covid-19

UAE and Israel’s COVID success: lessons for the EU

Now with the pandemic hopefully approaching its end, it is time for reflection and thorough analysis of emerging case studies.

Both the US and EU had hard time adjusting their health systems to the COVID-19 crisis, effectively scaling up testing early on and overcoming the pre-existing regulatory burdens. Countries such as Israel and the UAE avoided such mistakes though.

Based on the findings of the recently published Consumer Choice Center’s Pandemic Resilience Index 2021, Israel and the UAE were found to be the most pandemic resilient countries. Both countries lead the global vaccination and testing efforts. As of March 31st, 2021, the average number of daily tests conducted in the UAE was 8.29 which was almost three times higher than France, Finland, Ireland, and Portugal.

Since the start of the pandemic, testing services have been extensively available across the UAE. Using the most up to date facilities and testing systems, Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA) and Abu Dhabi Department of Health put in place drive through testing services to stop the spread, and testing every two weeks has been encouraged. In March 2020, a massive laboratory was built in just 14 days to scale up the testing.

The UAE has also successfully leveraged digital technologies to tackle the pandemic. Chat-bots as well as various apps were developed and introduced to mitigate the consequences of a health disaster. For example, the “Doctor for every citizen” app was made available to facilitate communication between the public and doctors.

Israel is a clear winner when it comes to the speed of vaccinations. As of March 31st, 60.64 per cent of the population of Israel received at least one dose of vaccine which is mainly the reason why Israel heads the Pandemic Resilience Index, Israel’s COVID-vaccination campaign kicked off 17 days later than that of the UK (the first country in the world to authorise Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine). For comparison, it took most EU countries more than 20 days more than the UK to do that. In the case of the Netherlands – 37 days longer.

Israel, on the other hand, has neither the highest number of ICU beds per 100k people nor a very high average number of new COVID tests per thousand people. However, the number of ventilators available per 100k people in Israel is 40, which is much higher than, for example, Poland, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Ireland.

The United Arab Emirates comes in second mainly because of its vaccination rate. As of March 31st 2021, UAE administered 84 doses of vaccines per 100 people. Regarding the start of the vaccination, the UAE took over the EU in terms of vaccination by about 10 days. The UK and the US (53 and 45 doses respectively) follow the UAE. The remainder of the countries analysed, are significantly behind.

However, no one is truly out of the pandemic unless everyone is out. Israel and UAE are the pandemic success stories but the rest of the world needs to catch up so that we can all get back to some normality. Health resilience, and in particular, the ability to foresee future crises and make the necessary precautions are crucial, and EU’s mistakes such as slow vaccine rollout and testing, have proven to be costly. Moving forward, the Union and member states need to act in a smarter way, following the example of Israel and the UAE.

Originally published here.

UAE ranks first in Arab world in handling Covid-19 pandemic

According to the 2021 report of the Resilience Index for dealing with epidemics issued by the Consumer Choice Centre, UAE ranked first in the Arab world and second globally on the list of the most resilient countries in handling and responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the report, the UAE achieved the highest ranking, ahead of the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany in terms of approval of vaccines, distribution, number of intensive care beds, and number of tests.

It added that countries which started tests and vaccination as soon as possible, and provided a sufficient number of intensive care beds, have contained the coronavirus better than others.

Originally published here.

UAE ranks first in Arab world in handling COVID-19 pandemic, says report

The UAE ranked first in the Arab world and second globally on the list of the most resilient countries in handling and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the 2021 report of the Resilience Index for dealing with epidemics issued by the Consumer Choice Centre.

The report, which relies on available government data, aims at providing an overview of the global health system’s preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic.

It mentioned the UAE in particular, indicating that its performance was much better than all EU countries, with regard to the national vaccination programme. 

“The UAE has rapidly launched the vaccination programme and vaccinated more than 50% of the population,” said Fred Roeder, General Manager of Consumer Choice Centre.

The report pointed out that the average of COVID-19 tests in the UAE ranked third after Cyprus and Luxembourg, and ahead of Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France and Italy.

The report added: “The pandemic put health systems around the world to an emergency test, and revealed their strengths and weaknesses, especially with regard to hospital capacity, planning capabilities, and the provision of a regulatory mechanism capable of responding quickly and efficiently upon tests and vaccination.”

