European Union foreign policy problems caused by the Covid-19 epidemic

The research problem is expressed in the fact that one of the central issues of the "pandemic discourse" as a set of concepts and discussions is the question of how much the modern world will change in the conditions of a modern pandemic and how much it has already changed. The formation and transformation of the political system of government, the formation of various social institutions, culture, art, science, technological progress and the economy are closely related to the interstate alliance, diplomatic relations and military conflicts. In our time, when all countries are closely connected with each other in the economic, political, etc. and other spheres, the problem of ethics is especially relevant in international relations. The purpose of this study is to analyze the trends in international relations that have changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic factor provoked an acceleration of confrontation between regional and global players and strengthened the role of the institution of the nation state. Speaking about the policy of the European Union, it is obvious that they, like other states, took the “hit” of the pandemic. The international crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a wave of predictions regarding the establishment of a new world order. At the same time, there is the fact that the member countries of the Union were not ready for such a scale of the epidemic, which led to destabilization in the economic, social, political and other spheres of society. First of all, this affected the foreign policy of the European Union, as there was a revision of values and directions in which all allied states should move. It also caused an internal split between the participating countries in matters of vision of the future direction of foreign policy. The situation was also aggravated by the exit of the UK from the European Union. Analyzing the data of the summer economic forecast of the European Commission, the crisis affected 4% of global GDP, with the EU GDP shrinking by 8.3%, and the GDP of the euro area countries by 8.7%, which also affects the change in the vector of the European Union's foreign policy. The theoretical and practical significance of the study is due to the fact that the study of the problems that have arisen in the foreign policy of the European Union in connection with the coronavirus pandemic will inevitably affect not only the participating countries, but also other states that actively interact with the EU. In this regard, the study of these problems will contribute to the possibility of building a new policy by other states in relation to the European Union.