• Posted 06-Apr-2020

Protecting Europe's workers, saving jobs with every euro available: von der Leyen announces largest EU support yet

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen presented on 2 April a new set of EU measures to preserve Europe's skilled workforce, the vibrant heart of the European economy.

One of the steps is a proposal to set up a EUR 100 billion solidarity instrument to help workers keep their incomes and help businesses stay afloat, called SURE. “SURE is Europe-supported short-time work. It can mitigate the effects of the recession, it keeps people in work, it enables companies to return to the market with renewed vigour”, von der Leyen explained, adding that the Commission will provide loans to those Member States that need them, to strengthen their short-time work schemes.
 
The Commission also proposed to redirect all available structural funds to the response to the coronavirus. Every available euro in the EU budget will be redirected to address the coronavirus crisis.

“We must use every means at our disposal”, von der Leyen said. “Every rule will be eased to enable the funding to flow rapidly and effectively”. She said this meant joining forces with Member States to save lives and protect livelihoods, and acting in solidarity.
 
She reminded that the European institutions and Member States have to date mobilised EUR 2,770 billion, in what is the largest answer to a European crisis ever given. Looking ahead, von der Leyen also noted the need to start preparing for the long-term recovery. In that sense, she highlighted the European budget as ‘our strongest, our most important instrument' that would have to embody our response to the coronavirus crisis.

Source: European Commission Press Corner (https://bit.ly/2UKbyuQ)