The report evaluates 40 countries in terms of approval of vaccines, distribution, number of intensive care beds, and number of tests.

According to the report, the UAE achieved the highest ranking, regarding these criteria, ahead of the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. It added that countries which started tests and vaccination as soon as possible, and provided a sufficient number of intensive care beds, have contained the Corona virus better than others.

Originally published here.

Revealed: How the UAE compares globally for pandemic resilience

The Pandemic Resilience Index ranked 40 countries on vaccination drives, critical care bed capacity and mass testing

The UAE has been listed as the second-most pandemic resilient country globally in a new report.

The Pandemic Resilience Index ranked 40 countries on factors including vaccination approval dates, vaccination drives, critical care bed capacity and mass testing.

The study – conducted by advocacy group Consumer Choice Centre (CCC) – aims to provide an overview of global health system preparedness for the Covid crisis.

Israel topped the list, followed by the UAE, the US, UK and Bahrain, respectively. Ukraine rolled in last at number 41.

The report factored in the number of Covid vaccines doses administered per 100 people as per March 31. Israel led the charge with 115.98 percent, followed by the UAE (81.1 percent) and the UK (52.53).

As of May 13, The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention announced that the total number of doses provided stands at 11,422,565 with a rate of vaccine distribution of 115.49 doses per 100 people.

The index also factored in the number of daily tests per country. The UAE topped the league for daily Covid testing, averaging 8.29 per 1,000 people daily.

“The UAE is a country that managed to quickly kick off its vaccination campaign, vaccinated over 50 percent of its population [by March 31] and has carried out extensive testing – which is why it performed so well in the index,” said Fred Roeder, managing director, CCC.

The UAE commenced its vaccination rollout around 10 days earlier than most of the European Union but its performance has been “significantly” better, he said.

The UAE has one of the lowest numbers of hospital ICUs per capita, but with an average of over eight daily new Covid tests per thousand people, the country stands out on testing and is markedly ahead of countries such as Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Lithuania and Italy.

“The pandemic has put global health systems to an emergency test and exposed both their strengths and weaknesses,” said Roeder. “In particular, this concerns hospital capacity, planning abilities, and the existence of a regulatory system that is able to act fast and efficiently when it comes to testing and vaccination, among other things.”

The UAE maintains excellent collaborative links between its private and public health sectors, which allowed for fast execution amid a pandemic, said Roeder.

“The UAE has demonstrated that it has a smart government. Both Israel and the UAE have proved themselves to be agile countries that were quick to respond and planned the pandemic to the end,” he said, adding that the UAE offered a “role model” to European countries.

“The UAE is a forward looking country. Policy makers across the world would do well to look at the UAE’s success in tackling the Covid pandemic,” he said.

Originally published here.

UAE named second most resilient nation for Covid-19 response in global rankings

The UAE was named as the second most resilient country in the world for its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Only Israel ranked higher in the Pandemic Resilience Index 2021, which was compiled by the Consumer Choice Centre (CCC), a non-profit organisation representing the rights of consumers in more than 100 countries.

The CCC report, using data available on March 31, aimed to provide an overview of global health system preparedness for the Covid-19 crisis.

It singled out the UAE for performing significantly better than EU countries with its vaccination rollout, despite starting just 10 days earlier.

“The UAE is a country that managed to quickly kick off its vaccination programme which saw more than 50 per cent of its population vaccinated. Its extensive testing also tops the ranking,” said the report’s authors, Fred Roeder, CCC managing director and CCC research manager Maria Chaplia.

They highlighted the UAE’s Covid-19 testing average of 8.29 per 1,000 people each day was third to Cyprus and Luxembourg, and well ahead of countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France and Italy.

“The pandemic has put health systems globally to an emergency test and exposed both their strong and weak sides,” the report said.

“In particular, that concerns hospital capacity, planning abilities, and the existence of a regulatory system that is able to act fast and efficiently when it comes to testing and vaccination.”

The report measured 40 countries on “vaccination approval, its drive, and time lags that have put brakes on it, critical care bed capacity, and mass testing”.

Israel and the UAE were the only two countries to be given the top rating, ahead of the US, the UK and Germany, who were rated as being “above average”.

