“The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the EU’s Integrity”
Students Name: Trifonova Yuliana-Mariia Ihorivna
Qualification Level: magister
Speciality: International Relations
Institute: Institute of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Mode of Study: full
Academic Year: 2021-2022 н.р.
Language of Defence: англійська
Abstract: In 2020, the Сoronavirus pandemic has become a serious challenge for the entire system of international relations. Despite the fact that the world has repeatedly faced such threats, no one was ready for such a deadly virus rapid spread. The European Union, as one of the most important actors in the international arena, is no exception. COVID-19 proved to be a catalyst for disintegration processes within the Union and pointed out the long-standing problems of the Organization. The EU’s integrity and the strength of its institutions are particularly problematic in this context. Study object is EU’s functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scope of research – features of the EU’s integrity under the Coronavirus influence. Goal of research is to find out the impact of Coronavirus on disintegration processes in the European Union. This master’s thesis deals with the problem of the impact of COVID-19 on the integrity of the European Union, and, most importantly, the lack of a unified vision for controlling an unprecedented situation. It was revealed that the main reasons for such inconsistency were: lack of solidarity and coherence in decision-making at the first stages of the pandemic; lack of preparation of Health Systems; autonomy of national approaches, strengthening of anti-system right-wing political forces that used the situation with COVID-19 for their own purposes; disintegration campaigns of other strong actors of the international arena [4]. It is established that the pan-European strategy for countering COVID - 19 was characterized by the following key aspects: establishing a system of state assistance; the readiness of the European Commission to cooperate with all participating states; the creation of open policy mechanisms in order to improve the effectiveness of the main approaches to the use of medical protection and medicines; maintaining solidarity in the single market; minimizing the consequences for employment; mobilization of the EU budget [3]. Key projects of official Brussels are highlighted, such as «Corona Response» and «Solidarity Fund» the main focus of which is to mitigate the consequences of coronavirus infection. The harmful impact of the latest threats to the EU’s integrity in the COVID-19 circumstances, including the infodemia of propaganda and disinformation from the Russian Federation and China, is also clarified. After all, along with the spread of a hitherto unknown virus, the problem of spreading another threat (so-called «infodemia») has increased. This refers to the deployment of information propaganda, which is caused by a large amount of unreliable content broadcast through the media and social networks, which can influence the decisions of politicians and public sentiment. This course of events turned out to be beneficial not only for Eurosceptics, but also for competing international actors such as the Russian Federation and China, who were able to launch a large-scale information and propaganda campaign to discredit the idea of European unity. China is trying to correct its unprofitable image of the state of origin of the new virus and prove the ineffectiveness of democracy to resist such threats. The Russian Federation, in turn, seeks to destabilize the internal situation in the EU, thereby strengthening its position in the region [2]. This master’s thesis highlights recommendations for improving the effectiveness of EU policies in response to the pandemic. The main ones include: paying more attention to the protection of democracy in the EU; enhancing cooperation in the field of climate change; aligning EU’s trade policy with climate and development policy goals; strengthening the EU’s role in public health; a broader and deeper discussion in the EU about the social aspects of the market economy and capitalism [1]. Potential scenarios for the functioning of the European Union in the framework of the Coronavirus pandemic are: positive with a successful overcoming of the crisis and with the preservation of the current composition and EU’s structure, negative – with the preservation of the EU only as a formal institution and likely with a gradual exit from the crisis, but with unresolved problems of European unity. Key words: Сoronavirus, European Union, pandemic, impact, integrity, disintegration. References. Bongardt, A., and Torres, F. (2020). Lessons From the Coronavirus Crisis for European Integration. Intereconomics. Available from: https://www.intereconomics.eu/contents/year/2020/number/3/article/lessons-from-the-coronavirus-crisis-for-european-integration.html European Democracy Action Plan (2020). European Commission. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/new-push-european-democracy/european-democracy-action-plan_en European Stability Mechanism (ESM) (2020). European Commission. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/economic-and-fiscal-policy-coordination/financial-assistance-eu/funding-mechanisms-and-facilities/european-stability-mechanism-esm_en Fiott, D. (2021). European Sovereignty. European Union Institute for Security Studies. Available from: https://www.iss.europa.eu/content/european-sovereignty