EU Solidarity and Policy in Fighting Infectious Diseases: State of Play, Obstacles, Citizen Preferences and Ways Forward
Amsterdam Centre for European Studies Research Paper No. 2020/06
Amsterdam Law School Research Paper No. 2020-17
Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance Research Paper No. 2020-03
31 Pages Posted: 7 Apr 2020 Last revised: 20 May 2020
Date Written: April 4, 2020
Abstract
In this paper we confront the role the EU traditionally plays in the domain of health with the urgent need for collective action triggered by the corona virus pandemic. In the face of such a crisis, we argue that the joint procurement, stockpiling and allocation of medical countermeasures is a key component of true European solidarity, besides maintaining the integrity of the Single Market. We present the first results of a survey experiment taken before the current crisis on citizens’ attitudes towards centralizing at the EU level of policies to combat infectious diseases, which indicates considerable support. We conclude that a more robust policy framework with substantial centralization of procurement, stockpiling and allocation is warranted.
Keywords: Covid-19, medicines, European Union, centralization, coronavirus
JEL Classification: I10, I18
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation