The Unbearable Lightness of EU Bashing in the Time of Corona Evaluation Note/ Nilgün Arısan Eralp

The famous Chinese curse “may you live in interesting times” has been used many times before.  However none of us has thought that even this curse would not be sufficient to refer to the dystopic and exceptional nature of the conditions we are living in. The factor causing this environment is the coronavirus which is being referred as a -hopefully- temporary global superpower.

Coronavirus has created an unprecedented challenge for the world as well as the European Union (EU).   It restricts the freedom of movement, puts an enormous strain on national health systems and causes a serious economic damage. Many citizens in the EU are worried about their health, as well as their economic future. Italy was the first European country to be hit hard and has paid a very high price in terms of human lives. In the EU there are nearly 50,000 dead and more than 600,000 infected and no one knows when the destruction is over.

In this extremely exceptional period, EU bashing has again become very popular among journalists, politicians, scholars and laypersons. I have the impression that some people have been waiting or almost hoping for the EU to disintegrate and/or vanish, during and after the financial crisis, the refugee crisis, BREXIT and finally Coronavirus crisis.  As put forward by Charles Grant, “coronavirus has given hope to those who wish to see the EU stumble”.

You may read evaluation note from here.