EESC info

In March 2020, we started to realise that the COVID-19 pandemic was not only a health crisis; it would influence many aspects of our lives. It was also clear for associations and activists that we would face new challenges in our ordinary work. As it turned out, the situation was even worse than we expected.

In May 2020, we organised a "virtual drink". After two months of the lockdown and online work, we decided to meet up and discuss our initial thoughts about this period.

Together with colleagues from the European Civic Forum, a transnational network that brings together over 100 associations and NGOs across 27 countries in Europe, actively working on issues such as citizenship education, the defence of human rights and advocacy for democracy, we spent a few hours in an impassioned debate. Everyone had his or her national perspective, but the conclusions were similar.

On the basis of these discussions, we drafted the following lessons…

Lesson one: Our security depends on other people's security
We need universal health and social protection for everybody in our society and all over the world.

Lesson two: We are all vulnerable and our destinies are interwoven.
Solidarity, equality, rights and caring must be at the base of international relations and of people's daily reality.

Lesson three: The common good exists
Public institutions must serve, protect and implement the common good, not specific interests.

Lesson four: Democracy is the crucial antivirus we all need
Citizens’ awareness, civic participation, trustworthy information, public research and education and transparent institutions all ensure the public good.

Lesson five: The global market system has failed
We have to relocate production, implement the circular economy and have a universal basic income for all.

Lesson six: We are the earth’s custodians, not its owners
Nature is using our lockdown to recover from the damage we have caused. We must restore environmental justice to the world.

Lesson seven: Essential workers are real heroes. Women are at the forefront
Women's contribution has to be recognised in the social hierarchy, those who are invisible must be able to fully access their rights.

Lesson eight: Time has to slow down
Lockdown forced us to give full place to social bonds, patience, compassion: we have to keep this in the long run.

Lesson nine: We need human, social, ecological security
We commit ourselves to a just recovery and a just transition in our country, in Europe and all over the world.

Lesson ten: The future must be different from the past
We need to learn from these lessons and act together.

Do we have a chance to learn more after the crisis? Are we able to turn the crisis into a new chance?
I am convinced that the future must be different from the past.

Would I like to share my thoughts, analysis and emotions on how I experience the Corona crisis in 2000 characters? Not much for something disruptive like that, one character per century. But anyway, my thoughts are private and chaotic.

Everything is new, this is the first pandemic I’ve experienced personally. Searching on the internet I found a list with the 10 worst pandemics in history and I learned that the last one to hit Europe before Covid 19 was the Spanish Flu in 1920. And I may be old - but I’m not that old.

My partner is very contagious due to reduced resistance to germs and if she catches something she is extremely vulnerable to a chronic respiratory lung disease. So we are very reluctant to have contacts with others. That brings new experiences for both of us. She is more or less in self-chosen isolation to prevent being infected. And I have to do things she used to do before, like buying groceries. Pre-crisis, I participated, pushing the shopping-cart 1 meter behind her while she filled it. But now it’s different.

Pushing is easy; you just follow and think about creating a better world while she fills the cart. Since I have to fill it myself, I’m paralyzed with choice stress at every shelf. The shopping list asks coffee, the shelf offers dozens of different brands that all look the same. And what toilet paper do we need - with 1, 2, 3 or 4 layers? My wife knows which product she wants and where they are, we’re in-and-out in minutes. To me shops are labyrinths: only in the beer department I don’t feel choice stress, all the rest takes me hours - lost in maddening dilemmas.

I was surprised by the initial response of the Dutch towards the pandemic. They reacted unanimously and with solidarity. Unfortunately the human attention span turned out to be pretty short for a small group of entangled and otherwise deplorable individuals, within a few weeks their solidarity crumbled. People stopped respecting the rules, blamed the government for undermining their fundamental rights and limiting their four freedoms. So, in order to claim their unalienable right to party they filed law suits against the state - lost in raging madness.

