Conte eyes strong EU response to coronavirus

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte is hoping the European Union will put together a cohesive response to the plight of countries like his, whose economy has been crippled by the coronavirus outbreak.

Conte vowed to fight “to my very last drop of sweat” to prompt a “strong and cohesive European response.” Conte echoed an appeal the same evening by Spain, which is also reeling under a devastating COVID-19 outbreak. 

Conte called the crisis “an appointment with history. Europe must say if it’s ready for this appointment” to effectively deal with social and economic shock wreaked by the pandemic.

Germany and the Netherlands are leading other EU nations in resisting calls for an issuance of joint European debt, colloquially dubbed “coronabonds.” Italian Finance Minister Roberto Gualtieri expressed dismay that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in an interview described the bond idea as a “only a slogan.”