How the Pandemic is Deepening Europe’s North-South Divide

Could the EU itself be in danger?

Costa passionately accused Hoekstra of “absolute unconsciousness” and a “recurring meanness” that “completely undermines what the spirit of the EU is” and which, therefore, is a threat to the future of the EU itself. He continued:

“If the EU wants to survive, it is unacceptable for any politician, from whichever country, to give this kind of response in the context of the pandemic that we’re living through. If we don’t respect one another, don’t understand one another, lack the capacity to respond in unison to a common challenge, then no one understands anything about the European Union”.

French President Macron also expressed warning about this kind of political spats during such a crisis, claiming that they “could spell the end of the EU.”

However, the BBC’s Europe Editor Katya Adler insists it is too “simplistic” to write off the European Union altogether. Following the summit, she wrote:

“When EU countries closed their national borders on one another during the 2015 migrant crisis, many predicted the bloc’s demise but the EU muddled through…It’s highly likely to scrape by again now, too”.

But how relations between the now-fuming southern countries and the northern so-called “frugals” can return to civility remains unclear.

Do our national leaders need to get a grip?

Maybe it’s all just getting a bit too much, and European national leaders all need to take a step back from their emotions and remember what’s important here. Italian Twitter, for example, was reportedly littered with expletives on Thursday – and those were just the posts from politicians! Adler also expressed disappointment that European leaders could let their passions get the better of them during such a troubling time for the whole world, stating:

“For ordinary people, frightened for their health, the safety of their loved ones, worrying about their rent and feeding their family after businesses shut down, the idea that Europe’s leaders spent six hours on Thursday night, squabbling over the wording of their summit conclusions in order to defer a key decision over coronavirus funds, will be incomprehensible”.

Portuguese PM Costa also criticised that:

“The last thing a responsible politician can do when we see the dramas in Italy, Spain and in all the other countries, is to not understand that the priority of priorities is to fight this virus.”

Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González joined in by directing her frustrations at Hoekstra, tweeting:

.@WBHoekstra we are in this EU boat together. We hit an unexpected iceberg. We all share the same risk right now. No time 4 discussions abt alleged 1st & 2nd class tickets. Not the time 2 let citizens down. History will hold us responsible 4 what we do NOWhttps://t.co/66ZDiAmNnK

— Arancha González (@AranchaGlezLaya) March 27, 2020

So are Corona Bonds on the Cards? And where do Europe’s North-South relations go from here?

Asked if he had gone too far with his criticisms of Netherlands and Germany, shaking off any suggested culpability, Costa implied that if anyone went too far, it had to be the Dutch minister. He added that if the EU doesn’t do what it now has to during these times of crisis, then it could indeed end, declaring:

“The virus hits everyone equally. If one country in the European Union thinks it can resolve the problem by leaving the virus in other countries, it doesn’t understand what the European Union is…”

But while Dutch PM, Rutte, avoided fanning any flames in the dispute, he made it clear the Netherlands would be firm on its opposing position regarding corona bonds, while assuring:

“There really was a difference of opinion between a number of more northern and southern countries, along the well-known geographical lines, but nothing that cannot be solved.”

To resume, as proposed by Katya Adler, the COVID-19 pandemic is simply highlighting already existing, well-known difficulties within the EU. And although the issues at hand may not be all about the current health crisis  – now is perhaps a more crucial time than ever to resolve them once and for all.