As part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Commission has developed the rescEU medical stockpile and distribution system under the umbrella of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). The stockpile, which is currently hosted across six Member States (Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Sweden), enables the delivery of medical equipment to Member States and other participating countries at a reduced cost, or free of charge in some instances.
To date, Ireland has not submitted any requests for medical equipment under rescEU, which is primarily intended as a last line of defence for countries with urgent, short-term supply issues.