The country with the lowest score was Ukraine, with New Zealand also named in the lowest section.

“Countries that started testing and then vaccinating as soon as possible, and who had sufficient, or close to sufficient, intensive care bed capacity, managed to better contain [the] coronavirus,” the report said.

Originally published here.

The 5 Transatlantic Routes Which Will Have The Lowest Fares In The Future

Originally published here.

Germany’s Vaccine Drive Problems

Fred Roeder went on TalkRadio’s Mark Dolan Show to discuss the shortcomings of the German Government around the COVID19 vaccine procurement.

Originally published here.

Can you sue the ski hut where you contracted coronavirus?

European nations may be opening up their economies throughout the month of May, but that grand opening is likely to be dogged by the wave of COVID-19-related lawsuits.

We learned over the weekend that over 5,000 international tourists to the ski town of Ischgl, Austria are in the process of filing a lawsuit against the town and public officials. There are also being considered against ski resort owners in the area.

The lawsuit is being prepared by the Austrian Consumer Protection Association, which claims health authorities and the bar owners were “negligent” in not shutting down ski huts and restaurants earlier. They launched a website asking potential plaintiffs to share their information in order to join a future class-action lawsuit.

Often described as the “Ibiza of the Alps,” Ischgl made international headlines as an epicenter of the coronavirus crisis. At one particular venue, Kitzloch, a German bartender reportedly tested positive for coronavirus on March 7th. The bar closed its doors two days later. The town went into lockdown on March 13th. Tyrolean Governor Günther Platter then issued a province-wide quarantine on March 18th.

By the end of March, nearly 1,000 cases across Europe could be traced back to the resort town, and as many of 1,500 to the region itself.

The complaint states that the delay from the first known case until the ski town was ordered into lockdown was “negligible” and that authorities should have “known of a threat of mass infection”. Some have even blamed “greed” and “toxic business” as the reason local officials and business owners waited before shuttering doors. But as covered above, ski lodges and restaurants shut before provincial and national lockdowns ordered them to.

The first death in Austria from the coronavirus wasn’t until March 12, after which the town of Ischgl went into complete lockdown. The national lockdown went into effect four days later.

Is this enough to make a case against ski huts and villages where tourists contracted coronavirus?

As my colleague Linda Kavuka has pointed out, the current pandemic is a living and breathing example of Force Majeure, an Act of God that indemnifies certain parties in lawsuits and breaches of contract because it is simply “beyond the control” of any person or organization.

That said, there are legitimate questions to be asked: should ski towns have shuttered their doors and closed down bars and restaurants earlier? Likely. But we simply didn’t have the same information then as we do now.

And considering the very disturbing revelations about obfuscation of information by both the Chinese Communist Party and the World Health Organization at the outset of this crisis, it’s hard to place blame solely at the feet of local mayors and ski hut owners in the Alps.

(That’s why the U.S. states of Mississippi and Missouri have filed lawsuits against China.)

Of course, the fact that any skier or holiday goer would contract the coronavirus at a place where they were supposed to be enjoying themselves is a tragedy. Many people unknowingly spread the virus, were hospitalized themselves and died as a result. No one can excuse that loss of life and the grief that ensues.

But what we must hold uphold, in this situation and many more to come, is the facts and cases we allow to enter our legal system and our courts.

Classifying or assigning claims of negligence in the pandemic could likely mean thousands of unwitting public officials, business owners, and individuals will be held liable for what they didn’t know at the time. That would be a dangerous precedent.

We’ve often covered the incredibly litigious culture in the United States’ tort law system and articulated to reasons to reform it. Now, it seems, we’ll have to spread that same message throughout the European continent.

TRT World

Coronavirus Pandemic: Fred Roeder, Health Economist on TRT World

The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

Global Consumer Group Calls for Defunding WHO, Praises Trump’s Probe

Consumer Choice Center, a global consumer advocacy group, is launching a campaign to defund the World Health Organization (WHO) and is praising President Donald Trump for his remarks at Tuesday’s coronavirus press briefing when he said he would be looking into the massive funding the United States gives to WHO annually.

Trump at the press briefing criticized how WHO had not been transparent about the coronavirus and its genesis and evolution in China.

