European leaders have hailed the breakthrough that saw the approval of the EU’s much-delayed €1.8 trillion budget and coronavirus recovery package.
It was held up for weeks because Poland and Hungary opposed a mechanism that would make some funds conditional on a country’s respect for core European values.
Warsaw and Budapest, frequently at odds with Brussels over values like rule of law and judicial independence, called it “political blackmail”.
But they have now agreed on a compromise with other European leaders.
It will see the mechanism suspended while Brussels draws up guidelines for how it should be used and what might trigger it.
Europe‘s top court, the European Court of Justice, is also expected to weigh in on its validity.
EU law expert Alberto Alemanno told Euronews that in compromising with Poland and Hungary, European leaders had “killed a mechanism that is supposed to guarantee the rule of law” by turning it into an “instrument of last resort”.
Alemanno, a professor at Paris’ HEC Business School, said the deal was “the fruit of a political choice made by European leaders” to keep Poland and Hungary “on board” with the budget.
“We have reached an agreement of a kind that, let me stress it, has accepted all of our preconditions that we have made,” said Poland’s prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
“We have a budget, together with the reconstruction fund, which means big funds for investment, big funds for supporting the development of Poland’s economy, for new technologies, for many goals that need to be implemented, especially now that we want to quickly come out of the pandemic. That’s important to us.”
Meanwhile, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, was also in a celebratory mood.
“And we could say modestly, of course, that we saved the unity of the union. So don’t forget that this dispute was not only about the rule of law, regulation, financial issues, it was about the future of the European Union and the question: what is the power centre of the European Union, the European institutions like Parliament, Commission or the member states?
“And today we delivered evidence that the European Union is nothing else, just the community and alliance of the nations and the states. And nobody can circumvent the intentions and the will of the elected governments of any nation neither the European Parliament nor the Commission, nobody, because [the] European Union is the unity of the nations.”
‘Europe’s rule of law is in crisis’
A French official, who was not permitted to discuss the sensitive deliberations on the record, said that the steps taken against any country for failing to uphold the rule of law would apply retroactively from January 1, 2021.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that the leaders “adopted a robust agreement on the mechanism to put in place, in respect of the rule of law. Europe moves forward, united, and displays its values.”
While acknowledging that national governments are in dire need of coronavirus funds, some warned of the dangers of delaying action yet again against Hungary and Poland, whose nationalist governments have been accused of undermining judicial independence and media freedoms.
Daniel Freund, the Green group negotiator on the rule of law in the European Parliament, warned that the compromise being discussed would put the system “on hold for 1-2 years.”
“Europe’s rule of law is in crisis,” he said, adding that EU members should not be pressing the European Commission to avoid enforcing “existing laws while judicial independence is abolished in Poland or billions of EU funds end up with Orban’s family and friends.”
Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office said the delay “will allow for irreparable damage to the human rights of people in Poland and Hungary, and to the integrity of the rule of law across the EU.”
How did other EU leaders react?
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was a “great relief” that EU leaders passed the delayed €1.8 trillion budget and coronavirus recovery fund.
Charles Michel, president of the EU Council, made of up of leaders of European countries, broke the news of the budget agreement on Twitter on Thursday.
“Now we can start with the implementation and build back our economies,” he wrote. “Our landmark recovery package will drive forward our green and digital transitions.”
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the agreement “underlined indeed Europe’s ability to come together and act” in the face of the “worst crisis” the bloc has faced.
The package includes the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU’s seven-year budget, worth just under €1.1 trillion, and the €750 billion COVID-19 recovery fund, known as Next Generation EU.
Ok, let’s suspend reality for a moment and drop ‘45IQ’ (Trump for those not regular readers of my column) from the political equation.
In the presidential slot, insert a referendum on religion.
More specifically, Christianity’s role in the centuries’ long battle for the soul of America.
Let me crystalize.
Voters on November 3rd will make a sociocultural decision that will determine the validity of what many refer to as White Christianity, whether it be the false premise that there are, in fact, races, or that theirs is superior, made in God’s image and ordained to rule and subjugate.
White Christians excused away slavery and ignored that brutal institution, which included rape, torture, and murder based on the idiotic premise that we were the biblical Ham’s cursed descendants.
And except for Quakers and Mormons, who fought for our freedom, White Christians rewrote the Bible for their own benefit, rejecting tenets espousing universal brotherhood and the basic concept of loving thy neighbor as thy self.
