MEP Asimakopoulou sees up to 18-month transition for 'return to normality'

As the novel Coronavirus hits the EU and the death toll continues to climb each day, Anna Michelle Asimakopoulou, an MEP of the European People’s Party who is Vice-Chair of the International Trade Committee, stressed the need to “adjust to the new reality” caused by the outbreak and that the public should be ready for a worst-case scenario where it could take up to 18 months for society to return to normal.
Asimakopoulou, who is currently located in Greece as the European Parliament is almost in full shutdown mode, described the situation in the country and praised the leadership’s stance towards the COVID-19 emergency.
The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, activated emergency measures to halt the spread of the virus, which allowed Greece to be “ahead of the game,” compared to what happened in Italy and Spain, the MEP said.
Mitsotakis also announced that travel to Greece’s Aegean islands will only be allowed for permanent residents, while the government is expected to announce the closure of all airports for commercial flights as of Sunday midnight.
Citizens of EU countries are not the only ones having to adjust to the new reality, the EU institutions are also trying to adjust to the “new normal,” as all the non-essential staff is now teleworking and MEPs were also encouraged to do the same.
The Parliament’s Plenary Session has already been relocated from Strasbourg to Brussels and shortened to one-and-a-half-day session. As next week’s agenda will have only three key topics on the agenda and few if none MEPs in the room, the latter are expected to cast their vote by e-mail.
Through the response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Europe is testing its structures, according to Asimakopoulou, which sees the outbreak as a chance to resolve many issues that are holding the EU back in legislative terms. But first, however, the bloc needs to reassure its citizens, which are filled with justified uncertainty and fear, that it will do “whatever it takes,” to salvage Europe’s residents and the economies of the EU’s members from the pandemic’s impact.
Watch the full video below. The panel with MEP Asimakopoulou starts just after the 21st minute.