Paper by Hélène De Pooter. InSights Vol. 24, Issue 7. American Society of International Law.
May 1, 2020.
The EU has reacted in various ways to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in both its sanitary and economic dimensions. In particular, the European Commission (which is a supranational organ of the EU, independent from its member states), has proposed an unprecedented set of measures regarding public health, research, economy, the agri-food sector, travel, education, and an exit strategy. This Insight intends to shed light on a specific dimension of the EU response: the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Since 2001, this mechanism has developed as a solidarity tool to foster assistance inside and outside the EU in case of natural or man-made disaster (earthquake, cyclone, forest fire, infectious disease outbreak, etc.). So far, it has responded—sometimes with much discretion—to more than 330 requests for assistance inside and outside the EU. Not surprisingly, it has been widely activated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic to support EU as well as non-EU member states. Yet, the unprecedented scale of this disaster puts the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to test and reveals its limits.
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