"Europe must establish a war economy ... It must do so as soon as possible with measures that support the public debt that many states are taking on," he said.

Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, told the nations of the European Union (EU) that they will fail as a community if forceful measures are not taken to face the coronavirus pandemic.

In an article published on Sunday in more than a dozen European newspapers, in different languages, Sánchez appealed for solidarity between EU countries to get ahead in the face of the health emergency that is hitting the continent.

"Solidarity between Europeans is a key principle of the Union treaties. And it is demonstrated in times like this. Without solidarity there will be no cohesion, without cohesion there will be disaffection and then the credibility of the European project will be seriously damaged," he said.

In the text, entitled "Europe is at stake", the Spanish President calls on the EU to develop a "new Marshall plan", which is capable of injecting liquidity into European economies, after the pandemic has forced numerous countries in the world to close productive activities.

"Europe was born from the ashes of destruction and conflict. It learned the lessons of history and understood something very simple: if we do not all win, in the end, we will all lose," said the head of government.

In his article, Sánchez recalled that "Europe is experiencing its greatest crisis since World War II. Our citizens are dying or struggling in hospitals saturated by a pandemic that represents the greatest public health threat since the 1918 flu."

Sánchez calls on the EU authorities "to build up a war economy and promote resistance, reconstruction and European recovery", both now and after the pandemic is overcome.

The European Commission predicts an economic recession in 2020 in the European Union (EU) due to the coronavirus, confirmed the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton.

The global coronavirus crisis will have a negative "impact" on growth of between 2 percent and 2.5 percent, compared to the latest forecasts that "hovered around 1.4 percent," Breton told the BFM Business chain.

The new coronavirus pandemic particularly affects the nations of Europe, including Spain and Italy, while the United States has become the focus of the disease by registering more cases diagnosed and with the highest death toll.