EU Performance on Corona Crisis

2020/05/02 | Note, political, top news

Strategic Council Online: European convergence has declined in recent years due to the Brexit or coming to power of right-wing parties, and today the outbreak of corona and its economic implications could deepen these crises and differences. Alireza Thamoudi - European Affairs Expert

The outbreak of the coronavirus in the world has affected the East and the West, and in addition to many casualties, has dealt blows on the economies of most countries in the world. For example, according to the Eurozone Economic Rescue Fund, the European Union will now need to receive at least €500 billion from European institutions to overcome the post-corona recession. The International Monetary Fund also predicts that the EU economy will shrink by 5.7 per cent this year.

Meanwhile, Italian leaders and public opinion have recently sharply criticized EU officials for not paying enough attention to the situation in the country in the face of the coronavirus. Following internal disputes in the European Union, the EU failed to pass a plan to protect European states from the coronavirus. According to reports, major disputes arose between the Southern Europe states, including Italy, Spain and France, and the countries of northwestern Europe like Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Finland. Europe has had a difficult time fighting the coronavirus and hopes to control the virus in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, it is interesting to see why Italy has been so incapable of dealing with the coronavirus and the casualties; part of the problem is that the over-involvement of a country like Italy in the corona crisis goes back to the European Union, because the EU did not perform well in the corona crisis, and we have seen many inefficiencies on the part of the EU.

Part of Italy’s problem is its infrastructure, which is weaker than in other European countries. Another problem is that in Italy because coalition governments have been formed in recent years, there was virtually no strong central government that could deal with the crisis. At the same time, Italy is one of the countries in Southern Europe that, along with Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal, has suffered many crises since the 2008 economic disaster.

It should not be forgotten that because in recent years a series of right-wing coalition governments have been formed in Italy that have not been very consistent with EU policies, there have been differences between Rome and Brussels.

The next point is that the European Union, in view of its complex governance mechanisms, has dealt with the corona crisis somewhat passively. The complex mechanism of governance in the European Union has in many cases led to this actor entering the field too late and failing to adopt a coherent policy. In almost all economic, political and security crises, the European Union has reacted too late.

The reason for this is that the EU cannot act quickly and decisively on issues regarding security matters. In the case of the outbreak of the coronavirus, because it relates to public health and has security consequences if the same process is followed, it will lead to passivity and, consequently, divergence in the EU. Currently, the EU’s confrontation with corona and its aftermath could have negative effects on European integration, and after Brexit, which in some ways led to the failure of European integration at one time the corona crisis is likely to spark differences between the countries most affected by the virus-like Italy and Spain.

In fact, European convergence has declined in recent years due to the Brexit or coming to power of right-wing parties, and today the outbreak of corona and its economic effects can deepen these crises and differences.

As for the long-term consequences of the virus, attention should be paid to its scope, in other words, whether other countries will be dissatisfied with the EU’s performance, and if this trend continues, we may see another Brexit in the EU. At the moment, Italy is trying to replace Britain after London’s exit from the EU so it seems unlikely that it will consider a departure from the Union. But if the crisis deepens and the negative view to the European Union and its performance spreads, divergence may intensify and more countries may want to leave the EU. However, with the activation of the mechanisms envisaged in the EU structure, the delay in its action in the fight against the coronavirus will be compensated and the EU will continue to play its role in Europe and internationally.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

LATEST CONTENT

Zionist Regime’s Post-War Map for Gaza

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Middle East issues said: After nearly 150 days have passed since the attacks of Israeli planes on Gaza and the unprecedented genocide in this city, regional and international efforts to end the Gaza crisis have intensified.

Reasons for Inaction & Inefficiency of Intl Organizations in Providing Aid to Gaza

Strategic Council Online: An expert on regional issues said: With the start of the Gaza war, many major powers and international organizations not only did not take honest action to support the defenseless Palestinian people, but instead, with their support for the actions of the Zionist regime, they caused their crimes to increase over the past five months.

