EU external solidarity at the time of Covid-19
(EPIN Report)
The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated political and socioeconomic crisis have shown how difficult internal European cooperation can be at times, especially in policy areas where the EU has only limited competences in supporting Member States. While lively debates about internal solidarity continue, there is also the pressing issue of how the EU and its Member States wish to support third countries, outside the EU, in tackling their health and economic emergencies.
On the one hand, the EU wishes to become a relevant international actor and a geopolitical power, which demands that the Union and its Member States step up their supportive role on the global scene. On the other, there are signs of ‘coronationalism,’ with some national political parties questioning the timing of EU external aid when member states themselves are struggling.
Based on expert contributions from a representative cross-section of 13 Member States, a report from the European Policy Institutes Network (EPIN) delves into the question of whether and how external solidarity features in political and public discourse in COVID-struck Europe. On behalf of the European Institute of Romania (EIR), Bogdan Mureșan, expert within the European Studies Unit, has provided such a contribution in the collective report, building on the national response measures regarding international cooperation and external aid.
The full text of the special report ‘Coronationalism’ vs a geopolitical Europe? EU external solidarity at the time of Covid-19, available in English, may be accessed here.