The evolution of Black Christianity is in stark contrast to the White Evangelical Right, or what you might call the Christian ‘White-Right.’
Are there two versions of Christianity, two bibles and two Gods? One acknowledges we are all made in Nyame’s image and another permits sins far more insidious than abortion and adultery that the ‘White-Right’ prioritize as campaign issues?
But the real question is, can you indeed call yourself a Christian if you’re a racist?
Can you turn your back on systemic racism (apartheid), injustice, and discrimination and expect to be awarded a key to the narrow doorway to heaven or the ‘new earth’?
In many theologists’ eyes, the COVID-19 pandemic, mass demonstrations against systemic racism, and injustice is not mere happenstance. It is God’s (Nyame) call for reconciliation and appeasement.
This is not just my theory. There is a flood of like-minded Christians who feel similarly. I’ve read a half-dozen articles that posited likeminded assumptions, including a few Evangelicals who now see the light…or dark.
Among the most forthright was issued a few days ago from an Evangelical Christian who gave a call to his fellow Donald Trump supporters to put their concerns about abortion and homosexuality on the back burner and focus instead on tearing down the walls of racism and apartheid.
Well known Evangelical and White-Righter Jim Wallis, president of a Christian organization called Sojourners, issued a call for his fellow ‘White’ Christians to use the elections to start a national healing process.
“We’ve seen far too-long-delayed awakening among many White people about our nation’s systemic racism, sparked by the public killing of George Floyd,” he said in a written appeal.
“An excruciating 8 minutes and 46 seconds has led to a more in-depth conversation about the last 401 years of slavery and racism — partly because the whole nation was home and watching,” he wrote.
These twin crises (racism and the killing of Floyd) proclaim a message that resonates with people of faith, and perhaps even reaching some of Donald Trump’s traditional base: White Christians. We shall see.
Wallis said It might seem like a bold idea that the word ‘Christian’ could become more important than the word ‘White’ when the opposite has been confirmed for a long time.
Since the rise of the so-called ‘Religious Right,’ White Evangelicalism, in particular, has been successfully tied to Right-wing politics indifferent or actively hostile to racial equity, which is a fundamentally religious issue, he continued.
“The Religious Right, in fact, was poisoned from its beginnings with ‘White race,’ ‘White identity,’ and ‘White power’ being prominent among its organizing purposes.”
Eight of ten right-wing White Christians voted for Trump In 2016, despite his apparent flaws, including racism, myogenic, adultery, and vainglory.
Also, 60% of Catholics and 57% of Protestants voted for a candidate who some people of color call the Antichrist.
But that should not be surprising, particularly to those who study history and take note of the Christian church’s role in that ‘Original Sin’ (slavery) and its aftermath.
Whether His-story books continue to disguise it or not, this country was founded on the tenet of White Supremacy under the heading of so-called ‘Manifest Destiny.’
That’s why there is a White church, a Black church, and various shades of churches/religions in between.
Even if you can find White churches who talked about the universality of mankind, or were so bold as to remind the White-Right theologians that the first human beings were African and Black, they too were complicit by their silence and refusal to stand against injustice.
Such African American icons dating back to Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, to Frederick Douglass to Martin Luther King, Jr., called out the ‘White’ Church for its racist underpinnings and refusal to follow God’s mandates.
Most of today’s middle-realm White churches find themselves promenading down a similar path, some using the cover of ‘more important religious concerns’ to ‘mask’ (no pun intended…I think) their real agenda, or lack thereof.
Explained Wallis: “As an Evangelical Christian, I believe that issues such as abortion and religious liberty are important — but I’ve also lived the history and seen how those issues have been skewed and politicized by paper over clear biblical imperatives surrounding poverty and race.”
The 20th and 21st centuries have borne witness to White political leaders also masking their racism, he posited, “subtly stoking White voters’ racial fears, grievances, and hatred, so this isn’t new.
“But now, racist rhetoric and policies have moved from covert to overt in what I believe is a deliberate attempt to increase fear and animosity on all sides,” the former ‘White-Righter’ declared.
Racial fears are now a central campaign issue and campaign strategy, he explained.
“In early 2020, I wrote this election would be a test of democracy and faith. I wish those words hadn’t proven true. Those of us who believe racism is the paramount religious issue in this election must find practical ways to put our faith into action for the sake of our democracy… and of our faith.”
