European Integration as Complementary Institution-Building

Abstract

Abstract What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic policy on European integration? The chapter starts with briefly outlining some elements of a general sociological theory of pandemics. This forms the basis for analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in three political fields, namely mobility policy, health policy, and public finances. These fields not only turned out to be crucial for coping with the pandemic, they also represent examples of three different versions of institutional development triggered by it. The chapter concludes with a theory-oriented conclusion. The analysis is carried out with the systematic intention of showing that crises confronting the European Union reveal institutional deficits, hence complementary institution-building is the likely though not compelling result.