Union or Unity: The State of Europe Put to the Test by the Pandemic

Abstract

Europe’s response to the dramatic tests of the pandemic has unfolded amidst a climate of uncertainty. From Britain’s exit from the European Union to the cyclic waves of nationalist sentiment, the central question emerges: did Europe act united in the face of catastrophic events, or maintain its unity? What actions and reactions were implemented to confront the Coronavirus on a unified front? Ironically, after an exhaustive struggle against the health, and socio-economic crisis caused by COVID-19, marked by an unprecedented mobilization of human and economic resources in the Union’s history, Europe abruptly confronted a new reality: the outbreak of war in Ukraine. These disruptive events prompt reflection on the future European Union’s potential evolution.