In less than twelve months, the global pandemic has turned the tables, and now the European Union is stronger than it had been in recent years.
This happened because when people are living through very challenging times, as now, they quickly realize that they either stand together or go down alone: as the old saying goes, “strength lies in unity”.
Although this historical moment is tragic for the loss of many lives and the economic crisis resulting from repeated lockdowns, it is also full of opportunities for the future, when all of us will be called upon to rebuild, remake and reinvent our life together. It will then be important to create new instruments to foster civil society in terms of the rule of law, as otherwise there will be no real social development, but only the enrichment of the usual suspects.
Everybody will be asked to choose what their role is in the process of civil progress, and there are only two alternatives: “To be or not to be”. To be citizens, or not to be citizens but merely subjects. Each of us will have to embrace a new mindset or to keep – or slide back to − old habits. Sometimes old habits can feel safer and more comfortable, but it won’t be long before it becomes clear that to keep things as they are will be the worst possible option for national development and people’s prosperity and well-being.