The cleric advised all Christians to return to the Bible for which the foundation of creation and universal brotherhood is the central tenet.
The foundation for all our politics is found in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible: In Genesis 1:26, he explained.
“Our holy scriptures say that God created humankind in God’s image and likeness.
“That passage is central to and affirms Dei’s imago, the image of God, in others and opposes what it denies.”
Appeals to racial fear, grievance, and hate are assaults on the image of God in others. Therefore, every act of racialized police violence, every family separated at the border, every wink or appeasement to White supremacists, and every attempted suppression of even one vote because of skin color, is denying the image of God — imago Dei.
That may be a little too deep for the novice, the unread, and those neo-Christians—White and Black—who accept what is convenient for their lifestyles and reject all else.
They are Christian in name only…and during funerals. Nor can they understand why they can’t remember Nyame’s number during times of distress or fear.
In some respects, they are in the same boat at the White-Right evangelist who worships a ‘White’ God who remarkably looks a lot like Uncle Sam, and a Messiah with blond hair and blue eyes.
“Until White Christians understand that loving their neighbors as themselves means fighting unrelentingly for justice for Black and Brown people and dismantling the oppressive structures of White supremacy, White American Christian claims to understand the heart of the gospel ring exceedingly hollow.”
White-wing Christians will undermine the basic tenets of Christianity if they vote for Trump, Wallis believes. They are also complicit in advancing systemic racism if they don’t come out of their caves to fight for equality and justice for their dark-skinned brethren.
And, of course, that starts with accepting African Americans as brothers and sisters.
“The changing perceptions among Whites of what it means to be a (Black American) and further, what it means to be a Christian in this country amid so much inequality and oppression — is leading to an unprecedented national conversation about the last four centuries of American life and America’s ‘original sin.’
“While Black voters, and especially Black women, are the core of the Democratic Party and are among the most religious people in the country, the party has, in recent decades, been reluctant to talk about faith.
“But when candidates talk about racism as the preeminent religious issue in this election season, it changes the conversation and opens up new space for religious voters to engage with their faith and apply it to their politics.”
People of faith and conscience voting against racism means protecting against the re-entrenchment of White nationalism that has emerged in this country and protecting Black and Brown Americans’ future, he said.
“Our nation and American Christianity as practiced by those identifying as White is at a crossroads. If White Christians once again refuse to treat racism as a political deal-breaker for their support, any chance to regain some of the credibility they’ve lost by their political captivity of recent years will be gone forever,” he concluded.
I agree wholeheartedly. Or almost. I see a subliminal hurdle in Wallis’s message that undermines his premise.
As long as he and other White-Right Christians see the world through a lens that is tinted in Black and White, his message is weakened. Because God sees only one race: the human race. And Nyame doesn’t need glasses.
Higher quality of activities and better conditions for volunteers
Mandatory plans to include people with fewer opportunities
Higher age limit for those volunteering in humanitarian aid
On Friday, Parliament and Council reached a political agreement on the European Solidarity Corps for 2021-2027, worth more than one billion EUR.
“Today’s agreement is excellent news for young people in the EU and beyond. The programme will start in January 2021 and Parliament managed to secure many gains for volunteers. Volunteering will the main activity of the programme, which has been our priority from the very beginning. We are now able to guarantee a higher quality of volunteering activities, by obliging hosts to offer new, useful skills and competences. Similarly, from now on we will be able to include many more people with fewer opportunities”, said Michaela Šojdrova (EPP,CZ), rapporteur on the European Solidarity Corps (ESC).
More value and better conditions for volunteers and target groups
MEPs ensured that host organisations will need to prove the quality of the volunteering activities on offer, with a focus on learning, and gaining skills and competences. Similarly, the organisations will need to prove they comply with occupational health and safety regulations.
Parliament also succeeded in better protecting target groups. Special clearance will be needed for volunteers working with children and people with disabilities. Programmes will also be required to prove that they contribute to positive societal changes in local communities.
Inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities
Thanks to MEPs, the Commission and member states will have to present how they plan to include people with fewer opportunities. Young people will be able to volunteer in their own country, in particular those with fewer opportunities.
Higher age limit for humanitarian aid volunteers
Since humanitarian action poses specific challenges, MEPs insisted that the age limit of humanitarian aid volunteers be extended to 35 with a possibility to hire experts and coaches without the age limit.
