How Relevant? The EU’s ‘Geopolitical’ Commission and the Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. College of Europe Policy Brief #4.20 April 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic constitutes an unprecedented challenge for the European Union (EU), posing existential internal as well as external threats to the European integration project. > At the same time, the impact of this global crisis on the international order opens unexpected windows of opportunity for reinforced European integration and a stronger EU presence in the world. > To seize the momentum, the European Commission needs to act consistently with the geopolitical approach put forward by President Ursula von der Leyen. > Internally, it must promote cohesion and unity among member states and coordinate a joint European response to the sanitary, political, and socioeconomic challenges. > Externally, it must join efforts with like-minded members of the international community to establish a robust system of multilateral crisis management tackling the multiple dimensions of the crisis

Europe's path of strategic recovery: Brace, empower and engage. EPC Discussion Paper 21 April 2020

The impact of the coronavirus offers definitive evidence of Europe’s vulnerability to global challenges and disorder. Its diffusion is the product of multiple governance failures at national and international levels. Geopolitical competition and nationalism have engulfed international affairs, undermining multilateral cooperation needed to manage interdependence

Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT) Analysis of the Adaptations to Anatomical Education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland in Response to the Covid‐19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has driven the fastest changes to higher education across the globe, necessitated by social distancing measures preventing any face to face teaching. This has led to an almost immediate switch to distance learning by higher education institutions. Anatomy faces some unique challenges. Intrinsically, anatomy is a three-dimensional subject that requires a sound understanding of the relationships between structures, often achieved by the study of human cadaveric material, models and virtual resources. This study sought to identify the approaches taken in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland to deliver anatomical education through online means. Data were collected from 14 different universities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and compared adopting a thematic analysis approach. Once themes were generated, they were collectively brought together using a strength, weakness, opportunity, threat (SWOT) analysis. Key themes included the opportunity to develop new online resources and the chance to engage in new academic collaborations. Academics frequently mentioned the challenge that time constrains could place on the quality and effectiveness of these resources; especially as in many cases the aim of these resources is to compensate for a lack of exposure to cadaveric exposure. Comparisons of the actions taken by multiple higher education institutions reveals the ways that academics have tried to balance this demand. Discussions will facilitate decisions being made by higher education institutions regarding adapting the curriculum and assessment methods in anatomy

EU solidarity and policy in fighting infectious diseases: state of play, obstacles, citizen preferences and ways forward

In this paper we confront the role the EU traditionally plays in the domain of health with the urgent need for collective action triggered by the corona virus pandemic. In the face of such a crisis, we argue that the joint procurement, stockpiling and allocation of medical countermeasures is a key component of true European solidarity, besides maintaining the integrity of the Single Market. We present the first results of a survey experiment taken before the current crisis on citizens’ attitudes towards centralizing at the EU level of policies to combat infectious diseases, which indicates considerable support. We conclude that a more robust policy framework with substantial centralization of procurement, stockpiling and allocation is warranted

The upcoming New Pact on Migration and Asylum: Will it be up to the challenge? EPC Discussion Paper 29 April 2020

A courageous and ambitious New Pact on Migration and Asylum is one that strengthens the right to asylum; sets the conditions for more equal relationships with third countries when it comes to managing migration; and puts forward a mechanism that can foster genuine solidarity between member states. When the new Commission entered into office in December 2019, it promised a fresh start on migration. President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to deliver a ‘New Pact’ which would break the deadlock between member states on long-awaited reforms, striking a more equitable balance between solidarity and responsibility

Everyday Life and Everyday Communication in Coronavirus Capitalism

In 2020, the coronavirus crisis ruptured societies and their everyday life around the globe. This article is a contribution to critically theorising the changes societies have undergone in the light of the coronavirus crisis. It asks: How have everyday life and everyday communication changed in the coronavirus crisis? How does capitalism shape everyday life and everyday communication during this crisis? Section 2 focuses on how social space, everyday life, and everyday communication have changed in the coronavirus crisis. Section 3 focuses on the communication of ideology in the context of coronavirus by analysing the communication of coronavirus conspiracy stories and false coronavirus news. The coronavirus crisis is an existential crisis of humanity and society. It radically confronts humans with death and the fear of death. This collective experience can on the one hand result in new forms of solidarity and socialism or can on the other hand, if ideology and the far-right prevail, advance war and fascism. Political action and political economy are decisive factors in such a profound crisis that shatters society and everyday life

Higher Education Challenges in the Era of Covid-19, from the Perspective of Educators and Students (Ghana, Georgia and Pakistan Cases) – A literature Review

For the last three years, the entire world has faced a colossal phenomenon - the covid-19 pandemic. All sectors and areas of life have been affected, forcing rapid and radical changes towards adaptation in its wake. Inevitably, the unexpected pandemic’s mark and impact on education is more severe and longer lasting than imagined. It disrupted education provision at an unprecedented scale. This article is intended as a review of literature on the experience of different countries and education systems during the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the analysis of the existing literature and research on this issue, from the perspective of educators and students, including the experience of different countries around the world, the pandemic has had a great impact on higher education and pushed it to digital transformation, implicitly overcoming important challenges. The review uses particular examples of higher education in the era of Covid-19 in Georgia, Ghana and Pakistan, exposing measures taken to continue educating in spite of the pandemic. However challenging this phenomenon proved to be, it equally gave way to enormous opportunities for creativity within progress. Discussed are barriers that students and academics faced during online teaching-learning, the pros and cons of online teaching-learning, as well as the quality of teaching-learning and the state of preparedness for future education