“They called it wrong … we’re gonna put a hold on money spent to the WHO,” Trump said. “We’re going to put a very powerful hold on it.”

“It’s a good thing when it works, but when they call every shot wrong, that’s no good,” Trump said.

“President Trump’s decision speaks to the larger inefficiencies and issues of transparency and accountability that have plagued the World Health Organization in recent years,” Yaël Ossowski, deputy director at the Consumer Choice Center, said in a statement he distributed to the press.

“While the failures of the WHO have only recently gotten publicity, this has been a long time coming,” Ossowski said.

Ossowski outlined some of those inefficiencies in his statement.

“It has been revealed that the WHO spends up to $200 million per year, or $28,500 per staffer, on travel costs alone, more than the budgets of combatting AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined,” Ossowski said. “Not to mention they’ve been known to host extravagant galas and conferences that do not further global public health.”

“We witnessed this during the Ebola epidemic in western Africa in 2013-14, where the WHO was too slow to respond and inadequate in health policies, and we’re seeing it in realtime with COVID-19,” Ossowski said.

“The WHO and its Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have cozied up to the Chinese Communist Party since the beginning of the outbreak and praised their failures,” Ossowski said. “Even as late as January 19th, the WHO parroted the Chinese Communist Party’s narrative that human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus was very unlikely.”

“Now is the time to send a clear signal that the WHO needs to be transparent and accountable for their failures,” Ossowski said.

“In 2017, Consumer Choice Center led the efforts in calling on the United States and member nations to cut funding to the WHO to realign their priorities toward health emergencies such as the very real pandemic we currently face,” Ossowski said. “The WHO has failed in its principal mission and it needs to be defunded. We applaud President Trump for his bold move.”

According to the World Health Organization, the United States as a “member state” has an assessed contribution owed to the organization for 2020-2021 of $115,766,922.

The United States is the largest donor to the World Health Organization of all countries that are member states.

“We’re going to make a determination about what we’re doing,” Trump said at the daily coronavirus press briefing on Wednesday at the White House.

The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

L'opinion

Coronavirus: la fièvre monte autour de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé et elle est politique

Non sans arrière-pensées électorales, Donald Trump rejoint la cohorte des détracteurs de l’OMS et de sa gestion de la crise

Alors que près de 1,5 million de personnes dans le monde ont été infectées à ce jour par le coronavirus et que plus de 83 000 en sont mortes, selon les données recueillies par la Johns Hopkins University à la date de mercredi, la fièvre monte dangereusement autour de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS), l’agence des Nations unies pour la santé publique créée en 1948.

S’ajoutant aux critiques émises par beaucoup au sujet du temps perdu au début de la crise pour tirer la sonnette d’alarme, Donald Trump est monté au créneau, mardi, en reprochant à l’OMS de s’être focalisée sur la Chine et d’avoir formulé de mauvais conseils au sujet de l’épidémie. Avant de faire machine arrière, l’hôte de la Maison Blanche, dont les arrière-pensées sont surtout politiques, a menacé de suspendre la contribution américaine à l’organisation.

Ce serait plus qu’un coup dur alors que les Etats-Unis sont les plus gros contributeurs au budget de l’agence –4,8 milliards de dollars pour 2020-2021 entre contributions et dons volontaires et environ 1 milliard de dollars lors de l’exercice 2016-2017, soit un tiers de l’enveloppe totale. Suivent la Fondation Bill et Melinda Gates, le fondateur de Microsoft, avec quelque 600 millions de dollars ; le Royaume-Uni (près de 400 millions) ; Gavi, l’alliance du vaccin (250 millions) ; le Japon (250 millions) et l’Allemagne (200 millions).

La Chine n’arrive qu’au quatorzième rang des donateurs avec 100 millions de dollars, à quasi-égalité avec la France

Susceptibilité. Dans ce tableau, la Chine n’arrive qu’au quatorzième rang des donateurs avec 100 millions de dollars, à quasi-égalité avec la France. Or, l’OMS, aujourd’hui dirigée par l’Ethiopien Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, est très clairement accusée d’être sous l’influence de Pékin qui avait réussi à placer l’une des siennes à sa tête entre 2006 et 2017, en la personne de Margaret Chan.

