EU says anxious over Trump's decision on U.S. withdrawal from WHO

The European Union (EU) looks with concern at the situation with the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and expects a review of this decision. This was announced by the representative of the European Commission (EC) Eva Grncirova at a briefing in Brussels on January 21.

"We look with concern at the statement on the withdrawal of the United States from the WHO, believe that this withdrawal will be reconsidered," - quotes the words of the representative of the EC magazine Barrons with reference to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

It is noted that the European Commission also called on members of the organization to take measures to avoid budget deficits due to the withdrawal of the States.

On the same day, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the withdrawal of the United States from the WHO. He noted that the United States during his presidential term gave $500 million a year in contributions to the organization, while China gave $39 million. The Republican leader noted that the population of the PRC exceeds the number of people living in America, but despite this, China transfers many times less money to the WHO.

In 2020, during his previous presidential term, Trump accused the WHO of ineffectively fighting the coronavirus and Chinese influence over the organization. On those grounds, he first announced the suspension of US funding for the WHO and then the country's withdrawal. A few months later, Joe Biden reversed this decision on the day of his inauguration.