Conclusion: The EU and the Search for Sustainability and Resilience

The concluding chapter reviews the EU’s handling of current crises and its search for sustainability and resilience. Beginning with its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing public health crisis which threatened to scupper the free movement of goods and people on the internal market, the chapter goes on to examine the EU’s recent actions in the area of the environment, climate change, financial stability, and immigration. The remainder of the chapter focuses on the challenges that the EU needs to overcome in order to achieve resilience, more precisely, through improved coordination of policy initiatives on the European and national levels, continued public support for resilience and sustainability, and a strengthened ability to exercise global leadership and influence, particularly in regard to the global agenda for climate mitigation and sustainable development.