Today, the European Commission is launching an additional set of actions to help limit the spread of the coronavirus, save lives and strengthen the internal market's resilience. Concretely, the measures aim to better understand the virus' spread and the effectiveness of the response, ramp up well-targeted testing, bolster contact tracing, improve preparations for vaccination campaigns, and maintain access to essential supplies such as vaccination equipment, while keeping all goods moving in the single market and facilitating safe travel. This comes ahead of the European Leaders' virtual meeting on 29 October on COVID-19 coordination, following the 15 October European Council. Even though Member States are better prepared and more coordinated than in the early months of the pandemic, citizens, families and communities across Europe continue to face an unprecedented risk to their health and well-being.

(…)

The Commission's Communication on additional COVID-19 response measures sets out next steps in key areas to reinforce the EU's response to the resurgence in COVID-19 cases:  

1. Improving the flow of information to allow informed decision-making

2. Establishing more effective and rapid testing

3. Making full use of contact tracing and warning apps across borders

4. Effective vaccination

5. Effective communication to citizens

6. Securing essential supplies

7. Facilitating safe travel
8. Green Lanes extension

See also

• Source and additional information