The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the European Union’s policy towards the countries of the Global South

The pandemic, as a global crisis, forced the European Union to respond on a global scale and increase the need to undertake stronger and more effective actions in the international arena. In relations with Global South countries, the EU became an un-questionable leader in the COVID- 19 pandemic response. This chapter is to empha-size EU external actions in the context of the solidarity principle and is an attempt to answer the questions of whether the solidarity principle was actually implemented in actions undertaken by the EU and whether the pandemic changed EU policy towards the countries of the Global South. Due to the nature of the crisis, i.e., the pandemic, the chapter focuses on EU actions in terms of development cooperation (commonly referred to as development policy) and humanitarian aid provided to victims of natural or man- made disasters.