne peux pas répondre à votre question.

  Victor Boștinaru (S&D). – Mr President, let us not think that the problem of Ebola is solved and let us not drop our guard. Ebola remains contagious and lethal and we must manage to beat it before it can cause other deaths and perhaps change into an even worse, deadlier virus.

I commend all international efforts and all the people who risked their lives in fighting Ebola, including civilian and military personnel. But, at the same time, my plea is to continue with renewed efforts. The EU and other international actors, including the World Health Organisation, need to learn from the Ebola case and make sure that conditions are in place to avoid something similar happening again. They need to be ready and to be able to identify potential emergencies, to be coordinated, to build up complementarity and compatibility, and to be able to give a prompt response including financial resources. It is fundamental that they cooperate with all those countries which showed deficiencies. We cannot allow ourselves to forget the case of Liberia – 4 million people with 51 doctors. This is the very cause of the outbreak.

  José Inácio Faria (ALDE). – Senhor Presidente, Senhor Comissário, Senhora representante do Conselho, caros Colegas, graças aos esforços de cooperação entre os países afetados e a comunidade internacional, conseguimos que, nos últimos meses, houvesse uma redução do número de novas infeções por ébola. A União Europeia teve um papel importantíssimo neste combate, é certo. Mas esta luta não foi concluída e estamos perante o início de uma nova fase não menos importante.

É necessário suster o esforço de combate à doença que queremos que chegue a zero infeções. Isto requer a manutenção dos apoios financeiros, já comprometidos, a continuidade dos meios técnicos e humanos no terreno e trabalho árduo para fortalecer os sistemas nacionais de saúde e as estruturas locais de resposta. Devemos, pois, continuar os esforços científicos no desenvolvimento de uma vacina e apoiar e envolver os países afetados na recuperação da sua economia, que foi fortemente afetada. Creio, pois, que não é tempo de enveredar pela passividade, uma vez que isso conduziria a uma ainda maior perda de vidas humanas.

(O orador aceita responder a uma pergunta formulada ao abrigo do procedimento "cartão azul" (artigo 162.º, n.º 8, do Regimento))

  Ivan Jakovčić (ALDE), pitanje koje je podizanjem plave kartice postavio. – Gospodine Faria, pažljivo sam vas slušao i vidim da govorite na način da borba nije gotova. Nismo je još dobili.

Razumijem da se cijepivom dobiva borba, ali moje pitanje je slažete li se sa mnom da na ovoj konferenciji treba razgovarati jako puno o tome da se uloži u prevenciju, edukaciju i obrazovanje jer je to najbolji način da odmah na početku spriječimo bilo kakvu epidemiju?

  José Inácio Faria (ALDE), Resposta segundo o procedimento "cartão azul". – Muito obrigado, caro Colega, pela questão que me colocou, eu creio que, para além dos recursos humanos e técnicos que temos que pôr à disposição destes países e dos locais onde há infeções, nós também temos que apontar pelo caminho da educação. Educar as populações locais e, portanto, passa também por essa vertente. É óbvio que, sem um completo e constante acompanhamento da população local relativamente às questões de higiene, relativamente ao tratamento, ao manuseamento dos mortos, sem isso obviamente que não chegamos a lado nenhum e continua a persistir o surto.

  Stefan Eck (GUE/NGL). – Herr Präsident, verehrte Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Ich begrüße natürlich die Ziele und Ergebnisse der Ebola-Konferenz. Es wurde auch auf die Notwendigkeit hingewiesen, Vertrauen in der Bevölkerung gegenüber den Hilfsorganisationen aufzubauen, die dieser Krankheit vor Ort Paroli bieten. Das ist aus meiner Sicht ein sehr wichtiger Ansatz.

