L’Unione Europea di fronte alla pandemia Covid-19

ABSTRACT

The thesis of the essay is that the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic, which could have unraveled the European Union (or at least worsened its internal divisions), has, on the contrary, triggered a response of collective solidarity of citizens and European institutions that have made the EU stronger. To support this thesis, the sequence of interventions decided to face the health and socio-economic crisis is reconstructed, analyzing the main divergences, compromises, forms of conflict and cooperation among the actors of European governance and among the member states. Particular attention is focused on the genesis and implementation process of the Next Generation EU, the ambitious program intended not only to respond to the immediate challenges of Covid-19, but to transform them into an opportunity for long-term sustainable and inclusive development, examining the most significant steps forward in the process of European political integration innovative sources of funding such as Eurobonds and new taxes flowing directly to the center (carbon border tax, digital tax), distribution of outright grants and loans to member states most affected by the pandemic, demanding requirements for the development of national recovery and resilience plans, rigorous procedures for monitoring the use of funds, and conditionalities in the disbursement of funds based on respect for the rule of law). The essay concludes with two paragraphs dealing, respectively, with the effects of the NGEU on the Italian economy and the changes in the functioning and relations between the Council, the Commission, the Parliament and the Central Bank. © 2022, Societa Editoriale Federalismi s.r.l.. All rights reserved.