The S&D Group in the European Parliament welcomed today's adoption of the resolution on the Ebola crisis which underlines the need for additional measures to help the affected countries, particularly Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea who are among those at the bottom of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) human development index.
S&D spokesperson on international development, Norbert Neuser, who will be leading a Delegation of Parliamentarians next week to Sierra Leone, said:
"While we should celebrate the fact that we are approaching the end of the Ebola epidemic, notably thanks to the work of NGOs and humanitarians, this crisis has both highlighted the structural problems still present in a number of countries and served as a reminder to EU leaders of the need for them to stay true to their goal of allocating at least 20% of official assistance on the development of basic social services, giving priority to healthcare.
"The scale and complexity of the Ebola epidemic pose a real challenge for Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, whose health and education systems have shortcomings that are structural by nature. The Ebola crisis is therefore systemic at local, regional and national level. People in these countries are in an extremely vulnerable situation, and it is clear that the three countries cannot deal with it on their own.
"The EU must accept its responsibility and take measures to help affected countries in strengthening their health systems. Furthermore, there are still question-marks about the long-term consequences of an Ebola infection, which is why we need to invest in research.
"Next week I will lead a Delegation to Sierra Leone to see how the recommendations we adopt today can concretely be implemented on the ground.""
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