Tôt ou tard, l’organisation devra expliquer pourquoi elle a tant tardé à reconnaître le virus – apparu officiellement au début de l’année à Wuhan – comme étant transmissible à l’homme et à déclarer l’état de pandémie mondiale – ce qu’elle a finalement fait le 11 mars – si ce n’est, comme accusent les détracteurs de son directeur général, pour ménager la susceptibilité des autorités chinoises. Depuis, sa gestion de la crise et ses recommandations sont loin de faire l’unanimité dans le monde. « Est-il raisonnable de continuer à exclure Taïwan de l’OMS ? » s’interrogeait notamment, début mars, dans les colonnes de l’Opinion, le représentant de Taïpei à Paris, en faisant valoir que l’île (379 cas, 5 morts à ce jour) avait réussi à juguler l’épidémie.

« Il y a un clair besoin de redessiner la mission et la structure de l’Organisation. Aujourd’hui, elle est loin d’être réactive. Elle devrait mener la bataille pas la suivre » commente pour l’Opinion Peter J. Pitts, consultant de la Food and Drug Administration (FDA), l’autorité américaine en matière de médicaments.

« C’est vrai que c’est un organisme international et qu’il ne peut susciter entièrement un consensus. L’OMS doit avoir la capacité et le désir de mener les choses en période de crise. La pandémie actuelle montre qu’elle n’a ni le talent, ni la volonté pour le faire » ajoute l’ancien numéro deux de la FDA, en se démarquant toutefois des récentes critiques de l’hôte de la Maison Blanche. « Le Président Trump cherche quelqu’un à blâmer. Mes commentaires sont un appel à reconnaître et à résoudre le problème. Comme on dit en anglais “Don’t fix the blame. Fix the problem”, c’est-à-dire ne jetons pas l’opprobe, réglons le problème. »

Outre le fait qu’il n’a pas dû apprécier les critiques de Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sur sa décision de suspendre les liaisons aériennes avec la Chine, en mars dernier, l’hôte de la Maison Blanche ne fait qu’ajouter l’OMS à la liste des coupables à présenter aux Américains à l’approche de l’élection présidentielle du 3 novembre. Pékin y figure déjà en bonne place et si Donald Trump ne parle plus du « virus chinois » comme il le faisait encore il y a peu pour parler du Covid-19, ses amis du parti républicain ne manquent pas d’incriminer Pékin au Congrès et sur les ondes pour la crise sanitaire et économique que traversent actuellement les Etats-Unis.

« L’OMS et son directeur général Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ont fait copain-copain avec le parti communiste chinois depuis le début de l’épidémie »

« Perroquet ». Présenté comme une organisation de consommateurs proche de la droite dure américaine et des fabricants de tabac, le Consumer Choice Center n’a pas manqué d’embrayer sur les récents propos du Président américain. « Pendant des années, l’OMS a usé de son pouvoir et de ses moyens d’une manière mal avisée contre le vapotage et l’obésité tout en négligeant ce qui devrait être sa priorité : répondre aux crises sanitaires mondiales et aux épidémies (…). On a vu durant l’épidémie Ebola en Afrique de l’Ouest en 2013-2014 qu’elle a été trop lente à réagir et inefficace en matière de politique sanitaire, et on le voit en temps réel avec le Covid-19, dénonçait, mercredi, dans un communiqué Yaël Ossowski, son directeur adjoint. L’OMS et son directeur général Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ont fait copain-copain avec le parti communiste chinois depuis le début de l’épidémie. Le 19 janvier, ils ont même répété comme un perroquet la version du PCC selon laquelle la transmission du virus de l’homme à l’homme était improbable. Maintenant, il est temps d’envoyer un clair signal pour que l’OMS devienne transparente et rende des comptes pour ses échecs. »

Même si le débat sera sans doute plus feutré, l’organisation qui emploie 8 200 personnes dans 150 pays du monde n’échappera sans doute pas à une remise en question de son organisation et de ses actions.

Originally published here.

