European Union's Solidarity, Unity in Diversity and Free Movemennt in the Coronavirus Crisis

Year 2020, Volume: 19 Issue: COVID-19 Special Issue, 671 - 686, 31.10.2020

Neriman Hocaoğlu Bahadır

https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.784414

Abstract

The EU succeeded many things by bringing and sustaining peace, stability and prosperity to the old and exhausted continent after the II. World War. The EU achieved this by first starting with economic collaboration but over time, it has enlarged and deepened by penetrating to political and social lives of the member countries. However, the presence of the EU has been tested since it was established and EU has overcome the crises. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the EU has experienced many crises such as constitutional crisis, economic crisis, migration crisis, Brexit and now coronavirus crisis. The concepts of “solidarity”, “unity in diversity” and “free movement” which are components of values and achievements have also been tested and questioned. In this research, it is questioned how the coronavirus crisis affects the values and achievements of the EU. This crisis can be a war of existence for the EU itself and its values. It is obvious that the states will take a major blow in this crisis but the EU will be facing with more. Even if it is not easy to see what will happen when the crisis is over it is clear that many things will change.

Keywords

European Union, Solidarity, Unity in Diversity, Free movement, Coronavirus crisis

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