Pedestrians wearing face masks are seen on the street in Milan, Italy, March 2. Photo:Xinhua

The novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic is spreading rapidly in Europe. On Thursday, Italy reported 769 new cases and a death toll of 41. France and Germany also saw more than 100 new cases, and some other countries reported dozens. 

The social system in European countries makes it difficult to carry out intense preventive measures and mobilize society to take part. The Schengen agreement also makes it hard to impose controls on people's movements across borders. Europe is facing a great challenge, but it is a key battlefield in the global fight against the epidemic. 

Most European countries are developed ones. Many Asian, African and Latin American countries were once the vassal states of European countries and have close contacts with Europe. The continent is also a hub of populations from all over the world. If Europe falls victim, the world will face a disastrous scenario in its fight against the epidemic.

Europe is the center of the globalization campaign. How the epidemic will develop in Europe will largely determine the consequences caused by the epidemic and will reshape people's understanding of many issues.

The world should support Europe to win the fight against the virus. Europe has a lot of advantages in this regard, such as rich medical resources and good sanitary conditions. The technologies of detecting and looking for people infected in Europe are better than those in many other parts of the world.

Reducing the mortality rate will be a main direction of fighting the epidemic. Right now, the mortality rates in European countries differ a lot. The rate is 3 percent in Italy and 1.6 percent in France. The number of infected cases in Germany exceeds that in France, but no deaths have been reported. European countries should make use of their advanced medical resources and contribute to saving lives. 

The way European countries fight the epidemic is different from that of China, and each European country also differs from the other. Europe can contribute various models and accumulate experiences.  

It is worth studying why there have been no deaths in Germany. If medical efforts can help reduce the mortality rate, people will have less fear of the disease. 

Few countries in the world can mobilize society and quickly contain the spread of the virus as China. From the outbreak in Italy to the virus' infiltration to other major European countries, all these happened as they had sufficient time to be alerted. This reflects the complexity and arduousness of the fight. We hope Europe can find a way that suits its own conditions to effectively contain the epidemic.