EU leaders have pledged to increase support for the battle against the Ebola epidemic to €1 billion, saying the expanding crisis endangered all of west Africa.
On a day when one Ebola infection was confirmed in Mali and another in New York, the leaders said in a communique that a sustained and increased response was required to curb current trends.
“The scale of the epidemic is a threat not only to the economy and the stability of the affected countries but also to the region as a whole,” they said.
Following the first confirmed Ebola cases in Europe, the leaders also said further work was required to protect EU countries and their citizens. While this included precautionary measures to reduce risks of contagion, there was no move away from the established European position that it is for member states alone to decide whether to carry out entry screening.
€16 million from Ireland
The €1 billion allocation to combat Ebola, including €16 million from Ireland, represents an increase from €600 million as western powers seek to scale up their response to the epidemic.
Citing the need to ramp up medical care, the EU leaders also said funds were required for equipment and to reinforce exit screening from areas struck by the epidemic.
“Member states committed to increase the deployment of medical and support staff in the region,” the leaders said.
“Member states and the [European] commission also agreed to guarantee appropriate care for international health workers within available resources to receive the treatment they need, including through medical evacuation.”
The leaders appointed incoming humanitarian aid commissioner Christos Stylianides as EU Ebola co-ordinator.
Ukrainian sovereignty
Ahead of parliamentary elections in Ukraine tomorrow, the leaders said they expected Russia to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. They said plans for separate “presidential” and “parliamentary” elections called by “self-appointed authorities” in eastern Ukraine ran counter to the letter and spirit of the Minsk ceasefire agreements between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels.
The leaders said they expected “full engagement and swift implementation of all commitments under the Minsk documents, in particular with regard to the full implementation of the ceasefire, the setting up of comprehensive border control arrangements and the holding of early elections in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions”.
There was no move to intensify or dilute EU sanctions against Russia, but the leaders said they would provide further direction as required.
The leaders expressed “serious concern” about renewed tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. Following Cypriot claims that Turkey dispatched a scientific vessel and warships into Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone, they urged Turkey to show restraint and respect Cypriot sovereignty.
