: The pandemic initially destabilized the EU's core pillars, such as free movement , as member states unilaterally closed borders in February 2020 due to a lack of a joint response.

Van Middelaar acknowledges these failures but perhaps does not give them sufficient weight. The "life‑and‑death struggle" he describes was worsened, not merely revealed, by the EU’s institutional design.

Technical specifications of currently used in European radiology labs.