Thank goodness we live in Europe, where democracy and rule of law are relatively well guaranteed (in most member states) and healthcare is pretty good compared to other parts of the world. Looking at how it affects different generations it’s clear the young suffer most of the virus that reflects their age. At 19 you’re supposed to date, to explore your sexuality and to discover that crazy little thing called love. In times of pandemics even innocent hugs are taboo. These kind of things make young people insecure - lost in unsatisfied desire.

The key question is what to do with the economy. A restart based on the principle ‘business as usual’ when the pandemic is under control? Or grab this opportunity, turn away from a system dominated by cannibalistic monopolists and move into an inclusive model with sustainable, small scale initiatives in peaceful coexistence with liable big businesses? the choice between going on with business as usual or change our lemming’s behaviour will define our future and decide if we will be alive or extinct - lost in the abyss of self destruction.

I wish you all a nice time, with meditation, reflection and – to whom it may concern – repentance.

We were faced with a situation we had never experienced before. The virus was suddenly here and it was spreading very quickly, which led to the entire country being placed under complete quarantine. Since the situation was unprecedented, we had no experience of how to deal with it in the most efficient way.

What next, we wondered. At the beginning we were terrified and helpless. In business, all plans for the current year (2020) were dropped practically in an instant, and because of the uncertain situation, all future plans are surrounded by a high degree of uncertainty as well.

We were all asking ourselves the same question: what next? How do we act in this new situation: the quarantine, complete isolation and no way of knowing when it will be over? The greatest fears and worries are always caused by the inability to predict what will happen next. Businesses, too, initially reacted similarly. They all wanted us to tell them how long this situation would continue, what the response of the government would be and what kind of aid they could count on. Already at a very early stage, it was starting to become clear that not all of us were in the same position: for some economic sectors, such as tourism and logistics, the crisis meant ruin, while to others, such as the IT sector and the food industry, it brought new opportunities and challenges.

We were fortunate that the government, although newly formed, responded quickly and adequately, so that together we were drafting programmes of action, support, incentives etc. For this purpose, we maintained consistent direct contact with a large number of our members from different sectors, in order to be as well informed as possible about the situation in individual sectors, gather as many ideas as we could about what form of aid would be most efficient, and provide information to government representatives.

What I miss the most are face-to-face communication and contacts. The fact is that during this period, communication has moved online as much as possible, while face-to-face communication has largely disappeared. The giant digitalisation leap in electronic communication among businesses and between the state and businesses, as well as with the public and users, can be considered one of the biggest benefits of COVID-19.

Results have shown us that what is most important is good organisation and discipline on the part of all citizens in accepting and respecting instructions and measures, as only these can lead to the right solutions.

The fact is that COVID-19 will bring about changes in many fields. However, we do not even know how long the COVID-19 epidemic will last; nor do we know whether, in the wake of the epidemic, we will start counting the periods between one wave of COVID-19 and the next, as we will not be able to shake off the virus permanently. The crisis has manifested itself in all areas, from education and health to the financial and economic sectors, inter alia. We do not know what the situation will be like once the crisis is over or how severely the economy will be affected.

Many changes will come about that are as yet unknown; therefore it is wrong to be asking which jobs will be cut. We must all strive to make sure that when the crisis is over, our businesses and thus our jobs will be as competitive as possible. We will achieve this not only with the help of state aid but also through continuous education at all levels.

The fact is that the period of isolation has clearly shown us that digital communication alone cannot replace face-to-face contact, whether in schools, when doing business or during other activities. Thus, our goal, naturally, is to re-establish face-to-face communication, both within our association and with all those with whom we are currently communicating only through online tools.

As February turned into March, while studies and debates were taking place, we shared in the joyful Martenitsa celebrations of our Bulgarian friends, as we do at this time every year. We wore thin bracelets of braided red and white string and little woollen ragdolls were given as a token of good luck. The optimism of the coming spring was palpable. We wished each other success for the final stage of the five-year term of office at the EESC.