Herr Kommissar, wenn wir uns das Ziel setzen, Ebola den Kampf anzusagen, ist es aber auch notwendig, der Bevölkerung zu helfen, bestimmte Traditionen im Bereich der Nahrungsbeschaffung hinter sich zu lassen, die nachweislich direkt mit der Viruserkrankung zusammenhängen. Ich spreche von der Jagd, der Verarbeitung und dem Verzehr von Fleisch infizierter Wildtiere, wie z. B. Fledermäuse, Waldantilopen und Affen, auch als bushmeat bekannt. Entsprechende Maßnahmen müssen daher unbedingt Schulungsprogramme vor Ort einschließen, um die Bevölkerung über die gesundheitlichen Risiken von bushmeat aufzuklären. Nur dann wird es möglich sein, eine weitere Epidemie auszuschließen.

  Patrizia Toia (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, desidero anch'io sottolineare come l'Europa abbia fatto senz'altro la sua parte. Siamo riusciti a rispondere con efficacia all'emergenza ma abbiamo capito che la lezione è un'altra, che la strada maestra è un'altra. Anche se non va abbassata la guardia rispetto all'eventuale recrudescenza dell'emergenza, abbiamo capito che dobbiamo essere capaci di creare una rete di infrastrutture sanitarie, di presidi sanitari e di presidi igienici per migliorare le condizioni igienico-sanitarie, perché l'esperienza ci dimostra che laddove questa rete c'era è stato possibile prevenire o contenere l'epidemia.

Allora, signor Commissario, invito a compiere questo sforzo che va fatto anche con protagonisti che da anni lavorano sul terreno: non solo con le organizzazioni gigantesche, tradizionali, le grandi organizzazioni internazionali benemerite, ma anche con organizzazioni intermedie. Io ne conosco nel mio paese: penso al Cuam – medici con l'Africa, non per l'Africa bensì con l'Africa – al Fatebenefratelli e i colleghi ne potrebbero citare altri. Dobbiamo lavorare con questa gente, che è stata per anni sul terreno e che lavora in modo più partecipato con le popolazioni locali.

  João Ferreira (GUE/NGL). – A sensação de alívio pela aparente contenção da progressão da epidemia de ébola não deve abrandar a necessária vigilância e muito menos esquecer este problema.

É tempo de saudar e agradecer toda a ajuda internacional e permitam-me que aqui destaque o gigante exemplo de um pequeno país – Cuba – que, sozinho, enviou mais médicos e enfermeiros para os países afetados que o conjunto dos demais países ocidentais. Mas a grande questão continua a ser atacar as causas profundas que estiveram na base da propagação do ébola.

As receitas do FMI e do Banco Mundial, os seus célebres planos de ajustamento, arrasaram a já frágil infraestrutura de saúde nestes países, arrasaram serviços públicos, de saúde e não só, criando uma situação de incapacidade para fazer face à progressão da epidemia. É necessário romper com esta submissão. Desmascarar a hipocrisia de uma certa ajuda internacional, em que mais de metade dos recursos regressam aos doadores para pagar dívida e serviço de dívida.

É necessário acabar com este garrote. A anulação da dívida externa destes países é, por isso, antes de tudo o mais, uma questão de justiça.

  Kashetu Kyenge (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, gli aiuti finanziari dell'Unione ai paesi maggiormente colpiti dal virus hanno permesso un rapido contenimento dell'epidemia, tuttavia non sono sufficienti. L'eradicazione completa della malattia rimane un obiettivo da raggiungere, ma è altrettanto vitale sostenere il recupero dei paesi colpiti attraverso la pianificazione a lungo termine.

Non si tratta solo di ricostruire il loro sistema sanitario ma di permettere a questi paesi di rialzarsi con le proprie forze. Per farlo serve un profondo rafforzamento della loro governance; servono delle politiche adeguate in materia di formazione, ricerca e innovazione; serve investire in centri di eccellenza; serve la fiducia degli investitori privati fuggiti di fronte allo stigma dell'epidemia; serve la cancellazione del debito, come è stato già ripetuto più volte, perché nessun aiuto da parte nostra potrà dirsi efficace fino a quando questa scure penderà sui governi di questi paesi.

