The Covid-19 crisis that has been hitting Europe for a year and a half is a test for the EU. It tests the resilience of its health system and its mode of governance, as well as its capacity to preserve its cohesion, and the values embodied in the European project. The pandemic also exposes Europe’s solitude and strategic vulnerability in a world marked by fierce competition between China and the United States. While the effects of the health crisis on the security and defence policies of the EU member states appear, for the moment, to be relatively limited, the longer-term consequences for the European security and defence policy remain uncertain.
What does the health crisis tell us about how the EU works and about the effectiveness of its model and its resilience? What challenges does the EU have to face in terms of public health policy and strategic sovereignty? What is the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the security and defence commitment of EU member states and on the international security situation in general? What are the security and defence challenges that the EU should face in order to improve its prevention and resilience policy in terms of health security?
In order to answer these questions and share their analyses of the EU’s management of the pandemic, we will be pleased to welcome Dr Claudia Major, Head of the Research Division International Security at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), and Mr Éric-André Martin, Secretary General of the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (CERFA, French institute of international relations).
Research line: Europe
Online evening conference
The EU and the Pandemic:
Lessons Learned and Challenges Ahead
Doctor Claudia MAJOR
Mr Eric-André MARTIN
Moderator: Estelle HOORICKX
Language: English
17 June 2021, 17:00 – 18:30
> From 16:00 – Registration –
connection to online conference
> 17:00 – Conference and Q & A
Conference videos:
> Doctor Claudia MAJOR
> Mr Eric-André MARTIN