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Anders Tegnell says it would be valuable for the EU to have a common strategy for the next pandemic.
– There were basic plans at the EU level on how to deal with a pandemic. Plans that had been drawn up after a series of meetings, all of which were in relative agreement.
– It was said, among other things, that the effect of closing borders would be quite doubtful. That you have to try to avoid it as long as possible. You have to be careful when comparing the coronavirus with the flu, but there has been a great consensus among experts that borders should not be closed when an infection spreads in these types of pandemics. It has no value. The WHO also says that this should only be done in extreme cases and for very short periods. There, Europe chose completely different paths than those that had been discussed.
Did you feel that the other countries left what you had discussed until then and instead went their own ways?
– Yes, that was my impression. Above all, there was very little joint discussion about how one could imagine acting together.
So once it happened, when the pandemic was a fact, wasn’t there a common discussion about how to fight it?
– No, it became very urgent and all countries began to act on the basis of their own needs. And countries were also affected very unevenly, much more unevenly than during the recent pandemic. I don’t think it was intentional. Italy was hit hard at first, but hardly anyone else.
How would you like it to work at the European level the next time we are affected by a pandemic?
– I think we should sit back and think about how we can cooperate more on issues like this. To help together and get the fewest possible side effects before the next pandemic.
What’s wrong with everyone acting their own way?
– It gets very confusing when traveling between different countries and I think it will be much more difficult to understand and accept the measurements if all the countries go in different directions. It is important that we have a common way of seeing when and under what circumstances borders should be closed and opened. It is central to the role of the EU.
– With regard to vaccines and the availability of medicines and equipment, this is where the EU has laid the foundations. And this is good. It can be quite tricky in situations like this when it comes to accessing different types of protective equipment and medications. There, the EU has a completely different force on acquisitions and deals than an individual country. This should not be solved when there is a crisis, it must be done before the crisis hits. It really hadn’t been done this time. We must carry that lesson with us.
Tegnell: It would have been better with a common Nordic strategy
