In a joint statement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron called on the European Union to prepare for the Second Wave of the coronavirus epidemic.
The letter is addressed to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and is also signed by the leaders of Poland, Spain, Belgium and Denmark.

We hope that the paper can serve as an inspiration for fruitful, further discussions at European level on how to ensure the EU’s preparedness for future pandemics, the leaders say.

The letter put a special emphasis on the shortages of desperately needed medical supplies that were felt unevenly across the EU as the virus made its way across the continent.