(Newswire.net — May 12, 2020) — Throughout the sanitary crisis, all Europeans were expecting more from Europe. However, it was not possible, since according to treaties, Europe has no power when it comes to health issues. Something that should probably change as Europe moves out of the crisis.
The EU was created to Save Lives
After the Second World War, Europe came together so that it would save lives. At that time, it was Robert Schuman, the French foreign minister who said that it was time to find solutions, so that there would be no more wars in Europe. And now, 70 years later, we have to admit that it worked quite well as peace had taken over the region, providing it with social and economic stability.
But the COVID-19 has shown weaknesses in Europe’s capacity to act when it comes to health issues. Partly because it was taken by surprise and it took them a while to react, but also (and mostly) because the EU has no real power when it comes to its citizens’ health. It is all in the hands of each member State. To learn more on health issues, visit this French online health magazine.
Some Want a Stronger European Union
The EU has been collaborating in financial programs for a long time, helping various sectors of industries through different programs. Since this health crisis has turned into an economic crisis, EU members had to come together to find a way to help each other, and they did. They even went so far as to provide financial help to the surrounding countries in order to keep the whole region stable. It is well known that if a return to normal does not happen rapidly, this health and economic crisis could become a social crisis, something no State government in Europe wants to see.
Therefore, the question remains: Is Europe doing enough to protect the health and the economic stability of its citizens? Some inside the EU council, but also from various authorities from European countries, want to see Europe being given more power regarding public health policy in the future. They believe that there needs to be more coordination on sanitary issues, so that if another pandemic was to happen, this time Europe could have a common plan to fight it better, more rapidly and efficiently.
Moving in the Wrong Direction
Although at the beginning of the union, health was a key issue, as it aimed to save lives by the absence of war, as time went on the subject became less important, and economic questions took over. Whereas, at the beginning, articles of the treaty were aiming for common safety in public health matters and it gave the union competency to carry out action to support and coordinate, now it is often watered down. In fact, in March of this year, the EU Parliament changed the rules by saying that the EU should only intervene in cases where a member State is deemed no longer able to cope with a crisis by itself and requires urgent assistance. In other words, each for its own until one can no longer do so. The European Union has moved from prevention to reaction.