Abstract

The outbreak of the Covid-19 crisis has created some important opportunities for the strengthening of social integration in the European Union, which is currently dealing with the worst economic recession since World War 2. EU institutions and national governments have decided to create common tools to support welfare services in the Member States, as well as investment policies for recovery and resilience. The first instrument, called SURE, made available ¤ 100 billion in the form of loans to address sudden increases in public expenditure for the preservation of employment in the Member States. The second instrument, namely Next Generation EU, increased the spending capacity of the EU budget by ¤ 750 billion with the purpose of providing loans and transfers to the Member States to address the economic and social effects of the Covid 19 crisis and pursue a number of strategic targets, including a stronger social and territorial cohesion. After analysing these instruments, the article aims to consider whether they may pave the way to structural reform for EU social governance, in particular through the establishment of permanent instruments to support welfare policies in the Member States.