Foreign policy consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak

Regretting that the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated global socio-economic inequalities, Parliament called on the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) to review the 2016 global strategy in the light of the global impact of the crisis, to ensure more strategic EU action, and to make support for democracy and the protection of human r. [...] Concerned about a number of mistakes and the opacity of China's initial response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, with the concealment of the scale of the problem, persecution and the enforced disappearance of whistleblowers, Parliament called on Member States to develop a comprehensive approach to China's rise to power and to protect the EU's strategic autonomy. [...] Russia Parliament expressed concern about Russia's attempts to weaken EU unity and its response to the crisis, to create mistrust between the EU and the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries by stepping up disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks against research bodies, and to use the pandemic to further limit human rights in the country. [...] Doubting the effectiveness and safety of the new Russian vaccine currently in use, Parliament called on Russia to make a useful contribution to the global response to the crisis, acting in good faith and as part of the international rules-based order. [...] A stronger European foreign policy to defend the EU's interests and values and the multilateral order Stressing that the COVID-19 crisis has shown the need to strengthen multilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of global health governance, and to reform international institutions, Parliament called on Member States and the HR/VP to draw up an EU roadmap on multilateralism.