Interview Series: Solidarity at the Time of COVID-19
The Center for the Study of Europe announces A Series of Conversations with Several European Consuls General in Boston: Solidarity at the Time of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 epidemic has had a devastating impact in Europe. All the levels of government – local, regional, national, or supranational – have been involved in the task of fighting the invisible enemy that has destroyed many lives and upended entire economic sectors. Some countries have been hit with particular vehemence, and their plight for solidarity has stirred intense moral and political debates within each European nation and across state borders. In this series of interviews, the Center for the Study of Europe of Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies explores the response to the corona virus emergency in various European countries through the lens of privileged observers: the Consuls General assigned to represent their home countries in the City of Boston. The various interviews range in scope and length depending on the features of each country, on the personality of each Consul, on the extent to which local consulates are allowed to participate in political discussions online, and on the preference of the interviewers (all faculty members at Boston University). The result is, we believe, an important contribution to the understanding of Europe’s current predicaments and its various approaches to material solidarity in times of emergency. It’s been an honor and a privilege to run this series.
Kicking off the series on Monday, April 13, Vesko Garcivic, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at BU’s Pardee School of Global Studies, interviewed Stratos Efthymiou, Consul General of Greece in Boston.
Later that day, Daniela Caruso, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for the Study of Europe, spoke with Italian Consul General Federica Sereni.
To view the upcoming conversations, please visit our YouTube channel.