France and the Two-State Solution in Occupied Territories

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on regional issues said: The announcement of France’s agreement with the formation of two states in the Occupied Territories is a measure to raise the international image of France and reduce domestic pressure on the Macron government for inaction against the Israeli crimes in Gaza.

The Prospect of US Military Withdrawal from Iraq

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Although most currents, politicians and even ordinary people in Iraq call for withdrawal of American military forces from their country, there are sometimes differences of opinion regarding the time of this withdrawal. On the one hand, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, the Prime Minister of Iraq, is very serious in demanding the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Still, he wants to achieve this goal through “negotiation and political deal”. On the other hand, the Iraqi Resistance groups want the Americans to leave this country as soon as possible. The American side is also talking about a military withdrawal from Iraq in the next three years.

Russia’s Multifaceted Relations with Neighbors

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert said: After Russia attacked Ukraine two years ago, the country’s relations with some of its European neighbors were severely disturbed in such a way that a clear future cannot be imagined for it.

Solution to Get Out of FATF Blacklist and Get Rid of Its Heavy Costs?

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The Financial Action Task Force, FATF, announced on Friday, February 23, that the name of the Islamic Republic of Iran remains on the “blacklist” of this international organization. A decision that was not unexpected for the authorities of our country. According to the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, one day before the release of the FATF statement, due to the current sanctions, Iran is looking for its own FATF, as it uses other tools instead of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications). On this basis, it seems that while the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon were removed from the “Grey List” of FATF in the previous reviews in June 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not trying to be exempted from the blacklist. But what kind of organization is FATF, and why are some in Iran against joining it? And what is the way out of this situation?

Loading

Últimas publicaciones

Zionist Regime’s Post-War Map for Gaza

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Middle East issues said: After nearly 150 days have passed since the attacks of Israeli planes on Gaza and the unprecedented genocide in this city, regional and international efforts to end the Gaza crisis have intensified.

Reasons for Inaction & Inefficiency of Intl Organizations in Providing Aid to Gaza

Strategic Council Online: An expert on regional issues said: With the start of the Gaza war, many major powers and international organizations not only did not take honest action to support the defenseless Palestinian people, but instead, with their support for the actions of the Zionist regime, they caused their crimes to increase over the past five months.

France and the Two-State Solution in Occupied Territories

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on regional issues said: The announcement of France’s agreement with the formation of two states in the Occupied Territories is a measure to raise the international image of France and reduce domestic pressure on the Macron government for inaction against the Israeli crimes in Gaza.

The Prospect of US Military Withdrawal from Iraq

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Although most currents, politicians and even ordinary people in Iraq call for withdrawal of American military forces from their country, there are sometimes differences of opinion regarding the time of this withdrawal. On the one hand, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, the Prime Minister of Iraq, is very serious in demanding the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Still, he wants to achieve this goal through “negotiation and political deal”. On the other hand, the Iraqi Resistance groups want the Americans to leave this country as soon as possible. The American side is also talking about a military withdrawal from Iraq in the next three years.

Russia’s Multifaceted Relations with Neighbors

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert said: After Russia attacked Ukraine two years ago, the country’s relations with some of its European neighbors were severely disturbed in such a way that a clear future cannot be imagined for it.

Solution to Get Out of FATF Blacklist and Get Rid of Its Heavy Costs?

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The Financial Action Task Force, FATF, announced on Friday, February 23, that the name of the Islamic Republic of Iran remains on the “blacklist” of this international organization. A decision that was not unexpected for the authorities of our country. According to the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, one day before the release of the FATF statement, due to the current sanctions, Iran is looking for its own FATF, as it uses other tools instead of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications). On this basis, it seems that while the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon were removed from the “Grey List” of FATF in the previous reviews in June 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not trying to be exempted from the blacklist. But what kind of organization is FATF, and why are some in Iran against joining it? And what is the way out of this situation?

Loading