The bloc's 'Single Market Emergency Instrument' is intended as an emergency tool that would give the EU executive powers to protect supply chains and ensure that essential goods can continue to circulate around the continent in times of crisis, such as a pandemic.
The proposal is a response to bottlenecks caused by unexpected events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and it echoes similar measures adopted by the United States and Japan. However, it is expected to face strong pushback from businesses and some of the countries in the bloc - including Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands - have already warned that it could overstep the bloc’s authority.
The EU's plan has been designed as a way of avoiding the spring 2020 scenario, when the bloc's governments took unilateral decisions to secure masks, gloves and ventilators, including commercial checks and border closures. This situation fractured th...