In the past 70 years, situations that featured a lack of solidarity were always followed by the communitization of structures in the European Union. This contribution reflects on possible consequences of the COVID-19 crisis for the European Union. Even though the initial response from the EU looked unpromising and was driven at the nation-state level, the crisis may lead to new forms of solidarity through communitization. We argue that the EU needs equality for all EU citizens as well as institutionalized solidarity in order to finally become a real European democracy.
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Guérot is head of the Department for European Policy and the study of Democracy at Danube University Krems and founder of the European Democracy Lab. Besides working and teaching at universities in Europe and the United States, she has worked at several European research institutes and think tanks. E-mail: ulrike.guerot@donau-uni.ac.at
Michael Hunklinger, MA is political scientist at the Department for European Policy and the study of Democracy at Danube University Krems and teaches at the University of Vienna as well as the University of Giessen. His research interests are European democracy, political participation and LGBTIQ*/ queer politics. E-mail: michael.hunklinger@donau-uni.ac.at