THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
The effectiveness of a state depends on the confidence generated by its leaders Ability of leaders to generate confidence is all the more essential as the crisis continues
by Cyrille Schott, Préfet (h.) de région, Member of Board of EuroDéfense France, Paris
I
f the performance of authoritarian regimes and democracies in the face of the pandemic has been questioned, another subject deserves consideration: that of the comparative effectiveness of unitary states and federal states. An accurate study of the issue will require sufficient hindsight, but initial observations are possible.
Federalism: between performance and dysfunction The federal system has the advantage of the proximity of State power to the territories and their inhabitants and a better consideration of the diversity of situations. On the other hand, it can make it more difficult to define a coherent policy across the country. It requires good consultation between the federal government and the federated states. In Australia, as early as March, Federal Prime Minister Scott Morrison created a national cabinet that included the premiers of the six federal states and the chief ministers of the two territories. This cabinet, whose aim is to “co-ordinate and provide a coherent national response to Covid-19”, determines national guidelines, which are supplemented by the federal states and territories according to local conditions.
In Germany, the Chancellor holds regular meetings with the Ministers-Presidents of the Länder, the 16 federal states, to harmonize positions. While the debates at these meetings are not always easy, some Länder, such as Bavaria, being committed to strict measures, others being more flexible, they will however result in agreement on the measures adopted at the federal level and those of each Land. At the end of the meetings, Angela Merkel appears on television, papers in hand, to summarize the federal guidelines, the Länder, even cities, adapting the measures to their population and the prevalence of the virus within it. In the face of these powerful mechanisms, the United States and Brazil are experiencing dysfunctional federal systems: the U.S. and Brazilian presidents have not set up a forum for consultation with the federal states. On the contrary, they do not hesitate to oppose the powers of these states. President Trump wields a verb that varies, regardless of the division of powers between the federation and its members, or the creation of a consensus with the governors of the 50 states. He called for public vindictiveness to governors who had decided coronavirus restrictions and encouraged protests again them. President Bolsonaro systematically downplays the severity of the virus and criticizes federal states or cities that adopt protective measures.
ability of states to respond to the health crisis does not depend on their “The political system, whether federal or unitary. What matters is the ability of
leaders to properly analyze phenomena, to create trust around them and to bring people together.”
26
