The European Union has announced the allocation of €232 million to address the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for international cooperation to tackle the virus emergency, stating that protecting public health is the number one priority and that Europe will play a leading role.

The new EU funding will help to detect and diagnose the disease, treat infected individuals, and prevent further transmission at this critical time. Part of the funds will be released immediately, with the remainder to follow over the coming months.

The €232 million aid package will be divided as follows:

- €114 million will support the World Health Organization (WHO), specifically its preparedness and global response plan. The objective is to strengthen public health emergency preparedness and response efforts in countries with weak health systems and limited resilience. Part of this funding is subject to the agreement of the EU budgetary authorities;

- €15 million will be allocated to Africa;

- €100 million, of which up to €90 million is for a public-private partnership with the pharmaceutical industry and €10 million for research into epidemiology, diagnostics, therapeutics, and clinical management for containment and prevention;

- €3 million allocated to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for repatriation flights for EU citizens from Wuhan, China;

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