Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned the European Union on Monday that nationalist sentiments are increasing among Italians and in other nations, as Italy’s death toll rises above 10,000. Conte believes that the EU should do more to help the Italian economy amid the outbreak.

“If the EU does not live up to its vocation and its role in this historical situation, will citizens have more confidence in it or will they permanently lose it?,” Conte told Spain’s El Pais newspaper.

“Nationalist instincts, in Italy, but also in Spain and elsewhere, will be much stronger if Europe is not up to the task,” he added. Conte has previously criticized the European Central Bank (ECB) for not going far enough in its stimulus measures and said that the ECB should create “favorable financial conditions” for European economies amid the crisis.

Italy is currently on lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus, closing all non-essential businesses and only allowing citizens to go to the supermarket or obtain health services. As of Monday at 11:40 a.m. ET, there are 97,689 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Italy, with the country’s death toll at 10,779.

The virus has been fatal for Italy’s elderly, with 23.1% of the country’s population being 65 or older, according to German data firm Statista. The outbreak began in the province of Lombardy in northern Italy, but cases are projected to dramatically increase in the country’s poorer southern regions.

Spain, another Mediterranean country, is also facing a large outbreak with 85,198 cases and 7,340 deaths. Spain has a large elderly population, and the country’s healthcare system has struggled to procure enough protective equipment, with instances of medical workers sometimes getting infected.

Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has 63,929 cases and 560 deaths. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has banned gatherings of more than two people to prevent the spread of the virus.

RELATED STORIES
Coronavirus Germany