Managing Crises in the EU

The study of crises has moved to the centre of EU research agendas of late. Empirical developments partially explain this move. Crises, once viewed as isolated incidents, now seem to roil the continent on a successive basis. From ash clouds to Brexit, bird and swine flues to the Eurozone crisis, and the migration surge to the Covid-19 pandemic, crises now seem a permanent feature of European governance. Theoretically, scholars increasingly question the relevance and applicability of yesterday’s theories in explaining today’s crisis dynamics. Crises cast into sharp relief not just where the EU is going but what the EU is: its responsiveness, effectiveness, legitimacy and credibility in the eyes of a demanding public. This section welcomes papers that address the general, horizontal effects of crises on the EU. This includes the effects of successive crises across institutions and across sectors. Papers are welcome that ask empirical questions – the dynamics of the EU’s crisis management – as well as those making theoretical inquires. Do the battery of existing integration and governance theories provide sufficient guidance in our drive to understand the EU in an era of crises?