Latvia’s Peripheralised Solidarity: Rise and Fall of the ‘Baltic Bubble’ during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

Abstract

Since the first COVID-19 cases were detected, European Union member states have faced challenges not only in responding to the virus and preventing its spread, but also in communicating and helping each other. The issue of solidarity has assumed greater proportions and is being discussed almost ad nauseam, but COVID-19 remains and will continue to be the European Union’s biggest challenge for the immediate future, with mutual support among the member states being essential. It is worth looking at Latvian experience and logic to understand why the country’s solidarity during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 was peripheral, with help almost exclusively localised in the Baltic region. This chapter will analyse four main defining elements: the self-perception of the Baltic States; the geographical proximity; economic factors and preservation of the single market; and the lack of national resources.