Invited by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, I presented a short paper on “COVID-19: What future for economic connectivity in the OSCE region?”. I assess the likely impact of the current pandemic crisis and its probable consequences for connectivity in the short, medium, and long term. Focusing on the pandemic not only as a challenge but also as an opportunity, I examine potential OSCE mitigation efforts. In conclusion, I briefly sketch out the contours of a new connectivity concept, Connectivity 2.0, as a new and different way of thinking about connectivity—one that manages the challenges and opportunities of interconnectedness to the benefit of all its stakeholder, from individuals to states, and multinational corporations, and that does by enhancing the resilience of both the hard and soft dimensions of connectivity.