We instinctively stayed away from the threat to our orderly lives in the heart of the EU posed by the virus that was spreading in Asia. It's true that signs and serious warnings were already reaching us from southern Europe, but we had to protect the procedures of the European institutions from the pandemic. And besides, as our colleagues from beyond the Danube joked, as a last resort a drop of medicine from the home pharmacy – i.e. Martenitsa rakia – couldn't hurt. Indeed, calls for disinfectants in meeting rooms were ignored, but we were always ensured that the risk was being carefully monitored, so our fears about the virus were assuaged.

As of Wednesday 11 March, I was still discussing recommendations on the sustainable Europe investment plan in the ECO/505 study group. In the sections, we made action plans and booked our next trips, and then suddenly, a week later, life ground to a halt. Lockdown! I could compare it metaphorically to a train suddenly slamming on the breaks, shooting sparks from under its wheels.

No one expected the containment measures that were growing stricter every day. It struck at the very foundations of our lives. It was a psychological tsunami, peculiar, as the poet Ildefons Gałczyński would say, "a sadness flowing through the mindset". It was surprise at the need to stay at home and the everyday fear. It was questions about the possibility of getting help and essential products, rethinking our habits.

I didn't think that I would not come back to Brussels until June, travelling by car along empty highways, because the flights had not started running again. I remember printing out the "license" to travel that I received by email from the secretary-general – the COVID-19 laissez-passer, issued on 29 May 2020 in four languages and adorned with an imposing round stamp. This was meant to guarantee that I would not be held in quarantine.

To be on the safe side, I confirmed this by phone with the German Gesundheitsamt offices of the regions I had to travel through. On 8 June in Brussels I took part in the first hybrid meeting of the ECO/510 study group and then in the plenary session of 10 and 11 June.

Public and social media were already flooded with commentary and suspicions as to the imagined real creators of the virus. It's a shame that, at least for the time being, it has not led to a contemporary masterpiece along the lines of Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th century Decameron or Albert Camus's 1947 novel The Plague, which truly demonstrate the shortcomings of human nature and the fight of humanity against disease.

In terms of the experience of the worldwide lockdown and warnings of a further attack of SARS-CoV-2, this time in combination with seasonal flu, which costs many lives each year in many countries – even more so than COVID-19 currently does, I thought about the meaning of "services of general interest", which have been neglected for decades.

The COVID-19 pandemic finally demonstrated the highly important and stabilising function of local, regional and Europe-wide suppliers of these services. The social sphere has finally started to believe in their essential role, which is the backbone of the European social model and potentially of a positive recovery of the economy in the framework of the Next Generation EU and European Green Deal instruments.

Energy and water services, waste processing and public transport in times of economic crisis have ensured that the ebbs and flows of life in our communities can continue and have provided security. After all, without previous investments in these sectors, it would not be possible to deal with everyday issues, like taking a morning shower at home, making coffee, or getting to work or the hospital on time. This also applies to issues of healthcare, care for people with disabilities and elderly people. They would not work without crisis management procedures, or if services of general interest had not found political understanding and public support.

Similarly, we need to look at the hugely important area of education, research and the general concept of culture, and only then can we complain about the difficulties we have experienced during the crisis.

11 March, back to Rome, back home. Heavy atmosphere, anxiety; in Northern Italy they are already counting the dead. My daughter Ilaria has returned from Milan where she studies; my eldest, Miriam, lives and works in Barcelona, and is very worried.

In the evening, the prime minister Mr Conte announces a lockdown for the whole country. A lockdown is already in place in the "red zones" in the North, requiring people from those areas to isolate.

The schools are closed, the football league and recreational and sporting activities suspended, and visiting patients in hospital is prohibited. No travel is allowed by public or private transport, and non-essential economic activities are halted.

A cloak of unreality envelopes Italy. Disorientation, fear: the virus seems to be getting out of control and becoming unstoppable.

