Problémy ekonomiky Evropské unie v kontextu pandemie COVID-19

The aim of this bachelor's thesis is to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic together with the introduced restrictions on the economy of the European Union and its member states in 2020 and 2021. The thesis tests a hypothesis H1: the COVID-19 pandemic had a greater impact on the EU economy than on economy of the USA and Japan, which is assessed based on the magic squares model. Secondary objectives are to determine regional differences in the response of the economies of the EU members states to the pandemic and to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of recovery plans adopted in order to mitigate its negative effects. To fulfil the aim, we observe the development of the growth rate of real GDP, the rate of inflation, unemployment, and the government deficit. The conclusion is that the impact of the pandemic on the EU economy was bigger than on the economy of Japan, but smaller than on the US economy. Within the EU the largest decline was found in the economies of Southern member states and the Baltic countries, while the smallest decline was registered in the countries of Scandinavia, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.