Summary

The EU goes into 2021 faced with a mixture of opportunities and challenges. The bloc plans to implement an ambitious recovery plan, intended not only to boost growth after the COVID-induced recession, but also to initiate a transition toward a greener and tech-based economic future. Somehow paradoxically, the pandemic seems to have emboldened rather than downgraded the Commission, which appears determined to carry on its renovation efforts. Yet the EU remains riddled with complex problems that will persist throughout 2021 and beyond, and it remains to be seen whether Brussels’ react-and-adapt approach will remain viable over the long run.