Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 24 March 2021 - Brussels

New EU-Africa Strategy (debate)

  Barry Andrews (Renew). – Madam President, I visited Sierra Leone on two occasions during the Ebola epidemic and, like many people, I tried to learn the lesson of that experience, particularly in terms of health-system strengthening.

Unlike COVID, Ebola virus disease is not very transmissible and is not airborne, but it is far more deadly. Of the 30 000 people that contracted the disease 10 000 people died and it affected all ages indiscriminately. The lessons were clear. We have to tackle dangerous and airborne viruses if they are as deadly as Ebola and be prepared for that. We must strengthen health systems and we must prepare for the impact of loss of biodiversity. But very little was done. Reports were built up.

Now, COVID is a wake-up call: we are here again, and the manner of our response will define our relationship with many African countries for a generation, despite the ambitions set out in this excellent report by my colleague Chrysoula Zacharopoulou. The ambitions of this report stand on their own merit but it will be for nothing without an ambitious EU—African vaccine partnership.