European coordination or crumbling of solidarity between countries? The fundamentals of the European Union are shaken by the Covid-19 crisis. An old divide reappears between the countries of the north, such as Germany and the Netherlands, with sound public finances, and those of the south, like Italy, Spain or even France, accused of budgetary laxity. Faced with a health crisis that risks bringing the EU economy to its knees, the 27 fail to agree on a strong common response.

"Does the EU and the euro zone boil down to a very flexible monetary institution and set of rules which allow each state to act on its own? Or do we act together to finance our spending, our needs in this vital crisis? ", questions Emmanuel Macron in an interview with Italian newspapers Friday evening. "We will not overcome this crisis without strong European solidarity, at the health and budgetary levels", he warned.

The alert, aimed at putting an end to these procrastinations, was given by the former president of the European Commission and moral and tutelary figure of the European construction, Jacques Delors (president of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995). "The microbe is back," warned the 94-year-old former French economy minister. "The climate which seems to reign between the heads of state and government and the lack of European solidarity pose a mortal danger to the European Union", he warns.

There was a "failure at start-up", decrypts Éric-André Martin, specialist in European questions at Ifri, the French institute of international relations, joined by France 24. "Failure in the evaluation of the scale of the the problem and the means that needed to be available. The Commission and the Member States were caught off guard. The governments demanded European responses, sometimes to mask their own powerlessness to act, "he said.

"European solidarity is a fairy tale"

Italy is "the most glaring example [of this failure]", continues Eric-André Martin. "At the outset, when Italy asked France and Germany for help, these countries could not respond positively. It is a phenomenon of panic in the face of the unknown, governments do not have not dared to take the initiative to give resources to Italy, which they might have been accused of afterwards if the equipment had run out in their country. " Without being able to count on European solidarity, Italy accepted aid from Russia, China and Cuba.

The disappointment was also resounding in Serbia. President Aleksandar Vucic made a solemn speech to report the lack of resources and the European reluctance to help this country neighboring the EU. He had this unflattering expression for Brussels: European solidarity does not exist, it is "a fairy tale". However, "Europe cannot ignore what is happening in the immediate neighboring countries and let third parties deploy their influence such as China, Russia and Turkey", analyzes Eric-André Martin.

Medical reserve financed by the Commission

The burst of mutual aid came from a few German Länder, who initiated a reverse movement of European solidarity, by welcoming French and Italian patients affected by Covid-19 at the request of the European Commission.

European awakening arrived on March 19, with the creation of a reserve of medical equipment (masks and respiratory devices) financed at 90% by the European Commission, with 10% remaining dependent on the countries hosting these reserves. "When the scale of an emergency exceeds a country's response capacity, it can request assistance through the mechanism. To date, all EU member states participate in the mechanism, as do Iceland, Norway, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey, "the European press release said.

On March 26, the heads of state and government of the European Union managed to speak at a European Council. The need for a coordinated health response was raised: joint calls for tenders to obtain medical equipment, European budgets for research, etc. "This is an interesting development," notes Eric-André Martin, "European countries can launch joint tenders to buy more medical equipment on international markets at a lower cost".

But on the occasion of this European Council, misunderstandings accumulated when Germany, Austria, Finland and the Netherlands opposed a joint fundraising, by creating a financial instrument which benefits all member states, especially the most indebted countries. Refusing a common instrument and preferring competition to the detriment of certain States, this is indeed putting down the spirit of the European Union.

Friday morning Antonio Costa, the Portuguese Prime Minister, violently attacked the "disgusting" attitude, of an "absolute unconsciousness", of the Dutch Minister of Finance, Wopke Hoekstra, who asked the Commission to investigate the reasons for the lack of fiscal space in some countries to deal with the coronavirus crisis. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, whose country is the most affected in the world in terms of death toll, called on the EU "not to make tragic mistakes". Otherwise, "the entire European structure risks losing its raison d'être," he said in the Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore on Saturday.

"To think that we can do better than our neighbor is illusory," tempers Éric-André Martin. "We must not stay on the initial failures, which are not only caused by Brussels, but by each of the Member States. We must maintain a solidarity of cohesion, because after the health crisis, a serious economic and social crisis announces or even a recession. To address it, we must quickly return to the fundamentals of the EU to emerge stronger, and put aside the divisions and bitterness. "

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