La solidarietà richiede un'azione incisiva da parte nostra. Isoliamo il virus senza isolare i paesi colpiti dall'epidemia.

  Lidia Senra Rodríguez (GUE/NGL). – Señor Presidente, creo que coincidimos en que la lucha contra el ébola en el frente sanitario tiene que ir acompañada de las mejoras de las condiciones de vida de las personas en estos países. Por eso, creo que los apoyos no pueden suponer más endeudamiento, no pueden ser vía préstamos. No se puede obligar a hacer políticas de ajuste ni recortes presupuestarios en los servicios públicos. Las ayudas no pueden estar vinculadas al pago de la deuda. Tienen que suponer un apoyo al campesinado local para producir sus alimentos. Debe ponerse fin al acaparamiento de tierras.

No se puede explicar que un continente que tiene el 65 % de la tierra arable tenga a sus ciudadanos y ciudadanas muriéndose de hambre o de malnutrición. La ayuda tiene que servir, también, para fortalecer los servicios públicos y de salud y para el acceso universal al agua y al tratamiento de las aguas residuales. Y debe ser condonada totalmente la deuda.

En estas condiciones, es urgente que el Banco Mundial no cobre los once millones de dólares para 2015 a estos tres países.

  Gilles Pargneaux (S&D). – Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Commissaire, malgré la mobilisation – comme cela a été dit tout à l'heure – des institutions européennes face à ce fléau qu'est le virus Ebola, il faut tout de même constater que nous avons été en dessous de tout.

L'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS), notamment, nous disait qu'il n'y aurait pas plus de 20 000 personnes touchées. Or, 25 000 personnes ont été touchées et près de 10 000 sont décédées. L'épidémie Ebola n'étant pas terminée, il est important que l'Organisation mondiale de la santé puisse prendre d'urgence un certain nombre de mesures: reconstruire et renforcer la préparation et les ripostes nationales et internationales aux urgences, réviser le processus d'autorisation de mise sur le marché de nouveaux médicaments et renforcer les modes d'intervention de l'OMS en situation d'urgence.

La saison des pluies va arriver. Par conséquent, je pense que nous devons être prêts afin d'éviter une seconde catastrophe.

Uwagi z sali

  Nicola Caputo (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, dal marzo 2013 l'epidemia ha colpito più di ventiduemila persone uccidendone oltre novemila, quasi tutte in Sierra Leone, Liberia e Guinea. Nonostante l'intervento internazionale abbia permesso di ridurre il rischio di una diffusione senza controllo del virus, la minaccia Ebola è ancora ben presente in Africa occidentale e l'impegno internazionale deve restare alto.

L'Unione europea e alcuni Stati membri sono accusati di essersi resi conto della gravità della situazione troppo tardi e di avere impiegato troppo tempo per organizzare mezzi e aiuti adeguati, lasciando molto spesso le ONG da sole. Ci auguriamo che questo monito possa servire in futuro per essere più efficaci nell'azione di fronte a situazioni come questa, magari rafforzando il coordinamento e la velocità di risposta dell'Unione europea.

Pare che l'Unione europea da sola abbia investito 1,2 miliardi di euro per rispondere a questa emergenza e sarebbe auspicabile che la qualità e l'efficacia di tale spesa possano essere valutate positivamente. L'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha dichiarato che le risorse economiche raccolte possono garantire il primo turno di vaccini, una volta che gli stessi saranno resi disponibili. Pertanto il passaggio successivo, sul quale a mio avviso dovremo dare prova di capacità di intervento, sarà quello di elaborare una programmazione in grado di aiutare i paesi più colpiti a rimettere in piedi i sistemi sanitari nazionali.

