Ladies and gentlemen, the savior of the world from a pandemic is found! They searched for him for a long time. This role was claimed by Donald Trump, who was trying to buy a vaccine prescription from the Germans (in order to save the Americans first, and then, if something remains, and the rest of the world), he said that the old Ebola medicine would do. The British also tried - showing us that the pandemic can be ignored and nothing will happen to them: now in England there are officially almost 100 thousand infected and 12 thousand deaths. There were curious messiahs, like an Iranian journalist who claimed that the “crown” is hype and that he dreams of contracting a fashionable disease, and then hypanan himself so that he died.
And all this time Europe, in the form in which we have become accustomed to it in recent years, has disappeared. Cafes and favorite restaurants closed, then the barriers on the borders dropped, then everyone completely forgot that there was once such a European Union, single and indivisible, where individual countries sacrifice their sovereignty in exchange for support from Brussels and Berlin. Berlin went about his business, Paris - his own, and while in Italy the corpses were transported by trucks, no Merkel and no Ursula von der Leyen rushed to their aid. Moreover, Germany stood in a pose, demonstratively refusing to support the Italians.
But all this is in the past. Now that everything had already happened, the countries were quarantined and counted the victims, the European Commission suddenly gave a voice. Brussels under the leadership of Ursula rolled out “recommendations”, the essence of which boils down to a laconic formula: “Europe - not this year”. Countries are required to monitor the situation first. And only after making sure that the number of infected people does not grow, that the potential of the health care system meets the norm approved by the European Commission and - attention - the “system for monitoring the disease and contacts of infected patients” is well developed (hello, “big brother”!), Only then you can gradually remove the restrictions . That is, first we will open some stores, then cancel the passes, then let us walk the streets for more than two ... The borders, as you know, open last. To countries that do not want to comply with the “recommendations”, Brussels threatened with a harsh response.
And then the surprised Europeans should raise an eyebrow and ask: where, in fact, was Frau von der Leyen before? While Europe again spread to separate states, and the Eurosceptics strengthened their positions, the European Commission was silent. While individual countries asked for help, the European Commission was silent. While the Russians drove planes to Italy with help, Brussels was out of work.
Now, when it was time to “shut down and not let go,” the former German defense minister suddenly remembered who was in charge.
Well, the most interesting thing, of course, will begin further - because not everyone will survive the pandemic, and I'm not talking about people now. Quarantine is first and foremost an insanely expensive undertaking. Restaurants are closed, production is stopped, transport does not go. And if rich Germany can afford to scatter money, then in some Estonia everything is much sadder: unemployment benefits there are a little over € 100 per month, and the government in subsidies to companies (like taxi aggregators, which before the “crown” were promising) already refused. When the crowds of the unemployed will have nothing to eat, I wonder how they will like the Three Weeks initiative.
But this is not even the main question. The most interesting thing will be if the countries that have come under the most severe blow refuse to comply with the requirements. There is such a quote: "Imagine that tomorrow they will declare war, and no one will come to it." Then, Brussels will face a very, very difficult choice.
The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.