Greener volunteering
In line with the European Green Deal, volunteering activities will have to respect the “do no harm” principle and the programmes will later be evaluated taking into account their contribution to the EU’s climate objectives, such as choosing climate-neutral means of transportation.
Next steps
The agreement reached today still needs to be formally approved by both Parliament and Council.
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BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders reached a hard-fought … against climate change,” tweeted EU Council president Charles Michel … recovery clinched Thursday by EU leaders swung the momentum. … be submitted to the European Council in the spring.
The …
The Covid-19 pandemic has undermined the rights of people who reject religious norms in many countries, according to the latest Freedom of Thought Report from Humanists International.
This year’s edition of the report, an annual assessment on the rights of Humanists, atheists and the non-religious, was published yesterday – coinciding with International Human Rights Day.
The report found that blasphemy remains a punishable offence in at least 68 countries. People can effectively be put to death for expressing atheism in 11 countries, all of which are majority Muslim.
Impact of pandemic
The report also said countries including Zimbabwe and Kenya have scapegoated the non-religious for the pandemic, with Zimbabwe’s president describing it as “a warning to people to leave their sinful ways”.
Countries including Azerbaijan have used it as a chance for broader crackdowns on freedom of expression.
It has also had a negative impact on the freedom to reject or change religion. Many people questioning their communities’ religious identities have been trapped with their families, while atheist support groups have often been unable to organise activities.
Many people have found themselves unable to access consular or other support services as they have fled harm. Women’s access to abortion has been restricted in some countries.
Other key findings
The report said “the overwhelming majority” of countries fail to respect the rights of Humanists, atheists and the non-religious.
It found that government figures or state agencies openly marginalise, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious in 12 countries.
And it said dozens of countries engage in discriminatory funding of religion; derive their state legislation in whole or in part from religious law; or use religious courts on family or moral matters.
It also criticised laws which discriminate against the non-religious, for example by not allowing them to marry, or which define citizens by their membership of religious groups.
Non-religious people are barred from holding at least some offices in 26 countries.
Comments
Andrew Copson, the president of Humanists International, wrote the introduction to the report. He said restrictions caused by the virus, “whilst completely necessary”, had “also had the secondary effect of undermining and destabilising the lives of those who are most vulnerable”.
National Secular Society head of communications Chris Sloggett welcomed the report.
“This is a sobering reminder of the restrictions on basic rights which many non-religious people and members of religious minorities face globally, and of the need to defend human rights from religious impositions.
“This year’s report also makes a valuable contribution by specifically highlighting the impact of the coronavirus, and the upheaval it’s caused, on the freedom to reject religious norms.”
This week, WHO/Europe hosted a virtual high-level meeting with ministers of health and education from across the WHO European Region to highlight ways to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the schooling, health, well-being and education of young people.
In a statement, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said: “School closures and interventions such as distance learning may have a negative effect on children’s long-term educational outcomes. Children living with disabilities are further disadvantaged by school closures and inadequate distance learning measures to meet their needs. We owe it to the next generation, particularly those in vulnerable settings, to do everything we can to reduce vulnerabilities and to keep their in-person learning alive.
“The evidence is growing that targeting transmission in our communities will address the risk of transmission in schools. If proper and consistent measures are in place, schools do not pose a greater risk of infection for children, teachers and other staff than any other public place.”
The need for updated evidence for schools to operate safely was highlighted, as was the necessity of further enhancing the existing framework to support countries on schooling and COVID-19 with evidence sharing. In addition, the attendees explained the importance of evaluating responses to COVID-19 and how they impact the rights of children.
During the meeting, countries highlighted the methods they have employed to ensure that schools remain open as long as possible, while also recognizing the difficulties encountered during the pandemic.
In addition, the meeting heard from partners and collaborators on what they do and how they support countries. They also agreed on continued regional collaboration.
Hearing direct from young people
A group of youth advisors to the technical advisory group on schooling during COVID-19 (TAG), which was established earlier this year, were invited to contribute. The perspectives and participation of young people is vital to the topic of schools and COVID-19.
In their presentation, the youth advisors highlighted some findings from a survey shared with students from across the European Region. Feedback from young people included concerns about the immediate impact on their learning and well-being, as well as whether examinations and long-term plans, such as university, could be negatively affected.
