The end of a single Europe? Andrey Malgin - about strength and weakness

It is no secret that one of the most important tasks of Russia's foreign policy was and remains the split of the United Europe. The Kremlin leadership realized the importance of this task after the coordinated reaction of the European states to the annexation of Crimea, the war in the Donbass and the chemical attack in the UK. Trying to find an adequate answer, the Russian leadership has crossed different options-from “antisanctions”, the damage from which for European manufacturers turned out to be minimal, before helping in organizing the invasion of “refugees” from “hot spots”, which Europe with difficulty, but still digested. The task of destroying the unity of Europe from the inside came to the fore.

Russian propaganda-both directly, and through its agents, and with the help of foreign "useful idiots"-inflated any contradiction arising between individual states or between some state and the EU as a whole. If there was no reason, it was created. All kinds of nationalists, separatists, populists used not only moral, but also the financial support of the Kremlin. Marin Le Pen, Matteo Salvini and other “friends of Putin”, returning from Moscow, stigmatized the last words “bureaucrats from Brussels” and predicted the death of the European Union. “The European Union will remain in history as a loud failure,” Le Pen said, and her words immediately retrained in the translated into all the languages of the world, the TASS and Mediahimeria RT. “If the EU is hunger and death, then we must leave a different future for our children,” Salvini said, commenting on the allegedly of the European Union to help Italy in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic.

Koronavirus instilled in Putin and his team to break the European Union. The transport aircraft of the Russian military-space forces with a lightning-fast cast brought to Italy the help that she seemed to be waiting and did not wait from Europe. Russian television channels were filled with reports about ordinary Italians who throw flowers under the feet of Russian soldiers, about Italian workers, breaking the blue flags of the EU and Russian tricolors erecting instead of them. However, a spectacular propaganda operation was nevertheless designed to a greater extent for Italian, and not for the Russian audience. The Italians quickly figured out what was happening. It turned out that for every hoisted Russian flag, someone paid the "friends of Russia" a fee. There were exactly 32 doctors in 15 huge aircraft (the same number of doctors to Italy, without unnecessary noise, sent, for example, Albania, for example, Albania), and tons of valuable cargo were mainly irrigation machines, which, according to the instructions of the last century, were to water city streets of chlorine.

Of course, those 15 severe patients who were cured by Russian military doctors for a month of work will be grateful to them, but by the beginning of May the interim hospital in Bergamo was empty, the patients stopped arriving, and the local authorities began to hint: is it time for the Russian delegation to release the hotel. “How!” Cried the delegation. “And on May 9! We have prepared a large cultural program for this great day!” I had to explain that quarantine is incompatible with mass cultural events, and the Russian military flew away, without fulfilling the "sacred war" and "Katyusha".

But Koronavirus really disconnected Europe. The initiative prepared by France and Germany on the creation of a European fund of 500 billion euros to restore economies of injured countries was blocked by Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden. What was immediately inflated by the Russian external propaganda as the collapse of the European Union, in which national interests allegedly prevailed over the idea of solidarity embedded in the EU concept itself. However, in return of the EU country, after difficult negotiations, even a more ambitious program was agreed, the “second plan of Marshall”: gratuitous assistance to the most affected countries is combined with a program of long -term lending for everyone. But these propagandists broadcasting from Moscow were no longer interested. They were carried away by another winning theme - the closure of borders.

Indeed, not only external, but also internal borders in the EU were closed due to the epidemic. That is, the most visual manifestation of European unity has disappeared. Each country closed independently, in its terms, not coordinating its actions in Brussels. And only then, retroactively, in order to give the process at least the visibility of the ordered process, the European Union announced that he was closing its external borders, although they were already closed by decisions of national governments. And again, all the same characters in European politics revived. "The EU fell the first victim of the coronavirus," Le Pen said. “First, we will win the virus, and then again think about Europe. And, if necessary, let's say“ Goodbye. ”And we don’t even say thanks,” wrote Salvini.

In the once united Europe there was not a single one that was not closed within its borders. What a moment of happiness for Russian propaganda!

Italy was the first to suffer from the epidemic country. And in the very first days of the epidemic, her neighbors, Slovenia and Austria, with a fright, closed the entry of vehicles from Italy, and tremendous traffic jams from trucks with registration numbers of different countries were formed on the borders. At the same time, for the vast majority of them, these countries are transit, they planned to go further. Drivers did not understand what to do. Trains following from Italy in transit were stopped on the Austrian-Italian border, while the Austrian border guards themselves did not know what to do with passengers. As a result, passengers freely left the wagons with suitcases, walked along the rails of a kilometer deep into the Austrian territory and there were already sitting in Austrian transport. It never occurred to anyone to take their analysis for coronavirus.

The chaos of the first days and weeks was replaced by the deaf self -isolation of entire countries. The transport communication was interrupted, everyone who still managed to break through, at best, was planted on two-week quarantine. In the once united Europe there was not a single one that was not closed within its borders. What a moment of happiness for Russian propaganda!

But what is it? He came to the end of May, and with it the severity of the situation with the virus also subsided, the internal European borders began to disappear. Three Baltic countries announced that they were opening the borders among themselves, a message came that they were opening the boundaries of Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Italy announced that from June 3, it opens borders for all citizens of the EU and Switzerland. It was not without roughness: the first reaction of Austria was a message that she would not let tourists from Germany go through her territory, and then the Switzerland authorities said that if Italy opens the border, only border guards could cross it, but not ordinary citizens. Soon, Austria’s position softened: she agreed to provide the corridor for the Germans to Italy, provided that they would not stay in Austria. Here Greece reported that she would open borders for citizens of 29 countries. The list of these countries included Australia, Japan, Israel and even China, but there were no some European countries: Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Sweden. According to the Greeks, these four countries continue to be the seedlings of the virus. Finally, the Denmark government announced that from June 15, only three countries would let tourists into the country: Germany, Norway and Iceland. And if the Danes decide to spend a vacation in any other country, upon returning, 14-day quarantine awaits them.

Increased diplomatic activity began. Foreign Minister of France, Jean-Yves Le Drian, his first, after the start of quarantine, the visit planned on June 3 to Italy, and his Italian colleague Luigi di Mao will go to Germany, June 6 to Slovenia, and on June 9 to Greece. It is clear that the main, if not the only topic of these negotiations is the discovery of borders and the resumption of tourism (tourism revenues make up 15% of Italy GDP). And now it has already been announced that by June 15 a general decision of the European Union will be prepared regarding borders, both external and internal.

Suppose that not 15, but on June 22, will come to the agreed decision on the borders of Europe. Or even the 29th. A week later, a week earlier. What does it change? Nothing. Europe will again be one. And it is already clear that it will also economically recover as a single organism. Because united Europe is strong Europe. And disconnected Europe is weak Europe. Fortunately, this is understood not only in Russia, but also in Europe itself.

Andrey Malgin - a journalist and blogger, lives in Italy

Opinions expressed under the heading "Law" may not reflect the point of view of the Radio Liberty editorial