A European-wide family association has issued a call for greater solidarity between EU member States during the coronavirus outbreak. They also underlined the central importance of the family as the primary social unit of every society.

The Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE) represents 27 national and local associations including Family Solidarity in Ireland.

In a press release yesterday, they said no European family should feel abandoned by the institutions. “In this moment where fear and disorientation might seem to prevail, we wish to reaffirm the fundamental importance of the family: the corona-virus outbreak in Europe is an occasion to rediscover the role of the family as the primary social unit of our communities”.

They added that they support greater solidarity between member States and expressed confidence “in the financial coordinating role of the European institutions which guarantees the effectiveness of the initiatives to be carried out in favour of families”.

 “At the European level, it is high time to show our adherence to the basic principles that unite us all: solidarity, subsidiarity and common good”, they concluded.