The COVID-19 crisis is a human tragedy. It is also an unprecedented social experiment - potentially the largest social experiment we’ll ever witness in our ;And we’re watching it unfold in real time.

In March 2020, the free movement of the EU was temporarily suspended and citizens took shelter beyond the closed borders of their nation state. Democracy was put on hold with emergency legislation rapidly introduced in most European countries. The future of capitalism was quietly in question.

While the voice of the EU was notably quiet in the early stages of the crisis, the pandemic has become more critical for the future of the Union than anything else in its history to date. COVID-19 has brought forward Europe’s “Hamiltonian moment” and has accelerated the process of European integration. However, at the same time, it has forced Europeans to re-think some of the fundamental assumptions on which the European project is built.

How is COVID-19 changing Europe and how is it changing Europe’s role in the world? These are the questions this lecture will address and reflect on.