The Spanish Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, offered this Friday Spain host a European Union military medicine congress to share the lessons identified from the coronavirus pandemic and “propose a military health link at the European level.”
This was stated during her participation in the Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense chaired by the High Representative, Josep Borrell. Robles has already recognized on previous occasions that the Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the deficiencies of military health and believes it necessary to articulate a mechanism for European health collaboration.
In her opinion, this congress could be held in Madrid once the second wave of the pandemic is over. “It is important that military initiatives in the health field, led by the German proposal of the European Medical Command, promote common resilience and are a reference in PESCO projects,” she said.
During her speech, she gave as an example the ‘ATILA project’ used in Spain for disinfection using ultraviolet rays in sensitive facilities, either because they house people with intellectual dependence or certain equipment.
The Defense Minister believes that citizens should “perceive” the results and feel that the European Union “is a fundamental actor to guarantee their security and defend their values and interests.”
To this end, she insisted on the need to consolidate a culture of defense “that fosters unity and cohesion”, also aware that “the magnitude” of the challenges requires “acting together” to safeguard European democracies.
