The global pandemic has pushed the countries of Europe further apart. They must rediscover the habit of working togetherCoronavirus - latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEurope is in the eye of the global storm over Covid-19. Four of the six countries with the most confirmed cases are in our continent. The three with the most reported deaths are all in Europe too. Yet the European Union has often felt like a second-rank player, and some of its most important common principles are being scattered to the winds. When the pandemic struck, it was nation states that stepped up, not the EU. Faced with a foe that ignores boundaries, the states of Europe closed their borders. All focused on their own citizens. Citizens have reciprocated, looking overwhelmingly towards their own governments. Most have followed their governments´ advice, not that of the EU. National leaders´ public ratings have risen in many countries. In Europe´s shared adversity, Europeans have become nation-statists once more.To a degree, this picture is misleading. It was the nation states themselves that told the EU they had enough resources to combat the virus when it hit Europe. But the nation states were badly wrong; Britain has proved to be just the same. In January, the EU asked member states for details of the masks, tests and other supplies they might need, so that a common procurement plan could be initiated. Only four countries said they might have problems. Britain stood aside for ideological reasons too. The EU´s subsequent `things under control` assessment was therefore wrong, because the states were wrong too. It is also true that several EU states have been cooperating vigorously. Germany, Austria and Luxembourg have opened their hospitals to Covid-19 victims from France, Spain and elsewhere. France and Germany have now donated more masks to Italy than were provided in the more widely publicised aid from Russia and China, but without the latter´s political dividend. Continue re ...
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