Tuesday 31 March 2020

EU news march 2020

What happened in the EU in March 2020


Coronavirus
Well, yes, the Coronavirus came to Europe too as it has spread to almost every country in the world. One by one, EU countries took measures to protect their citizens.

As with the previous big emergencies, the EU reacted very slowly and carefully. Too slow and too carefully according to some. When faced with a crisis, the victims want more solidarity and those less affected don't want to give more solidarity. Remember the asylum crisis or the financial crisis? Other story, same problem.



You may wonder why I rarely include articles from tabloids or popular press in the recommended readings. A good example is this one. It speaks of the EU meltdown, a collapse and the end of the bloc. A meltdown is what happened at nuclear sites like Chernobyl.

If you type this newspaper's title, plus EU and meltdown in Google, you'll get so many articles of this newspaper, recent and from the past. Personally, I'm not convinced this is the right choice of words - especially if you continue using this kind of words. The EU isn't going to melt down, as it didn't every single time that newspaper used the word meltdown before. So that's why I don't include them.

Greece and migrants
Just before Corona, Turkey sent plenty of migrants to the borders of Greece. Both sides used a lot of propaganda, accusing each other. But the Commission warned Greece to respect asylum law. Also, a newspaper revealed some people were held in a secret site and sent back (see article link below).

New EU members
Some more positive news: North Macedonia and Albania will start their membership talks. It will take them some time and effort, as they will need to start respecting the EU rules. Albania, for instance, will have to do more against corruption.

Recommended readings:
Time magazine: Coronavirus, a test for the EU
The Guardian: Asylum in Greece
New York Times: Secret site for asylum seekers