'This will not be the last crisis affecting European Governance': debate on the impact of COVID-19 crisis on the future of EU governance

While the 4th CIVEX Commission meeting on 22 September did not have any opinions for discussion or adoption, the meeting centred around two thematic debates: the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the future of EU governance and the Situation in Belarus​.

The intervention of Greens alternate Niina Ratilainen, in the first debate, focused on the importance of EU governance ability to confront crises in Europe. She reminded that the COVID-19 will not be the only crisis that the EU will face in the near future, highlighting the severity of the impact of climate change. She insisted on the need for the Conference on the Future of Europe to tackle the EU’s preparation to collectively manage upcoming crises such as climate change.

The first guest speaker, Federico Fabbrini (Prof of European Law at Dublin City University), discussed the impact of COVID-19 on the urgency of EU reforms and the opportunity for such in the upcoming Conference of Europe. He argued that the initial response of EU towards the crisis exposed the weaknesses of the EU governance with the lack of coordination between Member States. The second guest speaker, Adrián Vázquez Lázara (Chair of the Committee on Legal Affairs – JURI of the European Parliament), added that a less detailed joint declaration focusing on the working of the Commission could be the solution to reach an agreement on the Conference on the Future of Europe.