DISINFO: EU will fall apart in 20-30 years
SUMMARY
The coronavirus pandemic in Europe caused an economic shock of a completely unexpected magnitude. The EU is losing its unity, its’ countries are in deep crisis. The EU project will die no later than 2040-2050.
RESPONSE
This claim exploits the coronavirus pandemic to push a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the EU's alleged imminent collapse. There is no evidence to support the claim that the pandemic is resulting in the death, or obsolescence, of the EU. The European Union is supporting the Member States in addressing the crisis, and mitigating the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. To cushion the blow to people’s livelihoods and the economy, the European Commission has adopted a comprehensive economic response to the outbreak, applied the full flexibility of EU fiscal rules, has revised its State Aid rules and proposed to set up a EUR 37 billion Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative to provide liquidity to small businesses and the health care sector. EU Member States are helping each other in this crisis; for example, German hospitals have offered to treat critical coronavirus patients from France as well as taking in patients from Italy and the Czech Republic has sent masks to Italy. Read more about the EU's response here and here.