EUROPE DAY/Radu Magdin: After pandemic, EU not to be the same; rethinking process needed

The European Union will no longer be the same after the novel coronavirus pandemic, and a rethinking process of the manner of action and role worldwide is important and necessary, political analyst Radu Magdin told AGERPRES on Friday, in the context of Europe Day being celebrated on Saturday. The current situation, says Magdin, "has faced Europe with an unprecedented challenge - both in terms of rapid and coordinated action and in terms of European solidarity, which affected Europe's capacity to practically and communicationally impose in the fight against the coronavirus." In the context of the global powers competition, he added, "the EU has adjustments to make to be a big economic power (unity of action) or military (effective capacities, complementary with NATO), however its power resides in the regulating force (setting global rules) and its attraction capacity (EU soft power)." In his opinion, pragmatism and empathy are needed in the EU. "The current pandemic imposes another way of thinking, an adapted, pragmatic one, but also empathic, so that EU's consensual power and traction, which means time, force given by negotiations and competent bureaucracy, shouldn't backfire. Infodemia has shown an initial snail, nonetheless the snail has recovered, now being efficient: the EU has given the global leadership signal with the recent conference of COVID donors," Magdin said. According to him, following the sanitary crisis, part of the EU projects can be adapted and others abandoned. "After this pandemic, the European Union will no longer be the same, and a rethinking process of its manner of action and its role worldwide is important and necessary, especially from the perspective of rethinking its main sources of internal and external power. It can adapt a part of the projects, like Green Deal in the Great Recovery, but it is possible to abandon other projects and initiate others given by the dual health and economic crisis," he explained. At the same time, Magdin maintained, "the European Union must think solidarily and project solidarity - this being the only natural key in which to celebrate Europe Day." "Romania has been and is solidary with Europe, Europe has been and is solidary with Romania, this is the key of a healthy relation, both literally (the RescEU example) and figuratively. Economy-wise, the base of our prosperity is the internal market, let's thus strengthen the EU, as peace and welfare on the continent depend on it, both in the club and in our vicinity, in the Balkans, the Eastern Partnership or the extended Black Sea and Mediterranean area," the political analyst added. Europe Day has been observed every year on May 9 since 1985, when a decision was made at the Milan European Council to create the holiday. The date marks the day on which the Schuman Declaration was issued. Seventy years ago, on May 9, 1950, five years after WWII, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed, in a speech, to place the production of coal and steel under the control of a common authority, this way to control arms production and make sure that a future military conflict could be avoided. The proposal is seen as the cornerstone of today's European Union. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Adina Panaitescu, editor: Rodica State)