Will the European Union survive COVID-19?

Reem Abdulmajid

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has put the European Union in a tough situation, testing its ability to survive one of the most dangerous crises that came amid deep divisions between member states, Britain’s Brexit and the rise of anti-EU populist parties.

The COVID-19 outbreak has shed the light on the EU’s promises and plans, including comprehensive coordination, a single market for 27 countries, each with their own government, voters, bureaucracy, health care systems, and national interests.

Over the past weeks, officials in Brussels and European capitals have been calling for a comprehensive European coordination to confront the crisis, but these calls have not been effective enough for every country to coordinate with its counterparts in the union.

In light of this crisis, several questions rise about the ability of European countries and institutions to withstand and demonstrate that they are truly committed to a joint integrated project.

During the video conference on 10 March 2020, European heads of states emphasised the need to work together, to do everything necessary and to act swiftly.

The EU stressed the need for a joint European approach and a close coordination with the European Commission. It was also agreed that health ministers and Interior ministers should consult daily to ensure proper coordination and aim for common European guidance.

With the rapid spread of the virus, however, European countries made their own decisions based on their own interests without coordination with the rest of the union’s members.

These decisions included halting exchange of information between countries, as heads of states refused to exchanging information about the stock of medical equipment and supplies for reasons related to their national security, and some have claimed that it is the army that has these information and it is difficult to share it with other countries of the EU.

Fearing shortages and a strain on their health systems, a number of states, including France and Germany, have taken measures such as stockpiling masks and hazardous materials, or hazmat suits. This has meant limiting exports of protective medical equipment, at the time that Italy for example was in a dire need for such equipment.

Turkey went even further, not only banning exports of protective gear but also appearing to renege on foreign sales of masks that had already been paid for.

This decision negatively affected the countries hit by the virus, which pushed them to seek help away from the European Union. Italy asked China to supply it with medicines and medical supplies to face the crisis.

The EU has further launched a “Corona Response Investment Initiative” with an aim to mobilize up to €37 billion to support national health care systems, SMEs, labour markets and other vulnerable parts of economies.

EU member states, however, decided to confront the virus outbreak on their own, with their own resources, as some EU foundations failed to agree on possible procedures to help the countries most affected – financially – by the virus.

EU members are currently considering the union as a threat amid the COVID-19 crisis, therefore, each made their own decisions away from the union.

This also affirms the union’s failure in achieving security for its members, which prompted the leaders of the European Union to seek to achieve the national security of their countries, and even considering that trying to help others will harm their own interests.

Based on this, we conclude that there is a security dilemma within the union, including the emergence of the individual state efforts and the decline of the role of the institution, in addition to other phenomena that warn of the possibility of the disintegration of the European Union, which started as an economic cooperative institution, while political and security crises to prove its failure.