The President of the European Commission URSULA VON DER LEYEN has offered a heartfelt apology for letting Italy down at the beginning of the corona virus pandemic.

The European Commission chief told the European Parliament that the bloc did not offer help at the time Italy needed a helping hand at the beginning of the pandemic, although she said no one was really ready for it.

When Italy struggled to contain the outbreak in early March, both France and Germany placed restrictions on the export of face masks despite warnings from the EU Commission that such actions could undermine the collective response to the virus.