Which EU Governance in a Post Covid-19 era? A Debate over Possible Scenarios

This article aims at discussing different pathways of EU governance in a post-Covid-19 era. This topic is of particular relevance, because it arises from the widespread recognition that Europe is experiencing a governance crisis, which has become particularly challenging during the last decade. Therefore, this contribution starts from examining two main facts that can explain the governance crisis of the European Union: the debate over the sovereignty and the alleged crisis of Nation-States. It considers two alternative scenarios, which the European Union must face in a post Covi-19 era. The discussion concentrates on three elements of analysis: the levels of government and territorial contexts, coordination mechanisms and principles of inter-institutional dialogue. The article then highlights the weaknesses of the actual configuration of the EU governance and it points out that regionalism and centralism occur in different nations simultaneously. Hence, it claims that the gravity of the Covid-19 crisis can serve as a starting point for reconsidering the value of cultural differences at the regional level, the heterogeneity of administrative systems in EU, the importance of assigning the right role and relevance to individual citizens and the necessity to build a more participatory governance at all levels.