Some students explained that they were feeling under pressure to complete work in a shorter time, while others said that in some cases, they lacked the ability to be properly educated at home; for example, if they have a poor internet connection or live in a vulnerable situation.
The meeting highlighted the importance of providing support to children and young people with disabilities or pre-existing health conditions.
Building on shared experiences
This week’s virtual discussion follows on from a meeting that took place in August of this year, highlighting the need for sharing evidence and country experiences on schooling during COVID-19. This resulted in the establishment of the TAG, which has been meeting to discuss the response to COVID-19 and schooling.
Education often has an impact on wider health in society. The closure of schools has led to concerns about some students being left behind, with many more facing mental health challenges as a result of the pandemic.
Leaving no one behind is central to the European Programme of Work, 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health”. Mental health, and the development of a coalition for mental health, is 1 of the 4 priorities influencing the work of WHO/Europe in the coming years.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen both appear pessimistic about the chances of a Brexit trade deal being reached before the UK officially leaves at the end of the year.
Ursula von der Leyen told an EU summit in Brussels a “no deal” resolution is more likely, according to an EU official
That came a day after Boris Johnson said there was “a strong possibility” a deal would not be clinched
Mr Johnson said on Thursday the UK’s relationship with the EU could end up looking like Australia’s
According to a European Union official, commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the bloc’s 27 national leaders that Britain was more likely to leave the EU at the end of the year without a trade deal than with one.
“The probability of a no deal is higher than of a deal,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity about the message Ms von der Leyen gave leaders at an EU summit in Brussels.
“It’s looking very, very likely we’ll have to go for a solution [where] … we’ll be able to do exactly what we want from January 1, it will obviously be different from what we set out to achieve,” Mr Johnson told reporters.
“But I’ve no doubt this country can get ready and as I say, come out on World Trade terms.”
That came a day after he said there was “a strong possibility” a deal would not be clinched, suggesting the relationship with Europe could be more akin to Australia’s link to the continent.
“I do think we need to be very very clear, there is now a strong possibility, a strong possibility, that we will have a solution that is much more like an Australian relationship with the EU,” Mr Johnson said on Thursday.
“That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing,” he added, backing the country to “prosper” if that was how things ended up.
Australia does not have a free trade deal with the 27-nation EU but does do business with the bloc, albeit to a lesser degree than the UK, mainly due to geography.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull told the BBC that Australia’s trade relationship with Europe was not considered “satisfactory”.
British and EU negotiators seeking a new arrangement on nearly $1 trillion in annual trade have been stuck on two main issues for weeks: how much fish EU boats can take from British waters and how far the EU can tie Britain into its rules in the future.
Trucks heading towards the English port of Dover were stacked up for miles this week.
Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen have given negotiators until Sunday night (local time) to break the impasse over fishing rights and allow Britain to be punished if it was to diverge from the bloc’s rules in future.
The EU official summarised Ms von der Leyen’s message, saying the “main obstacles remain”.
The British pound tumbled, stocks fell and implied volatility surged as investors started to price in the risk of a chaotic finale to the five-year Brexit crisis.
A no-trade deal Brexit would damage the economies of northern Europe, send shockwaves through financial markets, snarl borders and sow chaos through the delicate supply chains that stretch across Europe and beyond.
Some EU diplomats have suggested claims from the British are theatrics intended to wrench out a deal at the last minute, but officials in London said they cannot accept the EU’s current demands.
British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, who voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 Brexit referendum, told Sky News there was still “a significant possibility that we could get that deal”, but “that deal cannot come at any price”.
Mr Johnson said he was “always hopeful” that the British negotiators in Brussels would reach some sort of agreement.
“If there’s a big offer, a big change in what they’re saying, then I must say that I’m yet to see it,” he said.
Turkey on Friday rejected the European Union’s “biased and illegal” approach at its summit this week and provocatively called on the bloc “to act with principles, strategically and with reason”.
This is what the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday, after EU leaders agreed on Thursday to prepare limited sanctions on Turkish individuals over an energy exploration dispute with Greece and Cyprus.
The bloc has postponed, however, any harsher steps until March as countries sparred over how to handle Ankara.
In a statement, the ministry as said a proposed conference with all eastern Mediterranean countries was an opportunity to tackle maritime issues in the region.
