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Romania is one of the states that has donated the least to the international telethon organized by the European Commission, which aimed to raise funds for the discovery of a vaccine against COVID-19. Our country contributed only 200,000 euros, while Serbian and Hungarian neighbors donated 2 million euros and 750,000 euros, respectively. The only countries with lower contributions than Romania were Bulgaria, Latvia and Estonia, each with 100,000 euros.
“We managed to unite against the coronavirus! The pandemic affects every country in the world. It has brought sadness, pain and suffering to millions of people. It put great pressure on the health and well-being systems, but also managed to reveal what is best in humanity.
On Monday, May 4, governments around the world joined health organizations and their partners to contribute to a global commitment that will end at the end of the month.
We in the European Commission have not promised to mobilize € 1.4 billion for a global response to the crisis. Together, we have raised € 7.4 billion in funds to develop diagnosis, treatment and a vaccine and make it accessible to everyone in the world. And this is just the beginning.
According to governments, civil society and people around the world must join a global mobilization of hope and determination. This is the true power of unity and humanity.
The world is united against the coronavirus and the world will win! “The European Commission transmitted in a publication on Facebook.
The international telethon organized by the European Commission, whose objective was to raise funds for the discovery of a vaccine against COVID-19, managed to obtain 7,500 million euros. The telethon was opened to states, organizations, philanthropists, but also celebrities from all over the world. Madonna was one of them and made a significant contribution.
European states are, on average, among the largest contributors: France donated € 1.5 billion, while the United Kingdom and Germany donated € 547 million and € 525, respectively. And in the vicinity of Romania, the amounts donated were consistent – Serbia donated 2 million euros, Greece 3 million euros, Croatia 1 million euros and Hungary 750,000 euros. Romania is among the tailors, along with Bulgaria (€ 100,000), Latvia (€ 100,000) and Estonia (€ 100,000).
Very large donations also came from Asia: Japan contributes 762 million euros, while South Korea and China send 46 million euros each.
The message sent by Romania
“This global pandemic is a challenge for humanity that brings significant changes in our lifestyle.
The well-being of our citizens has been affected economically, social ties have been affected and our political priorities have been adapted.
The power of this pandemic has taught us an important lesson. Coordination and solidarity between us are essential. There is no other option in this mid or long term crisis than to work together and support medical experts as much as we can.
We have a moral responsibility to do everything possible to provide both a vaccine and an antidote to this virus to prevent further deaths. Research is the key to developing adequate vaccines and treatments. But coordination is very important if we want to achieve all this and long-term results.
In this regard, we welcome the establishment of the platform for partnership and cooperation between various states and organizations that will provide medical expertise. We need to make sure everyone has access to a vaccine and treatments. No country and no citizen should believe or feel that they are going through this crisis alone.
Romania fully understands the importance of this principle and I am pleased to announce that we have joined the initiative. Our financial contribution is 200,000 euros. We remain united, “said Health Minister Nelu Tătaru, in a message in English.
The United States refuses to donate, but boasts of “being at the forefront of all these international efforts.”
The United States, absent on Monday from the European Union’s global television show to finance the discovery of a vaccine against the new coronavirus, downplayed the initiative, calling it a conference “among many others” and expressing its determination to act alone.
“As the world leader in foreign aid against COVID-19, we welcome the EU’s efforts to attract additional pledges to combat this pandemic,” a senior official in the Donald Trump administration told reporters. “Numerous programs and organizations that will receive support at this donor conference are already receiving very significant funding and support from the US state and private sector,” he added.
When asked repeatedly about the reasons for Washington’s absence from this conference, he consistently avoided the question, ultimately downplaying the European initiative. “We support this EU funding effort, it is a funding effort among so many others that are underway,” he said.
The official quoted preferred to insist on the role played by the Americans. “The United States is truly at the forefront of all of these international efforts,” as “the world’s largest humanitarian and health donor,” he said. The official assured that President Trump, who does not hide his lack of appetite for multilateral initiatives, is at the forefront of international coordination against the epidemic.
Publisher: A. D.
