How are European businesses adapting to the coronavirus pandemic?

The Business Planet team is mobilized to help you better understand how entrepreneurs are coping with the coronavirus epidemic.

Since the beginning of the crisis, many entrepreneurs have had to completely stop their activities. Others have been able to react and completely modify their production.

This is the case for a French company that normally weaves fabric for women's clothing but started producing textile face masks overnight. You can watch an interview with one of the firm's owners in the video.

The European Union is bringing in a raft of measures to ensure a coordinated response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

• EU adopted decisions on harmonised standards which will allow manufacturers to place on the market high performing devices to protect patients, health care professionals and citizens in general.
• They relate to critical devices such as medical face masks, surgical drapes, gowns and suits, washer-disinfectors, sterilisation.
• Once implemented, the use of these standards will allow manufacturers of medical devices and other concerned economic operators, to comply with the health and safety requirements of the EU legislation, taking into account the most updated technical solutions.
• These standards, once referenced in the Official Journal of the European Union, grant conformity of devices with the requirements of the three Directives on medical devices.