The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

Pypnka rubryka

Як боротьба з коронавірусом може вбити демократію: що відбувається в Європі

Нам знадобилося 75 років, щоб відновити свободу в деяких частинах Європи після тоталітарних жахів Другої світової війни та менше трьох тижнів, щоб знову поставити її на коліна. З коронавірусом на задньому плані, по Європі проносяться тривожні ерозії свободи слова та засобів масової інформації.

Так, минулого тижня парламент Угорщини прийняв закон, який дозволяє лідеру націоналістичного руху країни Віктору Орбану керувати країною безстроково. Закон дає змогу уряду Орбана ув’язнити будь-кого, хто оприлюднив помилкові факти, що заважають “успішному захисту” охорони здоров’я, або можуть створити “плутанину або заворушення”, пов’язані з коронавірусом. Така велика свобода розсуду з боку влади — це смертний вирок свободі слова, що є наріжним каменем демократії.

Віктор Орбан

Свобода слова відіграє найважливішу роль у встановленні відповідальності між урядом та його електоратом, а також забезпечує існування недискримінаційного взаємного потоку спілкування. Коли уряди монополізують цю свободу, демократія — в небезпеці. Віктор Орбан обрав правильну ціль. Навіть незважаючи на те, що Орбан запевняє, що ці закони будуть зняті, коли пандемія закінчиться, політичне минуле Орбана свідчить про протилежне. З часу своєї перемоги у 2010 році Орбан посилив державний контроль над засобами масової інформації, щоб придушити будь-яку опозицію та поетапно підірвати систему стримувань та противаг. “Демократія не обов’язково є ліберальною; Навіть коли державна політика не є ліберальною, вона все ще може бути демократією”, — вважає Орбан.

З такою проблемою зіткнулась не лише Угорщина. У Сербії постанова уряду про централізацію інформації під час надзвичайної ситуації з коронавірусом стала причиною арештів. Першого квітня після повідомлення про дефіцит захисного медичного обладнання, доступного для персоналу медичного центру в Сербії, сербська журналістка Ана Лалич була затримана. Лалич звинуватили у громадських заворушеннях за поширенні неправдивих новин під час надзвичайної ситуації.

Анна Лалич

У Польщі Міністерство охорони здоров’я заборонило медичним консультантам ділитись незалежними висновками щодо епідеміологічної ситуації, стану лікарень та методів захисту від інфекції. За поширення аналогічної інформації лікарів можуть звільнити.

Словенія та Чехія повністю заборонили присутність журналістів на офіційних прес-конференціях. Словенська журналістка, яка подала запит про вжиті урядом заходи щодо боротьби з пандемією, стала об’єктом розмитої кампанії ЗМІ, близької до політичної партії, яка очолює урядову коаліцію, за словами комісара з прав людини Ради Європи Дуни Міятович.

Вільні вибори є ключовою рисою демократичних режимів, але самі по собі є недостатніми. Справжня демократія не може існувати без громадянських прав і, зокрема, права на опір через протести, свободу слова та вільні ЗМІ. 

І на даний момент тяжко уявити кращий привід для швидкого поширення неліберальних ідей, ніж надзвичайна ситуація в галузі охорони здоров’я.

Віктор Орбан / Фото Reuters

Неліберальні уряди вкладають стільки грошей в пропаганду не просто так. Корінь їхньої сили полягає у штучно створених і страхітливих потужних розповідях, які неодноразово і послідовно поширюються, піддаючи цензурі кожен голос незгоди. Свобода вираження поглядів є для демократії тим самим, чим право приватної власності є для економіки. Монополізація одного з них веде до смерті демократії.

Тому вся Європа опинилася в глухому куті. З одного боку, ця пандемія може відвернути нас від неліберальних ідей навіки.

З іншого боку, цей кошмар може перетворитися на постійну реальність Європи, надавши урядам карт-бланш для прийняття суворих законів. Важко придумати більш ефективний спосіб придушити будь-яку потенційну непокору, ніж через використання страху за своє здоров’я. Завдяки високій трансмісивності коронавірусу, цей страх включає також батьків, друзів і буквально всіх дорогих нам людей. Це надає неліберальним урядам можливість маскувати свої тоталітарні ідеї як частину екстрених заходів для припинення пандемії. 

Демократія вкорінюється у свободі слова та медіа, і ми маємо її захищати за будь-яку ціну.

Originally published here.

The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

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