DISINFO: EU members blackmailed each other in the COVID19 era
SUMMARY
United Europe, or as it claims, was divided over conflicts related to masks. Its members began to blackmail each other.
This is what we noticed, when Russia was providing aid to Italy, other countries were trying to set themselves aside.
RESPONSE
A recurring narrative about the lack of solidarity inside the EU, in particular, to help Italy during the coronavirus epidemic claiming that Russia was the first to help.
This narrative aims to undermine European and transatlantic solidarity in face of the COVID-19 crisis and is in line with the Kremlin's long-standing goal of weakening the EU and the transatlantic alliance. In addition, this narrative has been repeatedly debunked dozens of times in the Spring of 2020.
The European Commission took multiple initiatives to help Italy and other member states deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, including substantial support to the economy. Read more about the common European response to coronavirus here.
Individual EU members have also provided assistance to Italy specifically, including access to a hundred intensive care beds (Austria and Germany), 500 mobile medical units (Greece), 2.5 million masks (Austria and France), 30,000 protective suits (the Czech Republic and France), 300 ventilators (Germany), as well as 50 medical personnel (Poland, Romania, and non-member Norway).
At the larger level, the European Union has also adopted a major recovery plan for Europe, to help repair the economic and social damage brought by the coronavirus pandemic.
Read similar cases in our database claiming that Italy is alone defending itself from coronavirus, without any help from hypocritical EU and that the EU left Italy face to face with an invisible and terrible enemy.; or that the EU is dead; or that AstraZeneca vaccine was born thanks to Russia; or that EU will fall apart in 20-30 years; or that coronavirus in Italy stripped-down European unity; or even that "Sputnik V" criticism is based on financial motives.