European health ministers today rejected a French call to suspend EU flights to Mexico after the outbreak of a new flu strain, saying it would be up to individual states to decide on any travel curbs.
A string of countries opposed the French plan, preferring to concentrate on cross-border information exchange and building up stocks of vaccine to fight influenza A (H1N1) which has killed 176 people in Mexico and has now spread to Europe.
"We have agreed that it is a matter to be dealt with by the individual member state," Czech health minister Daniela Filipiova told a news conference after talks in Luxembourg.
"If that (curbs) were necessary, it would also include the possibility of imposing restrictions on air travel. It has been kept at a very general level," added Ms Filipiova, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU.
She said she had not seen any "dramatic attitude" by any EU country during the hastily-convened meeting towards imposing travel restrictions on Mexico.
EU health commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said the EU was well prepared to deal with what is commonly called swine flu.
"We are worried but we are on top of this, so there is no need to panic," she told the news conference. "It's very likely we will reach pandemic but that doesn't mean it's going to be deadly.”
Earlier, France's health minister acknowledged the suggestion for the EU to suspend flights to Mexico, made by Paris earlier this week, had not received a warm welcome.
"A certain number of countries did not judge that in the current situation these measures should be put in place immediately," Roselyne Bachelot told reporters a day after the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised its global alert level to 5, the second highest.
Ministers from Spain, Denmark and Germany expressed doubts before the meeting that travel restrictions would help halt the spread of the virus.
While some country coordination on travel curbs could be possible, the European Commission does not have the power to impose an EU-wide ban. EU countries themselves may impose national travel restrictions.
The ministers also discussed vaccines, agreeing to coordinate with Europe's pharmaceutical industry to develop a pilot vaccine against the A (H1N1) virus. They also discussed, briefly, the idea of common stocks but reached no conclusion.
The upgrading of the WHO's flu alert level to 5 puts governments on alert about the need to stockpile antiviral drugs such as Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu and GlaxoSmithKline's Relenza, and accelerates industry efforts to create a vaccine to fight the new strain.
Germany and Italy said each EU country should ensure it had enough stocks, suggesting the idea of a small EU stockpile.
Reuters