Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-05-13-Speech-2-140"
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"en.20030513.6.2-140"2
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"Mr President, all the signs indicate that SARS is here to stay. In the developed western countries the situation remains under control, as things stand, but for the poor, less developed countries it might turn into a new scourge on a huge scale, one which, both directly and through its economic impact, will increase poverty, misery and the death rate. The epidemic is already now threatening what was already poor economic growth in Asian countries and, through a series of reflex actions, the entire global economy. We must also prepare for what will be a huge demand for humanitarian aid.
The epidemic has been going on for only eight weeks, but one thing is certain: the decision-makers have a major role to play. There has to be a guarantee of global stability and order, because that will be crucial from the point of view of health care systems and prevention.
In Finland, just one case of the disease has been reported: it was someone who fell ill having returned from a trip to Toronto. A high-ranking health official in Canada, however, has been quick to deny the possibility of infection. In a report in the Toronto Star, for example, it says that unless someone had managed to slip into a hospital to see a SARS patient in quarantine it was totally idiotic to claim that anyone had caught an infectious disease in Canada. Opinions such as these vividly bring to mind the attitude of leaders of the former Eastern Bloc countries, which was that people could not catch infectious diseases in their countries. It is incredible that the Canadian health authorities should succumb to a childish, face-saving quarrel about where the disease has come from.
This sort of attitude does not help anyone. If cases of the disease are found, the health authority should have other things to do than protect its country’s business and tourism. At a general level, this shows how badly the authorities in the Western countries have prepared themselves mentally for the spread of new and dangerous infectious diseases. The extraordinary meeting of the EU Member States’ Health Ministers, with its recommendations for action, was nevertheless an important first step, but we expect more. The EU needs more powers when it comes to infectious diseases.
One more detail with regard to the SARS situation deserves comment. Italy was dissatisfied with the decision of the Council of Ministers concerning action to prevent SARS, and decided to break away temporarily from the Schengen Agreement so as to be able to conduct checks itself on the state of health of people coming into the country. Whether the decision by Italy was necessary or a case of over-reacting, it none the less shows how flexible major EU agreements can be in exceptional situations if a Member State is able to propose its non-compliance with them justifiably. In this respect the EU has passed a practical test with good marks."@en1
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