United States’ abdication leaves gap to be filled if EU can step up, commentators say
International experts believe the EU can head up the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic amid the failures of other heavyweight political powers. But they have also warned it must take care that its efforts bear fruit and that it does not come unstuck at home.
The United States has taken “a leading role” on global health crises in the past but “is not leading anymore” following the decision by president Donald Trump (pictured) to pull funding from the World Health Organization, said Volker ter Meulen, the president of the Interacademy Partnership, which helps learned academies cooperate internationally. He said “the conflict between China and the US is…pushing everything back”.
The European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen (pictured), is organising a Covid-19 fund-pledging conference for 4 May. This is a “wonderful” example of EU leadership, Meulen said. The event—being run with the WHO and major biomedical research funders, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust and the Centre for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations—is intended to raise about €8 billion for R&D into vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.
Daya Reddy, president of the International Science Council, said it was a “great idea” that should spur global efforts. He wants the EU to lead by example through collaboration, particularly with China, rather than trying to achieve everything on its own.
But Peter Gluckman, chair of the International Network of Government Science Advice and president-elect of the International Science Council, warned that pledges made at conferences do not always materialise, and that choosing who gets funding will be tricky given the hundreds of research teams working on the pandemic.
He said Europe could be a “middle ground” between China’s authoritarianism and US libertarianism, but warned it must get its own house in order.
Gluckman said the virus had exposed major problems for the EU, such as the bloc’s inability to coordinate health policies and compare health data across nations. A breakdown in social cohesion from the uneven impact of the pandemic is “by far the biggest risk” Europe faces from Covid-19, he said, and will require politicians to work more closely with social scientists in the months ahead.
Koen Vermeir, co-chair of the Global Young Academy, which helps young scientists cooperate, said money must be committed quickly, but warned any hasty evaluation of proposals would raise “quality concerns”.
This article also appeared in Research Europe
Note: This story was updated on 30 April 2020 to correct Volker ter Meulen’s role—he is the current president of the Interacademy Partnership, not the immediate past president