COVID-19 disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus recently spread from the initial cluster of the virus in Hubei province, China all over the globe, and has been certified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Europe is hard hit with an exponential rise of the number of COVID-19 cases and fatalities. The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) and the European Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Nurses and Associates (ESGENA) collaborated to issue recommendations in order to ensure the highest degree of protection against COVID-19 for patients and healthcare staff. Together we have developed the ESGE and ESGENA Position Statement on gastrointestinal endoscopy and the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be updated regularly and can be found on both the ESGE and ESGENA websites.