COVID-19 and Emergency Powers in Western European Democracies

Vedaschi, Arianna; Graziani, Chiara

doi:10.4324/9781003211952-36

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…143 Similar trends were also evident in Australia and Canada. 144 In contrast to the first group within this group of countries, not the central or federal executive branch was the predominant player during the pandemic, but rather the state or sub-central executive branch. 145 This paper is going to have a closer look at the US state response.…”

Section: Strong Use Of Executive Powers On the State/sub-central Levelmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…123 Due to the massive emergency situation at the beginning of the pandemic, in which the health care systems and the supply of citizens with protective medical materials such as masks and disinfectants could only be inadequately ensured, the strengthening of the executive branch and thus the shift in the area of separation of powers was necessary from an ex post perspective. 124 In the further course of the pandemic, however, when these initial hurdles had been overcome and medical research had progressed further, there should have been greater involvement of parliament to ensure democratic control processes. This is particularly true in those phases in which the pandemic situation was more manageable due to the subsiding of a wave.…”

Section: Substantial Use Of Executive Powersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The pandemic's comparative impact on constitutional checks and balances within the EU

Bóck,

Kettemann

2024

Preprint

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COVID-19 has changed public and private live significantly. Some changes remain permanently. Although COVID-19 is no longer an immediate global health crisis, which has brought healthcare systems in particular close to collapse, the impact on social and economic systems is still being felt. Despite government subsidies, many companies have not survived the effects of the crisis. In addition, many people’s working lives and education have changed. Digital tools, such as online meetings and the option to work from home, are now part of everyday life, unlike before the pandemic.During the pandemic, short-term and fast-acting measures were necessary, which had to be issued by the various powers in special procedures. In most countries, the executive branch took on a central role in order to ensure the ability to act. At the same time, the legislative powers were restricted in their mode of operation. Plenary sessions of the parliaments could only be held to a very limited extent. The measures taken must be reviewed in terms of their effectiveness, but also in terms of their impact on constitutional checks and balances, in order to be able to take more effective, proportionate and constitutional measures for future pandemics.This research paper thus analyses and discusses the consequences of pandemic crisis measures on constitutional democracy in a number of European countries—in particular Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Sweden—, by examining the effects of Covid-19 measures on constitutional checks and balances, and the relations between the executives and legislatures. With a glimpse over the Atlantic some actions will be compared to those on US federal as well as state level.

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Section: Strong Use Of Executive Powers On the State/sub-central Levelmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Substantial Use Of Executive Powersmentioning

confidence: 99%