"While the urgency is presently on fighting the Coronavirus pandemic and its immediate consequences, we should start to prepare the measures necessary to get back to a normal functioning of our societies and to sustainable growth, drawing all lessons from the crisis", the statement said.
According to the document, this will require an exit strategy, a comprehensive recovery plan and unprecedented investment.
"The time has come to put into place a more ambitious and wide-ranging crisis management system within the EU, including, for instance, a true European Crisis Management Centre," it added.
EU leaders are expected to hold a conference call on Thursday to discuss a joint response to the pandemic, including issues related to the economy, health care systems and the impact of COVID-19 on people.
Europe is currently the epicenter of the deadly epidemic, with Italy and Spain being the worst-hit countries.
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