The political crisis in Bulgaria endangers its accession to the Schengen area, as well as the enforcement of the recovery and resilience plan.

The European integration of the Western Balkans is a priority to the EU. This is more and more visible.

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and the heavy financial burden it is likely to put on all EU Member States, but one stands out: European defence cooperation in general, and collaborative capability development in particular, are now more indispensable and urgent than ever before.

The year 1918 was for the Romanians a year of major political activities. At that time the Romanians lived in three different countries – the Kingdom of Romania, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire, the classical example of a divided nation. The young Romanian state, that had witnessed the union between Moldavia and Wallachia, when Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected the ruler of the two, proved it had intellectuals capable of taking political actions in the interest of their country. Placed on the banks of the Danube River, Romania came to be as a state also due to the fact that the Europeans developed an interest in the Danube and the Black Sea, and it could guarantee free passage at the River’s mouth – as stipulated by the Treaty of Paris, in 1856, following the Crimean War (1853-1856).

After the European Council meeting last week it could be said that the European Union (EU) is going through a difficult period.
The course of Brexit is indefinite and the rise of France through attempts by its president to lead the European scene confirm that the union is shaken, with the coming year decisive for its future.

In an unstable geopolitical context, with increasingly strong and visible tensions on the international arena, the European Union’s reform process places particular emphasis on the Black Sea area.

Faced with the new challenge represented by the need to manage the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing pressure of the Eurosceptic populist movements, the European Union was forced to provide both an immediate response, which could reflect the ability of the Member States to act according to the principle of solidarity and a medium term solution as part of the Multiannual Financial Framework for the years 2021 to 2027, a solution reflecting the vision of the 27 member states on the future of the European construct.

The multitude of cleavages that have become increasingly apparent across the European space in recent years underscores the need for a paradigm shift in the way that the European Union relates to its citizens. The United Kingdom’s exit from the EU, the success of Eurosceptic and populist discourse, the radicalization of public opinion, as well as the persisting differences in the developmental trajectories of EU countries highlight the need to (re-)think the European project in order to provide member states with a common sense of direction.

The coordinated response of the EU to the multiple threats and crises came in support of the member states that were significantly affected and confronted with domestic tensions and turmoil. Solidarity and cohesion were the strongest tools that the EU used to establish a common approach at the level of the European bloc, an action that was also a real challenge regarding reaching a mutual understanding. The difficulty of reaching common ground, agreed upon by all member states, delayed the EU’s reaction most of the time. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a new turning point in the history of the EU, in a political, economic and social context, where it is absolutely necessary to take actions that are mainly aimed at strengthening the concepts of solidarity and cohesion at the European level.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a series of threats to the resilience of the European bloc at an extremely rapid pace, forcing it to adapt, equally rapidly, to the new challenges. The economic, social and political crisis could therefore be seen as a defining moment that puts to test the European solidarity and cohesion.