How Europe has mishandled the pandemic
What happened and what does it mean for the union?
LOOK AROUND the world at the devastation wrought by the covid-19 pandemic and something odd stands out. The European Union is rich, scientifically advanced and endowed with excellent health-care and welfare systems and a political consensus tilted strongly towards looking after its citizens. Yet during the pandemic it has stumbled.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “What has gone wrong?”
Leaders March 31st 2021
From the March 31st 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Leaders
Is the big state back in Britain?
The risk is not too much interventionism, but too little audacity
How to make tourism work for locals and visitors alike
Holidays don’t have to be hell
Genomic medicines can cost $3m a dose. How to make them affordable
The treatments are marvels of innovation. Their pricing must be inventive, too
Chinese companies are winning the global south
Their expansion abroad holds important lessons for Western incumbents
The Middle East must step back from the brink
That still means starting with a ceasefire in Gaza
Can Nicolás Maduro be stopped from stealing Venezuela’s election?
Peaceful protests and judicious diplomacy offer some hope