Two images encapsulate the harsh reality: the convoy of military trucks in Bergamo transporting bodies out of the region, as the cemeteries were full, and the powerful, indelible image of Pope Francis praying in an empty St Peter's Square, broadcast worldwide on television on 28 March.

The Italian trade unions took action immediately with the government on ensuring the safety of essential businesses, which had to be kept open to ensure that people could purchase essential supplies in supermarkets and medicines in pharmacies. The trade unions never stopped working, supporting those losing their jobs, seeking agreements with employers to launch remote working, and securing income support, with incomes becoming insecure.

The hospitals are overwhelmed: running out of beds, and with intensive care units pushed to their limits, as also are health workers: nurses, doctors, orderlies forced to stay away from home in quarantine, working flat out, with the huge psychological burden of caring for people who are dying without the comfort of their loved ones.

At that time we all said that "we would not forget what had happened". Now we are trying to move forward, but the virus is not defeated: small or large outbreaks are popping up across the EU, and each country is responding in its own way, with its own measures. It is precisely now that the EU, thanks to the huge economic support it has deployed for all countries, should act in a united way by coordinating the efforts of individual Member States; we realise, however, how difficult this still is. But we will not win this war acting individually.

Over these months, the voice of the trade unions has been stronger than ever. The trade union is not an abstract concept: it is workers pointing a country towards rightful demands for social equality, dignity and respect. People who have experienced the reality of the hospitals, care homes for the elderly, shops, cleaning, transport, businesses in which basic workplace health and safety rights are infringed can tell us how to change an economic and social model that is revealing its limitations and threatening the future of those who will come after us.

So, this is what I would like for my daughters, Ilaria studying in Milan, and Miriam working in Barcelona: a world that fits them, and is sustainable economically, environmentally and socially.

The impact of the pandemic made borders in Europe visible again, sometimes even within the same country. One might think that, as a result, the scope for transnational cooperation among regions and cities has decreased. But actually, quite the opposite has happened.

So what was it like to live through the lockdown in Bulgaria? Well, for a dynamic and energetic outdoors enthusiast like me, it was hard. There were many restrictions. We had to stay at home and could only go out during the opening hours of essential shops to buy food, medicines or household goods. Social distancing of >1.5 m was compulsory when walking inside and outside the shops. It was rather complicated: whenever you left the city of Sofia, you had to fill out a form stating the reason and the place where you were going. You were required to show it to the police upon request.

The positive news is that the population has become much more self-sufficient and residents are much more appreciative of local food, local providers and short food supply chains. Demand for food from farms and food purchased directly from growers has increased. Grassroots initiatives are promoting gardening and small-scale production of vegetables and herbs.

Market places remain open to the public. They represent a traditional place for the sale of food, seeds, vegetable seedlings, fruit and vegetables and flowers. Leaving them open – with strict safety measures to be respected – contributes to preserving a sense of normality and a familiar routine.

In the mountain areas local action groups have also been very active. To further support local producers of home-grown food during the epidemic, they have been collecting and sharing useful contacts on their websites.

Indeed, in compliance with various travel and contact restrictions, in my organisation we all had to cancel many of the physical meetings and events which usually make it easier to set up cooperative initiatives and disseminate the results. However, these restrictions did not stop our activities – far from it. We are continuing to work together efficiently to make mountain regions stronger and even more resilient. In some cases, we adapted our work plans and are now developing common solutions to help vulnerable EU regions and cities cope better with the current emergency.

We started a "Giving a hand" a platform to foster solidarity in rural areas. It promotes solidarity between people, connecting persons in need of assistance with volunteers who are willing to literally "give a hand". Its current activities are focused on helping vulnerable, disabled and elderly people with shopping or homecare (not personal care) and on arranging babysitting for parents who have to work and cannot not find another solution for their children.

Many other initiatives have flourished in rural and mountainous areas, giving an insight into the resilience and strong sense of mutual assistance that flourish in our communities. What I learnt during this time is that I should not delay my life projects! Being active saves us in difficult times.

