The Spread of the COVID-2019 Epidemic across Europe and Multilateralism

Europe has quickly turned into the “centre of contamination” of the coronavirus epidemic. The number of confirmed cases in Italy, Spain, Germany, France and other European countries is well into the tens of thousands, and it only continues to grow.

Various approaches have been suggested as to how to strengthen international cooperation and respond effectively to the epidemiological threat. Some call for us to develop multilateral cooperation, support each other and pool our efforts in order to overcome these difficult times together, while others are in favour of unilateralism, inciting racial conflicts and promoting xenophobia. Even in such trying times, when it is more important than ever to forget ideologies and work together to beat this epidemic, these people cannot abandon their Cold War way of thinking. Both of these trends are evident in Central and Eastern Europe. Some countries actively seek international support, while others pursue a policy of isolation as a way of protecting themselves.

In the current circumstances, an increasing number of countries welcome the policy of multilateralism, as it is based on coordination and cooperation. Multilateralism is gradually turning into an instrument of global and regional multilateral governance that allows us, through dialogue and consultations, to resolve political, economic, diplomatic, security and environmental issues, as well as problems related to infectious diseases, information dissemination, migration and the exploration of space.

Europe has quickly turned into the “centre of contamination” of the coronavirus epidemic. The number of confirmed cases in Italy, Spain, Germany, France and other European countries is well into the tens of thousands, and it only continues to grow.

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Various approaches have been suggested as to how to strengthen international cooperation and respond effectively to the epidemiological threat. Some call for us to develop multilateral cooperation, support each other and pool our efforts in order to overcome these difficult times together, while others are in favour of unilateralism, inciting racial conflicts and promoting xenophobia. Even in such trying times, when it is more important than ever to forget ideologies and work together to beat this epidemic, these people cannot abandon their Cold War way of thinking. Both of these trends are evident in Central and Eastern Europe. Some countries actively seek international support, while others pursue a policy of isolation as a way of protecting themselves. For example, Poland did not allow Russian humanitarian aid planes headed for Italy to pass through its territory.

We are living in a time of rapid globalization, where countries are becoming increasingly close and global problems affect the lives of people around the world. The only way that we can ensure joint development is by adhering to a new approach to international cooperation and supporting multilateralism.

As the pandemic has progressed, the World Health Organization (WHO) has made a number of recommendations and taken a series of measures that have been applauded by a large section of the world community. Even so, there are countries that disagree with the proposals that have been put forward. For example, the Trump administration announced that it would be cutting the WHO’s aid package from $123 million to $58 million. The reason, according to U.S. officials, was that the assistance offered by other countries, particularly those that are members of the European Union, had failed to materialize. In reality, however, China received help and support from all corners – including a number of European states – during its darkest hours. And now that the country has got the spread of the virus under control, it is offering assistance to Europe, even though there is still a shortage of goods at home.

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China is in favour of strengthening coordination and interaction with partner countries and promoting multilateralism and the principles of a rule-based international order. It calls for the global community to come together to overcome serious challenges. Moreover, China seeks development through openness to the outside world, “breaking walls down” instead of building them. Beijing works to expand its contacts with other countries, prevent protectionism and unilateralism, lower trade barriers, improve production and global supply chains, and develop the global market. After the epidemic subsides, the sensible approach that China has adopted will go a long way to rebuilding the global economy.

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The raging COVID-2019 epidemic that has swept the world presents a major economic challenge for many countries. Those Central and Eastern Europe states that have better integrated themselves into the international community have been hit particularly hard.

In the current circumstances, an increasing number of countries welcome the policy of multilateralism, as it is based on coordination and cooperation. Multilateralism is gradually turning into an instrument of global and regional multilateral governance that allows us, through dialogue and consultations, to resolve political, economic, diplomatic, security and environmental issues, as well as problems related to infectious diseases, information dissemination, migration and the exploration of space. Multilateralism plays an important role in creating a system of global governance. Thus, the value and significance of multilateralism are becoming increasingly apparent against the backdrop of the fight against the coronavirus epidemic.