  Νότης Μαριάς ( ECR). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, πρόσφατα σ' αυτήν εδώ την αίθουσα συζητήσαμε το εκρηκτικό πρόβλημα του θανατηφόρου υιού του Έμπολα που χτύπησε την Αφρική και θέλω να σας συγχαρώ για την άμεση αντίδρασή σας και για τη σημαντική σας συμβολή στην επιτυχή διοργάνωση της Διεθνούς Διάσκεψης για τον Έμπολα. Βεβαίως, η απάντηση της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης στο θανατηφόρο υιό του Έμπολα δεν ήταν αποτελεσματική, αφού ο αριθμός νεκρών από την επιδημία στη Δυτική Αφρική ξεπέρασε τους 9.000 τον περασμένο Φεβρουάριο, σύμφωνα με στοιχεία του Παγκόσμιου Οργανισμού Υγείας.

Το βασικό πρόβλημα που επιτείνει τις αδυναμίες αντιμετώπισης του Έμπολα στη Δυτική Αφρική είναι η διάλυση των δομών υγείας λόγω των απαιτήσεων των διεθνών δανειστών. Γι αυτό και πρέπει να διαγραφεί το χρέος των χωρών αυτών που χτυπήθηκαν από τον Έμπολα. Ταυτόχρονα, πρέπει να επενδυθούν κεφάλαια στην έρευνα προκειμένου να βρεθεί, επιτέλους, το εμβόλιο του Έμπολα.

Τέλος, κλείνω επισημαίνοντας την υποκριτική στάση της Δύσης η οποία έκλεισε τα μάτια της όταν πριν χρόνια πρωτοεμφανίστηκε η ασθένεια και τώρα που η επιδημία χτυπάει την πόρτα της Δύσης, ξύπνησε επιτέλους η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση και οι Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες.

  Marielle de Sarnez (ALDE). – Monsieur le Président, nous devons évidemment rester vigilants – vous le savez – parce que nous ne sommes pas encore à zéro cas. Mais je voudrais vraiment – vous n'en avez pas assez parlé, je pense – que nous tirions les enseignements pour l'avenir de la réponse plus que tardive de la communauté internationale. Cinq mois avant que l'OMS ne s'en occupe vraiment et ne dise les choses, il y a là un vrai problème.

Cette conférence était une très bonne initiative. Je vous en félicite. Nous devons agir dans au moins deux directions. Tout le monde l'a dit. Nous devons soutenir activement une politique de recherche pour la vaccination, pour les médicaments, pour les tests également. C'est extrêmement important. Puis, nous devons – c'était le point le plus lourd de cette conférence, et c'est bien – élaborer une stratégie commune qui soit transfrontalière, qui prenne en compte le développement de la santé et des réseaux de santé dans ces régions du monde, qui soutienne aussi l'économie parce que nous savons évidemment qu'elle a été extrêmement et durement frappée par le virus Ebola, et ce n'est pas fini.

Par conséquent, il nous faudra simplement continuer à maintenir l'engagement de la communauté internationale et de l'Europe, vous le savez bien.

(L'oratrice accepte de répondre à une question "carton bleu" (article 162, paragraphe 8, du règlement))

  Piernicola Pedicini (EFDD), Domanda "cartellino blu". – Collega, lei ha fatto riferimento alla ricerca: io volevo chiedere cosa ne pensa della creazione di una casa farmaceutica pubblica ed europea per contrastare la prevalenza e il potere che hanno le case farmaceutiche private in questo settore e anche in altri settori.

  Marielle de Sarnez (ALDE), réponse "carton bleu". – Je pense qu'il est très important que les pouvoirs publics eux-mêmes et l'Union européenne elle-même au premier rang s'investissent dans la recherche. C'est notre boulot, c'est notre responsabilité.

