Coronakrisen, EU och folkhälsa

En fråga om befogenhet?

Abstract

The Corona crisis, EU, and public health: an issue of competence?

At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, the EU was fiercely criticized for doing too little. The lack of action was often explained by the EU’s limited competence in the policy area of public health. As this is certainly true, the article shows that in fact, the EU’s competence has evolved over the years as a result of different health crises. Due to this evolution, the EU is in a much better position to deal with the crisis than just a few years ago. In light of the EU’s evolving competence, the article also discusses the prospects for the establishment of a Health Union as well as the expansion of EU competence as a result of this crisis. It argues that this time, we cannot take further integration for granted.