Covid-19 and no one’s world: What impact for the european union?

Abstract

This article analyzes the EU’s response to COVID-19 against the backdrop of a changing international environment, which is characterized by globalization and a global shift of power. It raises the question of the implications of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the dramatic changes in the international system for the EU’s internal and external development. The article argues that the EU can seize the opportunity and gain more in-fluence on the global level if it uses its strength as a manager of interde-pendencies by rulemaking and rule shaping as well as exercising its influ-ence as a central node in transnational networks. Internal cohesion, the support of human rights and democracy, and a strong role in global gov-ernance are prerequisites for this particular normative and transformative power of the EU.