Relationships in the European Union are fraying as countries focus inward to protect their people from a pandemic rather than rushing aid to the regions hardest hit.
European leaders under pressure to contain the coronavirus before it rips through their countries have begun arguing about aid allocation. Countries with high casualty rates, such as Italy and Spain, argue that those faring better should be responsible for aiding those worse off, according to the Washington Post.
“This could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” said Nathalie Tocci, director of the International Affairs Institute in Italy. “The reason why coronavirus is such an epochal challenge is not that it brought things out of the blue. It touches on all spheres and does so by accentuating dynamics that are already there. It’s as if it is bringing the extreme out of everything.”
In early March, Italy’s permanent representative to the EU, Maurizio Massari, wrote an op-ed criticizing the EU response to Italy’s calls for aid. Italy is one of the hardest-hit nations and has implemented a lockdown.
Italian citizens are not allowed to travel outside of their homes except to purchase groceries, get pharmaceuticals, and other state-approved activities. In the piece, Massari said that China had been more help to the Italian people than countries within the EU. Italian officials later slammed China after most of the equipment and test kits sent by Beijing turned out to be defective.
“The climate that seems to reign among heads of state and government and the lack of European solidarity pose a mortal danger to the European Union,” said Jacques Delors, a 94-year-old French politician who helped shape the current EU agreement.
