Eurotopics.net

Many observers see 2021 marking the start of a new phase for the EU, believing that with the recovery fund, the agreement on climate targets reached in December and the joint vaccination strategy an important foundation for closer integration has been laid. Will the coming year be a harmonious one for the Union?

Expectations are high that 2021 will turn out to be better than 2020 - at least as far as the Covid pandemic is concerned. But not all commentators believe these hopes are justified, and some are already focusing on what comes after the pandemic.

This year the EU states joined forces to combat the pandemic and the economic crisis, they introduced a mechanism for enforcing the rule of law and - in the last minute - negotiated a post-Brexit agreement with the UK. Is 2020 the start of a phase of greater unity?

When the pandemic first took hold, people everywhere said that only through a joint effort could humankind overcome such a crisis. But not much seems to remain of the initial solidarity and willingness to make sacrifices. Commentaries give an idea of the extent to which the sense of disillusionment and exhaustion are the result of political failures.

In this year dominated by the coronavirus, women have played an instrumental part in getting European politics back on track. Commentators praise this development but also note that in other areas gender equality has lost ground rather than advanced.