Crises like these call for more courage and less EU blaming!

26. June 2020

Gerda Füricht-Fiegl

In view of the crises in the EU, one could almost get the impression that they are a recurring theme throughout the history of the European integration process! Starting with the so-called "Eurosclerosis" in the 1970s, one challenge follows the next. The refugee crisis in 2015, the discussion surrounding Brexit since 2016 at the latest and currently the coronavirus crisis - the EU member states cannot seem to get out of crisis mode.

The criticism of the EU institutions that we have been hearing once again since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in Europe is usually The EU is doing too little!

On the other hand, there is the theory that it is only crises that create enough pressure for reform in the EU to motivate the key players, especially the governments of the member states, to act. At least that is what past experience shows.

In short: the EU has emerged stronger from every crisis - according to the assumption that promises hope among EU supporters!

What the current COVID-19 crisis shows is nothing new! The EU and its institutions cannot act like a government, i.e. an individual member state like Austria, in the event of a crisis. This is mainly because the EU institutions lack the necessary competences. Particularly in the area of health and social affairs, it is primarily the states themselves that can take the necessary measures. This means that the member states can quickly pass emergency legislation, whereas in the EU this requires lengthy negotiation processes between the member states.

Gerda Füricht-Fiegl, Head of degree programme

What then has a further negative impact on the perception of the EU - and the EU Commission in particular - as a crisis manager is when the (emergency) measures of individual EU states are implemented without consultation with the other states. This is what happened with the border closures within the EU. The closure of the borders between Austria and Germany in March 2020, when the urgently awaited coronavirus protective clothing in Austria was stopped at the border, is particularly dramatic for us in Austria.

If solidarity, one of the cornerstones of the EU, is thrown overboard by governments in times of crisis, this can quickly jeopardise cohesion within the EU. This mood is often fuelled by the so-called "Brussels blaming" of individual national politicians across all member states: Brussels is a welcome scapegoat for everything that doesn't work out. In return, however, successes are often declared as their own achievements.

Overall, these tendencies do not contribute to a sense of belonging to the EU. A recent Eurobarometer study by the European Parliament shows that the population is not very satisfied with the recent behaviour between individual EU member states. Almost 60% of Europeans state that they are dissatisfied with the solidarity between EU member states during the COVID-19 crisis.

However, the EU institutions are not entirely innocent of the lack of a "sense of unity". Many EU citizens can do little with the communication of the EU institutions - if they perceive it at all! This is largely due to the EU institutions themselves, which communicate "past" the needs and interests of EU citizens. On the other hand, the trust of the population is needed and this brings us full circle to the above-mentioned "Brussels blaming" of national politicians, which contributes little to the "We are Europe" consciousness.

Gerda Füricht-Fiegl, Head of degree programme

Many conclusions can be drawn from the current crisis for the future of the EU. The call for a broad-based public debate on reform is becoming ever louder. This requires courageous decision-makers in the EU institutions and in the member states, less "blaming Brussels" and, above all, responsible, informed and interested EU citizens. And to achieve this, broad-based EUrope education is essential. After all, a reform can only succeed if as many people as possible can and want to actively participate in it.

BLOG CONTRIBUTION by Gerda Füricht-Fiegl - Head of the Master's programme European Studies - Management of EU Projects.

# Gepostet in:
Masterstudiengang European Studies, Wirtschaft (mit Schwerpunkt Zentral-Osteuropa)