The International Monetary Fund has said the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to widen wealth gaps in Europe unless policymakers help end the health crisis globally, support economies until the pandemic is over and invest in making economies greener.

In a speech to a European Parliament conference, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva praised EU governments for putting more than three trillion euros in fiscal support for firms and households, including job-retention schemes that helped more than 54 million workers.

“But the path to recovery is [...] uneven [...] because of the difference in starting positions, economic structure and capacity to respond, causing inequalities to grow both across and within countries,” she said.