  Ignazio Corrao (EFDD). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, mi ha fatto molto piacere sentire tanto entusiasmo e convinzione nelle parole del Commissario Stylianides a seguito della conferenza sull'Ebola. Come non essere d'accordo con i tantissimi commenti che sono stati fatti in maniera trasversale un po' da tutti i gruppi, da tanti colleghi, sulle proposte per andare appunto ad affrontare e risolvere il grave problema dell'Ebola e comunque a mantenere l'attenzione alta su di esso.

Io sono assolutamente d'accordo sul discorso della prevenzione e dell'istruzione ma, soprattutto, come diceva il collega Pedicini e come ha ricordato anche il collega Ferreira, sull'annullamento del debito pubblico in questi paesi. Inoltre, una cosa su cui noi dovremmo stare un attimino attenti quando andiamo ad aiutare con progetti di sviluppo i paesi colpiti, sarebbe seguire il ciclo della corruzione, sia interna sia esterna, perché io non vorrei che quella che è un'emergenza si trasformasse in un grande affare per quelle poche grosse multinazionali del farmaco.

  Doru-Claudian Frunzulică (S&D). – Mr President, this is a very critical moment in the Ebola crisis. Firstly, substantial progress was made in slowing the epidemic as a result, mainly, of the international response. Secondly, we have to underline the fact, unfortunately, that the response was very slow. There are new cases of Ebola each and every day, especially in Sierra Leone and Guinea. Efforts have to increase. We cannot afford to allow such a deadly threat to mankind to be a secondary issue among our daily priorities. The first priority has to be to get to zero cases in the three countries, and the comprehensive recovery programme has to be implemented for all three countries as well. Last but not least, the world must learn lots of lessons from the Ebola crisis – mainly that a health crisis and a poor health system can very quickly become a huge development huge crisis, especially for the economy and education in those countries.

  Giulia Moi (EFDD). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, la conferenza internazionale sull'Ebola che si è tenuta pochi giorni fa a Bruxelles ha messo sul piatto i dati di un virus che ancora spaventa: fra Sierra Leone e Liberia oltre ventiduemila sono stati i contagi e novemila le vittime. Sono numeri da catastrofe, perché questa è una catastrofe a tutti gli effetti.

Organizzare grandi eventi su questo tema è importante ma ancora di più lo sarà fare qualcosa di concreto per risolvere il problema alla radice. L'Europa ha i mezzi per poterci riuscire: vanno però usati nel modo giusto, evitando di mettere al primo posto gli interessi economici di chi su questa tragedia intende soltanto speculare.

(Koniec uwag z sali)

  Christos Stylianides, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, I am once again greatly encouraged by the level of engagement by Parliament on Ebola and by the interest you have shown in the conference last week, which was a major event for all of us.

I have listened very carefully to your points. I particularly note the following: Firstly, regarding regional cooperation, this is a very critical point – as many of you have already mentioned – not only for tackling the virus transmission across the borders of the three countries, but also for the three countries to elaborate compatible national recovery strategies. The presence of the three leaders in Brussels last week was both substantial and symbolic.

Regarding funding, USD 4.9 billion has been pledged and an unparalleled USD 2.5 billion has already been disbursed. The United Nations has a shortfall of USD 400 million, so more might need to be pledged. The UN pledging conference of the Secretary General Ban Ki—moon is planned for the end of May.

Regarding the European Union’s response, it is not a secret that the whole international community underestimated the crisis in the first stage, but I am sure we learned a lesson from it. We provided EUR 1.2 billion in assistance through various directions and co—funded over 100 flights of in—kind assistance, among other things. The European Union has already provided EUR 210 million of development assistance to assist the affected countries with their recovery strategy.

We have contributed EUR 138 million to Ebola research programmes, which Mr Ponga referred to, and to vaccines, treatments and rapid tests in an unparalleled example of public and private cooperation. With regard to researching non—profitable diseases, as I come from the medical profession, that is something I will raise with my colleague Commissioner Carlos Moedas.

