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Disinfo: The main idea behind the EU was blown out during coronavirus

Summary

The spread of coronavirus in Europe led to the absence of words about European integration and cooperation and replaced it with a language of sovereignty, state and national security. Closed border policies replaced the open border policies that prevailed among the European Union countries as a result of the European integration system.

There is no longer any importance to the Schengen system that prevails among European countries, which resulted in a major blow to the liberal ideology, with its classic and new forms, based on freedom of movement and trade, and the removal of obstacles and border restrictions, of which the European Union is one of the most important applied models.

Germany and France did not agree to grant Italy and Spain urgent aid to stop the epidemic.

Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative that is consistent with the disinformation message that the Schengen zone has collapsed and more broadly, with the disinformation narrative that the EU is collapsing as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

The current situation is an example of how indispensable Schengen is to the European economy and way of life, and not just for Italy. In the current exceptional situation, many EU Member States introduced temporary border controls to slow the spread of coronavirus, which adhere to the Schengen border code, but the EU Commission is ensuring that EU-wide supply chains continue to operate and that flow of goods and key services continues around the clock. 

The introduction of ‘green lanes’ will allow all freight vehicles to cross internal Schengen borders within 15 minutes. 

Furthermore, 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 the 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.

Regarding the current Coronavirus crisis, European leaders said they would spend hundreds of billions of euros to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from provoking a deep recession or financial crisis. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Union would allocate up to 100 billion euros ($109.62 billion) to the hardest-hit countries, starting with Italy, to help cover the cost of lost wages and to preserve jobs.

The EU has also created the first-ever stockpile of medical equipment, while German hospitals took Italian patients, and masks were being sent to Italian doctors from France and Austria and much more. 

Read more about the EU's response here and here. For similar cases, see here, here, and here.

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publication/media

Katehon - English (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 193
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 06/04/2020
  • Language/target audience: English
  • Country: EU, Italy, Greece, Germany, France
  • Keywords: coronavirus, Schengen, EU disintegration, European Union

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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The European Union has not helped its partners fight the coronavirus

The European Union has not helped its partners fight the coronavirus, while China and Russia have come to help.

April 07, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aiming to discredit the EU response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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 the 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.

There is no European solidarity in addressing coronavirus crisis

The truth is that the European Union has proved completely ineffective in this [coronavirus] crisis. There is no coordinated response to this threat, nor European solidarity.

April 07, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aiming to discredit the EU response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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 the 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.

The EU is dead, it abandoned Italy, only Russia, China and Cuba gave a helping hand

There is no European answer to the Coronavirus in Italy. The only countries that helped Italy are Russia, China and Cuba, non-European countries.

When the Italians called for help, other European countries made fun of them and criticised the way they managed the crisis.

If ever the European Union lived before, now it is dead. When the crisis is over, the EU will be held accountable and the mistake of the European Union will be stopped because it has no reason to exist.

April 07, 2020
Disproof

This claim exploits the coronavirus pandemic to push a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the EU's alleged imminent collapse.

One of the main pro-Kremlin narratives relating to the pandemic is that the EU is failing to cope with the COVID-19 crisis and, as a result, is disintegrating, together with the border-free Schengen area. In particular, this narrative of failure and lack of EU solidarity is trending after the delivery of Russian aid to Italy.