Coronavirus crisis puts EU’s credibility on the line: French ministe

FILE PHOTO: French Junior Minister for European Affairs Amelie de Montchalin appears on BBC TV's The Andrew Marr Show in London, Britain, in this image obtained by Reuters on March 1, 2020. Jeff Overs/BBC/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. NOT FOR USE MORE THAN 21 DAYS AFTER ISSUE.

How the European Union responds to the coronavirus outbreak will determine its credibility and utility, a French minister said on Sunday, after the bloc failed to agree last week on measures to cushion the economic blow from the pandemic.
“If Europe is just a single market when times are good, then it has no sense,” European Affairs minister Amelie de Montchalin told France Inter radio.
She said Europe’s populist parties would be the winners if EU leaders failed to act together during a major crisis.