One word about resilience, which my colleague Mr Stier mentioned, we definitely need to help vulnerable countries build health systems, social systems and education systems – as Linda McAvan already mentioned – in a more resilient way. One such initiative is to create a Centre for Disease Control in Africa. This is something that I fully support.

On improving our mobilisation capacity as European institutions, I fully agree and I think that we are learning many lessons from this crisis. Our thinking should focus on our future ability to deploy medical teams immediately after an outbreak. Some initiatives from Member States, notably the White Helmets proposal, are already on the drawing board and will need to be followed up.

As I said earlier, the Conference was not the end point of a process, but rather the beginning. We have important meetings coming up, first in Washington at the World Bank spring meetings, and later on in the form of the UN pledging conference.

As the European Union, we will of course continue to contribute to the response and to the recovery of the three affected countries, adjusting our substantial existing effort as needed, on emergency response, on development and on research.

I hope Parliament will continue to keep engaged in this very difficult effort and, as Ebola coordinator, I promise to keep up the excellent dialogue we have developed with you.

  Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, President-in-Office of the Council. – Mr President, honourable Members, the Presidency would like to thank you for your continuing involvement and support in the response to the Ebola virus disease crisis. Following our debate, I would like to underline three aspects.

Firstly, clearly there is no room for complacency. We need to continue our efforts in the immediate response. Getting down to, and staying at, zero is our objective. The question is how to prevent a similar crisis in the future. I believe that during last week’s conference it was stated by all participants that the world after Ebola cannot remain the same if we do not want to be confronted with another epidemic of an even larger scale. First and foremost, advances realised in developing vaccines and effective treatment against Ebola and other neglected diseases. The participants welcomed the encouraging results of treating Ebola patients with Favipiravir that is undergoing the final stage of testing.

Secondly, it is clear for us that, together with affected countries, we need to build resilience for the region. We need a comprehensive cross—border strategy encompassing health, education, public services and economic development. The Council therefore welcomes the Mano River Union Summit held in the capital of the Ivory Coast, Abidjan, on 15 February, and the commitments made by the countries of the region: a reduction of Ebola in 60 days, close cooperation, establishment of a regional centre for infections, preventions and control and the fostering of the economic recovery of affected countries.

At the same time, the idea of creating a Marshall Plan for the affected countries or restructuring their foreign debt should be dealt with in appropriate fora, in the margins of the IMF, World Bank and other international financial institutions. The EU can use instruments that are at its disposal to strengthen the resilience and capacity of the affected countries while preparing for the World Bank meeting in April and the UN Ebola Donors’ Conference in May 2015.

Thirdly, improved governance, accountability and transparency of national, regional and local systems will allow us to provide a more inclusive and effective result for citizens. Lessons learned from this crisis should be incorporated in the recovery and development plans. The Council will continue monitoring the situation. Together with the European Commission, we will continue to work with the countries of the region and international organisations in devising the most appropriate recovery and development strategies.

In order to reinforce the EU and global preparedness and response to health threats in the light of the experience to fight the Ebola epidemic, it is important that the Commission and the EU Member States take stock of lessons learned over the last month. There is a lot to do and we need to come to a zero—case situation.

  Przewodniczący. – Zamykam debatę.

Oświadczenia pisemne (art. 162)

  Clara Eugenia Aguilera García, José Blanco López, Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero (S&D), por escrito. – Hemos de sacar cuatro conclusiones de esta conferencia internacional. En primer lugar, que este Parlamento seguirá trabajando para asegurar un seguimiento exhaustivo de la situación hasta que se erradique el virus y lleguemos al paciente cero. En segundo lugar, que la ayuda sigue siendo más que necesaria ya que los países afectados se encuentran con servicios básicos limitados, una economía devastada y unos sistemas de salud casi inexistentes. Sí, se sigue necesitando personal médico, hospitales móviles, pero sobre todo que se les proporcione la esperanza de ver a sus hijos volver al colegio o simplemente tener acceso a agua potable. Por todo ello, los socialistas apoyamos la cancelación de la deuda a los países afectados. Tercero, hemos de ayudarles en su impulso regional por mejorar sus capacidades de prevención y reacción ante epidemias como el ébola y ante otras que siguen causando miles de muertes en el continente africano (sida, tuberculosis, malaria, etc.), así como para reforzar sus sistemas de salud. Por último pedimos que el descenso en el número de afectados no suponga una reducción en los esfuerzos por encontrar un tratamiento y una vacuna contra el ébola. Estas serán las principales líneas políticas socialistas en el informe que este Parlamento emitirá en los próximos meses.

  Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (S&D), por escrito. – Hemos de sacar cuatro conclusiones de esta conferencia internacional. En primer lugar, que este Parlamento seguirá trabajando para asegurar un seguimiento exhaustivo de la situación hasta que se erradique el virus y lleguemos al paciente cero. En segundo lugar, que la ayuda sigue siendo más que necesaria ya que los países afectados se encuentran con servicios básicos limitados, una economía devastada y unos sistemas de salud casi inexistentes. Sí, se sigue necesitando personal médico, hospitales móviles, pero sobre todo que se les proporcione la esperanza de ver a sus hijos volver al colegio o simplemente tener acceso a agua potable. Por todo ello, los socialistas apoyamos la cancelación de la deuda a los países afectados. Tercero, hemos de ayudarles en su impulso regional por mejorar sus capacidades de prevención y reacción ante epidemias como el ébola y ante otras que siguen causando miles de muertes en el continente africano (sida, tuberculosis, malaria, etc.), así como para reforzar sus sistemas de salud. Por último pedimos que el descenso en el número de afectados no suponga una reducción en los esfuerzos por encontrar un tratamiento y una vacuna contra el ébola. Estas serán las principales líneas políticas socialistas en el informe que este Parlamento emitirá en los próximos meses.

  Sergio Gutiérrez Prieto (S&D), por escrito. – Hemos de sacar cuatro conclusiones de esta conferencia internacional. En primer lugar, que este Parlamento seguirá trabajando para asegurar un seguimiento exhaustivo de la situación hasta que se erradique el virus y lleguemos al paciente cero. En segundo lugar, que la ayuda sigue siendo más que necesaria ya que los países afectados se encuentran con servicios básicos limitados, una economía devastada y unos sistemas de salud casi inexistentes. Sí, se sigue necesitando personal médico, hospitales móviles, pero sobre todo que se les proporcione la esperanza de ver a sus hijos volver al colegio o simplemente tener acceso a agua potable. Por todo ello, los socialistas apoyamos la cancelación de la deuda a los países afectados. Tercero, hemos de ayudarles en su impulso regional por mejorar sus capacidades de prevención y reacción ante epidemias como el ébola y ante otras que siguen causando miles de muertes en el continente africano (sida, tuberculosis, malaria, etc.), así como para reforzar sus sistemas de salud. Por último, pedimos que el descenso en el número de afectados no suponga una reducción en los esfuerzos por encontrar un tratamiento y una vacuna contra al ébola. Estas serán las principales líneas políticas socialistas en el informe que este Parlamento emitirá en los próximos meses.

  Inês Cristina Zuber (GUE/NGL), por escrito. – Num momento em que é determinante avançar com a normalização de relações entre a UE e Cuba, queremos saudar o exemplo de Cuba e da sua política humanitária e de cooperação com os povos do mundo. Este pequeno país enviou sozinho mais médicos e enfermeiros para os países afetados pelo Ébola do que o conjunto de todos os demais países ocidentais. Foi o próprio Ban Ki Moon quem elogiou o exemplo de Cuba, sendo que a diretora-geral da Organização Mundial de Saúde, Margaret Chan, elogiou o papel dos países da ALBA neste combate contra o Ébola, nomeadamente de Cuba e da Venezuela. Assim se vê quais são os países que verdadeiramente defendem os direitos humanos.