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Ursula von der Leyen (l), the German president of the EU Commission is a doctor by training (Photo: European Union)

Analysis

Coronavirus: What EU can and can't do

The European Union has limited powers to tackle the pandemic - because member states oversee health.

The European Commission can coordinate and support member states on health. It can make recommendations and give advice. Everyone is free to ignore it.

That rule is spelled out in article 168 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union. The treaty is the legal foundation and doctrine of t...

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Author Bio

Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.

Ursula von der Leyen (l), the German president of the EU Commission is a doctor by training (Photo: European Union)

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Author Bio

Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.

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