The streets have been deserted since the lockdown was declared. The most striking thing is the silence. Gone are the race for jobs, travelling abroad for a two hour meeting, the honking horns of city traffic, the bus that doesn't come...

Like so many others, we have complied with this forced confinement, trying our hardest to deal with this new way of life. While teleworking was easy for me, it was inconceivable for my husband, as his job and the infrastructure were (and are still) not suitable for it. This lack of suitability cost him several sleepless nights as a result of record absenteeism by his employees. Fear has spread at least as fast as the virus itself.

Now that the first wave has passed, I wonder what mental, social and economic condition we will be in when we emerge from this crisis. If the pandemic allowed for a new hierarchy of needs and environmental awareness, it has also borne witness to individual behaviours on a national and global scale. No one in Luxembourg would have believed that the borders could be closed again. Cross-border work is essential in the Grand Duchy and the restriction of free movement of people has led to fears such as a shortage of healthcare workers.

This crisis is also an opportunity for introspection regarding our own vulnerability. We are discovering that we are dependant, not only on healthcare workers, but also on each other's behaviour.

We will achieve the economic recovery together. Let's avoid nationalism and the collapse of economies while some countries discuss nationalising value chains in the name of resilience. Greater autonomy regarding globalisation should be considered at European level. With this crisis, we have the opportunity, for example, to stop for a moment, which should help us reflect on ourselves.

As a pharmacist, I have been paying close attention to the question of gender medicine during the coronavirus pandemic. The gender differences in COVID-19 are particularly striking in the field of mental health.

Men – particularly young men – are more likely to require intensive care, and more likely to die.

Since the lockdown, young women have been falling ill more often, due to their new role in society: precarious employment, more part-time work, more contact with people, less working from home, more care work.

We need to take another look at the roles of women and older people in families, because there is also discrimination against older people. I will keep having conversations about this.

Recently, I have been sitting on the bench outside our chemist's shop discussing these things with family members, and they were all happy having these conversations.

I have also stood in the street outside our local care home and greeted the residents up in their rooms, and we have sung together.

We need to stamp out loneliness and support family members. Policy must take account of this in stimulating employment in this area, but until that is achieved we all need to provide support.

I have also canvassed parents about educational issues and arranged video-conferences with teachers on media literacy.

First, fear and astonishment

Fear, real fear. A fear that has brought everything to a halt ... which – with the evening death toll – makes you fear for your dear ones, the young, the old and the vulnerable. A fear that reminds you that the shadows are circling, that they are waiting ...

Astonishment at the lack of preparedeness of the French public health services and of the medical profession on the front line with the public behind the lines, all of them lacking basic resources for protecting themselves and caring for others. Astonishment too at the capacity of a country like France, including its overseas territories, to cease – all of a sudden – all signs of human activity and empty towns and schools after a winter of legitimate social discontent on the streets.

The world, which has become even more globalised as a result of the pandemic, with the lockdown fragmented into a multitude of individuals doing no more than living alongside one another, yet separately. The pandemic has widened all disparities.

The return of the State

Public services, particularly health services, have the task of ensuring that life wins out. Gradually they have been given logistical support, with some measures that were just for show, such as the transfer of patients by train or helicopter, while private clinics that had declared their willingness to help were not asked for such help.

The State has given assistance to businesses delivering essential services in order to ensure that life can go on, through the provision of supplies, ensuring cleaning, etc.

But their employees were in very different situations as regards protection against the virus, and have not been systematically recompensed for their extra efforts.

Then resilience

Resilience has come to the fore thanks to links – both essential and social – between teachers and their pupils, via networks, the telephone, radio and TV, and other media. It was necessary to fill the time, manage time and work. At 8 every evening, the public – from their windows and doorsteps – applauded medical staff; the State had not given them the full recognition that had been expected.

Employees have re-discovered their own capacity for innovation. Teleworking, which had sometimes been denied to some employees, has spread at great speed. Parents, especially mothers, have had to take on two professions: their own, and that of teacher.

