The role of the European Commission during the COVID-19 pandemic in fostering coordination and solidarity among member states

• Autor(a) principal: Faro, Maria do Mar Monteiro
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/28519
• topic: COVID-19; Pandemia -- Pandemic; European Union; European solidarity; Coordination; União Europeia; Solidariedade Europeia; Coordenação

In the first weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak in the European Union, Member States reacted in a unilateral and nationalist manner that was contradictory to a spirit of solidarity. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to assess the European Commission’s role regarding the challenges of the Member States’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially regarding solidarity and coordination among them. The definition of European Solidarity is however weak, as demonstrated in the Literature review chapter. For a concept to gain its meaning and be defined, constant practice is needed. Through a qualitative document analysis of documents issued by the European Commission addressing the sanitary crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this dissertation aimed to answer its research question and validate its hypothesis. It was concluded that the European Commission played an active role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and fostering coordination and solidarity among Member States. During the analysis, it was also concluded that in its actions to respond to the pandemic, the Commission put in place the constant practice of European Solidarity, demonstrating what it means to act in a solidarity manner and pushing for Member States to act in such a manner through the indication of concrete actions. It was also concluded that in its action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the von der Leyen Commission was also coherent with its six policy priorities that guided the undertaken efforts.