Who Called Team Europe? The European Union’s Development Policy Response During the First Wave of COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is a critical juncture for global development. Under the label of “Team Europe”, the EU has sought to mobilize rapid development assistance to support partners in addressing the impacts of the crisis, while promoting joined-up approaches among European actors to assert itself in a changing and competitive geopolitical context. This article assesses how substantive and process-oriented EU development policy norms are reflected in the Union’s global COVID-19 response. Focusing on the EU’s response during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020, the article shows that the EU’s response to this extraordinary crisis consisted of a deepening of EU integration. In so doing, the EU emphasized process-oriented over substantive norms in its development policy.

Prevention and management of health products shortages by the French national agency (ANSM), 10 years of experience

“…The COVID crisis has demonstrated the importance and feasibility of solidarity within the European Union (34)(35)(36)(37) to reduce competition between member states in fighting shortage situations.…”

Evolution of the EU development policy - from altruism to the interest instrumentalism and beyond

“…on 8 April 2020 the EU launched Team Europe package, as a support mechanism for partner countries in their fight against Covid-19. Team Europe gathered EU, EU financial institutions and member states in a joint effort to aid the fight against Covid 19 globally with joint priorities, a joint financial package, support for global preparedness, and the promotion of global coordination and multilateralism (Burni et al 2022). Through this mechanism the EU, EU member states and European financial institutions, have disbursed 46 billion euros to over 130 countries (EC 2021).…”

“…Team Europe was also a long-term strategy for EU international cooperation and aid, which was outlined in the letter addressed to the EU Delegations, member state embassies and the offices of EU development finance institutions and agencies and signed by European Commissioner for International Partnerships, the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and 25 members states ministers in charge of the development policy (Burni et al 2022). The letter entitled "Team Europe approach for CoVID-19 and beyond" gave a vision of the long-term transformation of the Team Europe into EU action for green and sustainable recovery (Burni et al 2022).…”

“…Team Europe was also a long-term strategy for EU international cooperation and aid, which was outlined in the letter addressed to the EU Delegations, member state embassies and the offices of EU development finance institutions and agencies and signed by European Commissioner for International Partnerships, the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and 25 members states ministers in charge of the development policy (Burni et al 2022). The letter entitled "Team Europe approach for CoVID-19 and beyond" gave a vision of the long-term transformation of the Team Europe into EU action for green and sustainable recovery (Burni et al 2022). Keizer et al (2021) note rather unusual ability of the Commission to mobilise all EU institutions and member states for this cause and attribute this to less formal and less bureaucratic decision-making process, but also to the nature of the crisis itself, its profoundness and severity, which called for a swift and joint action.…”