How Relevant? The EU’s ‘Geopolitical’ Commission and the Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. College of Europe Policy Brief April 2020.

Emiliani, Tommaso (2020) How Relevant? The EU’s ‘Geopolitical’ Commission and the Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. College of Europe Policy Brief April 2020. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic constitutes an unprecedented challenge for the European Union (EU), posing existential internal as well as external threats to the European integration project. At the same time, the impact of this global crisis on the international order opens unexpected windows of opportunity for reinforced European integration and a stronger EU presence in the world. To seize the momentum, the European Commission needs to act consistently with the geopolitical approach put forward by President Ursula von der Leyen. Internally, it must promote cohesion and unity among member states and coordinate a joint European response to the sanitary, political, and socioeconomic challenges. Externally, it must join efforts with like-minded members of the international community to establish a robust system of multilateral crisis management tackling the multiple dimensions of the crisis.

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