The European Union stopped granting work visas to the citizens of Moldova and Ukraine, already before the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, as the crisis with Syrian migrants emerged. The Union buried its plans to expand towards the East.
And in light of the grinding global economic crisis that is now raging the world, an official death certificate of this union may likely be issued.
This claim exploits the coronavirus pandemic to push a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the EU's alleged imminent collapse. There is no evidence to support the doomsday claim that the pandemic is resulting in the death or obsolescence of the EU.
Although Ukraine is not part of the European Union, the country has signed an Association Agreement with the EU. Additionally, Ukrainian citizens were granted visa-free travel to the Schengen Area in 2017, for travel of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. While the business and leisure trips are both covered, Ukraine ETIAS does not include permission to work in the EU and a separate permit must be obtained, on which policies vary between Schengen member countries, and is open for everyone to apply.
Similarly, as part of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement, Moldovan citizens were granted visa-free travel to all 26 Schengen members. However, according to EU Regulation NO. 259/2014 citizens of the Republic of Moldova have to obtain a long-stay visa - Type D visa in order to work in the EU. Read a similar case here.
Regarding the current covoravirus crisis, and in order to cushion the blow to people’s livelihoods and the economy, the European Commission has adopted a comprehensive economic response to the outbreak, applied the full flexibility of the EU fiscal rules, has revised its State Aid rules and proposed to set up a €37 billion Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative to provide liquidity to small businesses and the health care sector.
The world is learning from the so-called Chinese dictatorship in curbing this epidemic (Coronavirus), and all countries of the world are saying “Learn from China”.
Dictatorship and communism have proven their worth in curbing this danger to humanity.
The claim about the superiority of political authoritarianism and isolationist “closed societies” in preventing and controlling epidemics does not reflect reality.
Authoritarian regimes, which tend to control and manipulate information and to limit the freedom of doctors and scientists to engage in international cooperation, are often an obstacle to the timely detection and containment of epidemic outbreaks.
Russia responded to Italy’s request for medical assistance to fight the coronavirus, as it believes that the pandemic can be battled only if all countries resort to cooperation and coordination. This proved to be a major difference compared to the indifference of Brussels and the racist ban imposed by Berlin to export medical gear to other EU member states. Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was very brave to ask help from the Kremlin and Moscow responded in 24 hours. At the same time, Italy asked help from the United States but it received no response, even medical supplies from NATO’s bases in the country were not released. Is anyone in Greece thinking to do the same and approach Russia or will the Greek authorities prefer to stay with their partners and allies?
This claim exploits the coronavirus pandemic to push a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the EU's alleged imminent collapse. One of the main pro-Kremlin narratives relating to the pandemic is that the EU is failing to cope with the COVID-19 crisis and, as a result, is disintegrating, together with the border-free Schengen area. In particular, this narrative of failure and lack of EU solidarity is trending after the delivery of Russian aid to Italy. This narrative also aims to pit EU member states against each other in an attempt to undermine European solidarity, another recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation tactic. There is no evidence to support the claim that the pandemic is resulting in the death or obsolescence of the EU. The European Commission is coordinating a common European response to the COVID-19 crisis and is supporting Member States in tackling the pandemic and in mitigating its economic consequences. To cushion the blow to people’s livelihoods and the economy, the European Commission has adopted a comprehensive economic response to the outbreak, applied the full flexibility of the EU's fiscal rules, has revised its State Aid rules and proposed to set up a EUR 37 billion Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative to provide liquidity to small businesses and the health care sector. The Commission is further increasing its response by proposing to set up a €100 billion solidarity instrument to help workers keep their incomes and businesses stay afloat, called SURE. It is also proposing to redirect all available structural funds to the response to the coronavirus. To support scientific research into COVID-19, the European Commission earmarked 47,5 million EUR for shortlisted research projects that can improve epidemiology and public health, including preparedness and response to outbreaks. The EU also created the first ever stockpile of medical equipment. EU Member States are helping each other in this crisis; for example, German hospitals have offered to treat critical coronavirus patients from France as well as taking in patients from Italy and the Czech Republic has sent masks to Italy. The European Union (EU) and its member states have since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis to support each other and show solidarity in various sectors. Large amounts of financial, medical and personal assistance have been put in place to aid all EU member states. Furthermore, the EU is working 24/7 to stockpile and manage distribution of vital medical equipment, while its member states are coordinating to take care of different things and help each other. More about the EU's response can be read here and here. NATO is also doing its part to help its member states and the Alliance's Foreign Ministers agreed to speed up the coordination to combat the coronavirus crisis More on the targeted EU response to support partner countries' efforts in tackling the coronavirus pandemic here.
The World Health Organization, headed by a politician with a dodgy past and funded largely by Bill Gates, has officially declared a pandemic. In response, one “Western” government after another has declared a national emergency and put the country in lockdown. As a result, millions and millions are now losing their jobs and entire national economies are made to suffer irreparable damage, yet aggregate average monthly death rates are not even higher than in 2019, 2018 and 2017. From the very beginning, aided by a supine press, governments have been fiddling with the numbers, going to extremes to give the impression that the coronavirus death toll is appalling. […] Only a government without a grasp of reality, with a total lack of ethical and political principles, accustomed to trampling on the rights of citizens for decades, would decree a total lockdown just to save a few people, or a government that would be taking orders from some unknown higher authority.
An unfounded conspiracy theory, sharing a recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative about "secret elites" controlling world leaders. When in March 11, 2020 the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, there were more than 118 thousand confirmed coronavirus cases in 114 countries. An updated situation report from WHO on the coronavirus pandemic can be found here. See more examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation about the coronavirus here.
