Europeans will find "smart solutions" that will allow them to go on vacation despite the coronavirus pandemic, says the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
As noted by the Brussels portal Politiko, her tone in the interview with the newspaper Ekspreso was more optimistic than last Sunday when she advised people not to plan vacations yet.
- I think we will find smart solutions for summer vacations. Maybe a little differently, with other hygiene measures and with a little more social distancing, but it will be impressive to see that we will find solutions - said von der Leyen.
She assessed that it is good that the EU countries are beginning to abolish restrictive measures, but she warned that the governments must proceed carefully, "step by step and always with caution", reports Tanjug.
- It is difficult to predict what the next month will be like, but I see that we are starting to learn to live with the virus - von der Leyen said, adding that she was "impressed" by the solutions for the continuation of the work of several economic sectors.
Speaking about the EU's response to the pandemic, she admitted that there were "critical moments" at the beginning of the crisis, but added that "after a few days, the countries realized that they could not manage the crisis alone", so coordination improved.
Von der Leyen rejected allegations that the crisis threatened to bring the EU to collapse, after some leaders, including Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, questioned the survival of the 27-member European project if support for the most vulnerable economies was not guaranteed.
- I think we have proven that we can grow with this crisis and we are together again - concluded the head of the European Commission.
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