Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Coronavirus outbreak eats into EU unity

Coronavirus outbreak eats into EU unity

The coronavirus crisis really brings into question what the EU is all about.
Clearly not a United States of Europe, as eurosceptics have often claimed.
Far from it.

Right now, every European government is struggling to protect their populations - their jobs, their health and their economy.

But rich, europhile countries like Germany are not yet digging deeper in to their pockets to help out poorer Italy and Spain.

There's little sense of the responsibility West Germany felt towards the East after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Why would there be, you might ask. Germany is a sovereign nation, facing its own pretty big problems.

But therein lies the question: What does European Union really mean?

Germany has sent medical masks to Italy. It has taken coronavirus patients from France and Italy into its hospitals for treatment.

But it has also rejected a plea by Italy, Spain, France and others to share out coronavirus-incurred debt in the form of coronabonds (or Eurobonds).

Many Italians feel abandoned, just as they did at the time of the euro and migrant crises.

This week, a group of Italian mayors and other politicians bought a page in Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper to remind Germany that it was never made to pay back its debts after WW2.

They criticised the public lack of support in the wealthy Netherlands too.

An 81-year-old close family friend in Italy called me this week to say: "Katya, you understand about Europe, don't you? Why don't they want to help us?"

Footage of EU flag-burning is doing the rounds on Italian social media.

And arch-Eurosceptic former Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini hopes to make political capital out of his country's crisis.

On Thursday, he tweeted: "We have to re-examine Europe (the EU) and Italy's role in it. It has not come to our aid at all."
This is not actually the case.

The European Commission has proposed a programme to protect jobs and workers affected by Covid-19 to the tune of €100bn (£85bn; $107bn).

It also announced a €50m aid scheme for Italy to provide medical equipment. The European Central Bank has promised a €750bn stimulus package to help keep the eurozone afloat.

But what of individual EU governments - will they club together to help?

France preaches solidarity. On Thursday, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire declared that all of the EU looked to Germany for a solution.

Well, I've spoken to Germans, inside politics and out. To them, that sounds a lot like France telling Germany to pick up the Covid-19 tab for Europe.

Instead, Berlin favours dipping into the European Stability Mechanism - a bailout fund created after the 2008 financial crisis.
But Austria and the Netherlands insist there should be tough conditions attached.

Italy complains that means it would be punished for suffering economically - not as a result of reckless government spending, but because of a deadly virus.

A compromise solution is supposed to be found in time for the meeting of the Eurogroup next Tuesday but right now an acrid whiff of bitterness is in the air between EU brethren.

So, what of the European Commission? Can't it bang heads together; force EU governments to co-operate?
In a word: no.

Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen keeps repeating that "the only effective solution to the crisis in Europe is one based on co-operation, flexibility and, above all, solidarity".

But EU countries take their own decisions.

The EU's open-border Schengen agreement is temporarily in tatters, with travel restrictions in place between Germany and Austria, Belgium and France, France and Italy and so on.

Finland - which has enforced strict social-distancing regulations - is mulling over whether to fully close its border with Sweden for the first time ever because its border areas have a high incidence of Covid-19.

This would damage Sweden's healthcare system which depends heavily on Finnish medical staff.

Ursula von der Leyen had hoped to end all these internal border closures by proposing an external travel ban on entering the EU. But faced with Covid-19, EU leaders feel national border security takes precedence.

And then there's Hungary.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban is famed for favouring what he's described as an illiberal democracy.

This week he got close to getting rid of the "democracy" part altogether after parliament passed a law allowing him to rule indefinitely by decree.

The European Commission's response has been tepid at best. Mrs von der Leyen expressed "concern" and said countries had to ensure coronavirus legislation was temporary.

But what just happened in Hungary arguably breaches the EU's founding values enshrined in a treaty - which include democracy and the rule of law.

The Commission could withhold funds from Hungary. That would be a powerful message.

Otherwise, this will add to the sense gathering during this pandemic that the EU is more marriage of convenience than union of countries, bound by values and a sense of solidarity, in bad times as well as good.

The coronavirus crisis really brings into question what the EU is all about.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×