“Ankara was ready for talks with Greece without any pre-conditions. It calls on the EU to act with principles, strategically and with reason,” it added.
European Union leaders agreed late on Thursday to prepare limited sanctions on Turkish individuals over an ongoing energy exploration dispute with Greece and Cyprus.
EU leaders agreed a summit statement that paves the way to punish individuals accused of planning or taking part in unauthorised drilling off Cyprus and Greece.
As COVID-19 spread across Europe earlier this year, many countries moved quickly to address gaps in health coverage by extending entitlement to migrants, suspending the payment of health insurance contributions for low-income self-employed people, adding teleconsultations to the benefits package and offering free access to testing and treatment of the virus.
These actions demonstrate widespread acceptance of the need to ensure that everyone has access to health care and protection from out-of-pocket payments in a pandemic. On Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day – 12 December 2020 – WHO releases new analyses that underline the importance of extending this principle to all needed health services on a permanent basis.
Financial protection and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
A new factsheet sets out how failure to address common gaps in health coverage before the pandemic was already undermining national and regional ability to meet targets to reduce poverty (SDG 1.1) and income inequality (SDG 10.1), and move towards UHC (SDG 3.8).
Two coverage gaps have even greater resonance now, in the context of COVID-19 and its economic impact.
First, countries that base entitlement to publicly financed health care on payment of health insurance contributions (rather than residence) find it hard to cover the entire population at the best of times, particularly if the informal economy is significant. This challenge grows in an economic crisis, as people lose jobs or suffer a drop in wages and can no longer afford to pay contributions.
Ensuring that everyone living in a country has health coverage is a precondition for UHC, not an optional extra.
Second, just being covered is not enough. User charges (co-payments) for covered services are a key source of financial hardship in health systems in Europe. Countries can reduce access barriers and alleviate financial hardship by exempting poor households and people with chronic conditions from co-payments. Redesigning co-payment policy allows the health system to target those most in need of protection.
Cyprus fixed its roof while the sun was shining
New WHO analysis of financial protection in Cyprus shows how health budget cuts and coverage restrictions introduced in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis were associated with a rise in unmet need for health and dental care and a doubling in the number of households with catastrophic health spending. Before the economic crisis, Cyprus already had one of the largest gaps in population coverage because entitlement was linked to income and citizenship. This gap grew from 15% to 25% of the population during the years of the economic crisis, as new rules linked entitlement to payment of social security contributions.
Cyprus has recently redesigned its coverage policy. The new General Health System implemented in 2019 changed the basis for entitlement to residence, allowing all legal residents to be covered for the first time. It also reduced user charges, particularly for low-income people. As a result of removing many financial barriers to access, Cyprus was better prepared to meet the health and economic challenges of the pandemic.
The Republic of Moldova makes progress during the pandemic
Over 10% of the population in the Republic of Moldova lacks health coverage because entitlement is linked to payment of health insurance contributions and the informal sector is significant. Reforms introduced in the last ten years have led to greater use of health services and fewer people reporting unmet need due to cost, but better access to care has also increased people’s exposure to out-of-pocket payments – for example, through heavy co-payments for outpatient medicines and informal payments in hospital. New WHO analysis finds that poor households are at high risk of being uninsured, facing financial barriers to access and experiencing catastrophic health spending.
In working to control the pandemic, the Republic of Moldova has used reserve funds to guarantee free hospital treatment for everyone, regardless of health insurance status. As the longer-term economic disruption caused by COVID-19 becomes more evident, this short-term measure could be turned into a permanent feature. De-linking entitlement to all health services – not just hospital care – from payment of contributions would ensure people do not lose coverage when they need it most. Redesigning co-payment policy will also help to reduce financial hardship.
From crisis response to sustained progress towards UHC
UHC is one of the three priorities in the WHO European Programme of Work. “COVID-19 has caused enormous disruption and devastation, but it has shown us the importance of accessible and affordable health services. No one should be denied the fundamental right to health care,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “A commitment to universal health coverage is at the heart of our work at WHO/Europe. We need to mobilize the public and political will to make sure it remains a priority.”
Two policy responses to the pandemic stand out as candidates for permanent change in European health systems: breaking the link between entitlement to health care and payment of contributions, and exempting poor people and people with chronic conditions from co-payments. WHO/Europe will support the efforts of Member States to put universal health coverage at the core of recovery from COVID-19.
