On Wednesday 22 April from 10:00 to 11:30 (Brussels time) via Zoom, TEPSA hosted its first teleconference, a debate on the effects of COVID-19 on the European Union and the requirements of an EU response.
The aim of the debate was to mobilize the expertise present in the TEPSA network across 37 European countries in order to shed light on national perspectives on the crisis response measures launched, the proposals currently on the table and the main issues at stake in the member states’ debates on the eve of the European Council of 23 April.
The discussion was moderated by Paul Schmidt, Director of the Austrian Society for European Politics (ÖGfE), and featured presentations by: – Ilke Toygür, Analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute (Spain) and member of the TEPSA Board – Adriaan Schout, Senior Research Fellow at the Clingendael Institute (The Netherlands) – Funda Tekin, Director of the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) (Germany) and member of the TEPSA Board – Eleonora Poli, Researcher at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) (Italy). Overall, through this debate TEPSA contributed to an improved understanding of the COVID-19 crisis across EU member states and its immediate political implications. At the same time, the discussion helped with forward-looking reflections on what kind of European Union we would like to have once the storm has calmed down.