The trade unions' role as intermediaries between employees, employers and government has restored their legitimacy in the country. It is hoped that they will not only be listened to, but above all heard.

Europe

The EU, thanks to the Commission’s initial statements, has also astonished people!

The rescue plan that has been announced is much more than a Marshall Plan. A blast of recovery for Europe! But governments and Parliament were quick to find reasons for procrastination – of which we are all aware.

However, many small businesses – with few employees and very little funds – have already gone under in the country: small restaurants sold at a loss, young people who had just started out in the world of work .... The banks were not there for them. Employees have the right to partial unemployment benefits until September, but what will happen afterwards? Despite receiving aid from the relevant States, large companies, such as Air France-KLM (which received EUR 7 billion from the Netherlands and France), Airbus, etc. have laid off their employees. It is a scandal. All this when 700 000 young people will be arriving on the labour market after the summer...

The day after?

It is beginning to look more and more like the day before! Firstly, because the virus is still in circulation. Secondly, because the reforms that were already under way 'before', will come back 'afterwards', while the world of work in France does not want any of it. The government is assuring the public that taxation will not be used to pay for the 13% drop in GDP, but this summer's litany of redundancies and price increases is never-ending, be it in the energy, transport, fruit and vegetables sectors, etc.

In view of the lessons from the crisis, the way work is organised will change. Teleworking, platform work and videoconferencing will need regulations that do not yet exist. After resilience, vigilance is the order of the day. Will the crisis reveal that those who are the strongest in economic terms always come out better and those with the least resources suffer more and more? In the Paris region, the poorest district is the one where there have been the most cases of the virus. Sadly, what is new here?

When the coronavirus crisis broke out in Denmark, on 11 March, my colleagues and I got busy ensuring an orderly shutdown for our members. Many employees had to work from home, others in stressful situations in hospitals, nursing homes and in the service sector, which remained open throughout the crisis. Clear answers and close cooperation with colleagues were necessities. 

I am also vice-president in the European Trade Union Movement ETUC, so I also needed to work with colleagues in other countries. I was pleased that on 14 March we – the Danish government and the social partners – concluded a tripartite agreement on temporary wage compensation. The agreement covers employees working in private companies that are suffering particular financial hardship due to COVID-19.

Companies have used the new wage compensation scheme where they have opted out of the existing arrangements for temporarily laying off employees without pay. Support schemes were set up for small businesses, self-employed workers and freelancers. Some parts of the agreement expire soon and we are currently negotiating its replacement so that employees continue to be protected.

I myself have been working from home and I quickly became a superuser of new virtual tools. This time at home could have been very stressful because of uncertainty about the future, but in the end it let me focus entirely on my work and gave me more time with my family. I am convinced these recent months have given me and my colleagues a sharper focus on our core mission and contributed to greater discipline at meetings. It has also meant for me personally that I have been able to concentrate on the essentials of my own life.

A far cry from inward-looking nationalism and the temptation of authoritarianism, cooperation on a European scale is essential. It is vital that countries work together to combat the virus and to tackle its causes and consequences, especially as future pandemics – just like pollution, climate change and the biodiversity crisis – know no borders.

Europe has powerful levers for putting the general interest back at the heart of the continent’s development. By improving the Green Deal, the Common Agricultural Policy and the multiannual financial framework (MFF) we could effect a major shift in European and national projects and financing to ensure that Europe, a world leader, takes the path towards a liveable world.

Prioritising cooperation over competition and moving from an individual to an international scale is far from plain sailing. Looking out only for our own interest seems so comfortable. Faced with this temptation, we must remember that this short-termist vision will lead to our downfall: it will come back to us with a violent boomerang effect. These are historical crises, the challenge seems immense and we will not be able to deal with it alone.

My call is clear: to get out of these crises we need to set aside our selfishness and cooperate in the general interest. Take care of yourself, your loved ones, strangers in need and the living environment around you, and let's try to expend our energies on ensuring that we come out of these unprecedented crises on top.