European Governance After the Brexit and the COVID-19 Shocks: A New Phase of Solidarity and Integration in the EU from the Japanese Perspective

Fukuda, Koji

Britain’s decision to withdraw from the EU and the new coronavirus infection “COVID-19” has had a considerable impact not only on the EU itself but also on Japan and the rest of the world. The purpose of this chapter is to sketch out the dynamic between the EU and its member states in European Governance post-Brexit and after the global public health crisis, that accompanies the explosive spread of new-type pneumonia, to clarify the actual status of the EU. In response to COVID-19, the President of the European Commission, Dr. Von der Leyen is advancing reforms based on the Green Deal policy and the “Digital Europe” strategy will strongly promote. It is to be hoped that the EU’s capacity for integration and the relationship of mutual trust between the organization and its citizens. It will be fundamentally enhanced by the new framework of social solidarity. The current economic and public health crisis can only be effectively addressed by coordinated democratic and scientific solutions at global level in cooperation with citizens. Although the adoption of this range of measures will present the EU with an opportunity to regain a sense of solidarity and to rediscover its “raison-d’être”, it may also be one of the most arduous challenges that the organization has faced since its foundation.