Thursday
1st Oct 2020
Several member states are putting forward restrictive Covid-19-related measures to try to control the surge of numbers of coronavirus cases, trying to avoid a second lockdown. Meanwhile, the global death toll from the novel coronavirus has reached one million.
Little wonder the leaders of Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden are unwilling to sign off: they're not going to give money so the Italians can fund a tax cut in the middle of an economic crisis.
The south-eastern EU member state has seen a week of record new coronavirus cases, plus a row in a kebab shop over masks with two MPs.
The EU ought to better use regional data on coronavirus travel, a Belgian expert has said, amid confusing national rules.
The European Commission signed this week a €63m contract with the US-based biopharmaceutical company Gilead to secure batches of remdesivir for 30,000 patients with "severe" Covid-19 symptoms - after the US left Europe and most of the world without supplies.
Previous claims that migrants bring communicable diseases to host countries have been debunked by a review of the existing evidence carried out earlier this year. In fact, migrants are currently more at risk of contracting Covid-19 from Europeans.
Experts are now warning of the "very serious" surge in Covid-19 cases in Europe - where new weekly cases exceede those reported in March. The worst-hit countries are Spain and France - while Italy is resisting the much-feared second wave.
Far-right zealots in Germany are using the pandemic to "build bridges" with mainstream corona-deniers, in a sign of the political damage of Covid-19 in Europe.
Recent weeks have seen a sudden flare-up in anti-mask protests and coronavirus-denial - posing questions on how to regulate social media.
A new report details how the Covid-19 pandemic triggered bans on protests and demonstrations, censorship of free speech, and the weakening of democratic oversight on policy making.
EU countries agree on the need to better coordinate their Covid-19 measures, but the issue remains highly sensitive as health competencies belong to member states.
Stockholm's response to Covid-19 has been an unorthodox set of policies, which has received a faire share of analysis and criticism - but not praise.
The start of the new school year, the lifting of some indoor restrictions, returning holidaymakers plus cooler weather are raising concerns that a second wave of Covid-19 infections is on the way.
The European Commission sealed a second Covid-19 vaccine deal, amid fears over the fair distribution of supplies worldwide. So far Brussels has secured, or is negotiating, a stock of nearly two billion doses.
EU regions say the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe is a "timely opportunity" to debate how to make local and regional authorities full- involved in the EU response to Covid-19 - even including possible EU treaty changes.
The European Commission has unveiled recommendations, including common criteria for member states on coronavirus epidemiological risks and harmonised 'colour-coding' of risk areas.
The lockdown period of this pandemic was an important reminder of the value of clean air and proof that it's still possible to achieve.
The European Commission hopes to have 30m doses of AstraZeneca's potential coronavirus vaccine before the end of this year, to be distributed on a population-based pro-rata basis among the 27 EU countries - until the 300m doses negotiated arrive.
Implementing new voting technologies and procedures for processing ballots, especially right before an election, can introduce new security risks.
MEPs have raised concerns about lack of common Covid 19-related criteria among member states, while the EU virus-alert agency said priority should be given to harmonisation of testing.
The EU Commission told Hungary that its move to admit visitors from the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia but not from other EU member states is discrimination and was not in line with EU rules.
The European Commission warned closing borders was not an "efficient" measure to fight the coronavirus pandemic, after Hungary decided unilaterally to shut down its borders to all foreigners. Meanwhile, neighbouring countries are considering different approaches.
The European Commission has secured at least 300 million doses of AstraZeneca's potential Covid-19 vaccine, as member states seem to be facing the much-feared second wave of the pandemic.
The Stockholm-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is recommending EU states imposes new restrictions to stem the transmission of Covid-19.
The United States recovery focused on a number of important issues, including unemployment benefits and funding for health care providers, but lacked any programs directed towards addressing pollution, renewable energy industries, and clean technology improvements.
Several European countries are now warning citizens not to visit Spain, after an increase in Covid-19 cases this month. However, Spanish foreign minister Arancha González Laya has insisted that Spain is still "a safe country".
Italy is experiencing a surge of 'nuovi poveri' [the new poor]; people who managed - barely - to make ends meet before the pandemic, and now find themselves in a very difficult situation.
The new EU4Health programme was the EU's flagship scheme for research and innovation but was brutally cut by leaders during this week's summit - from €9.4bn proposed just two months ago, to €1.67bn.
After gruelling five-day talks, EU leaders agreed on €390bn in grants and €360bn in low-interest loans to hardest-hit member states - after much opposition from the Dutch-led 'frugal' bloc of countries.
EU health policy has three faces: explicit health policy, internal market policy, and fiscal governance. Covid-19 looks like it is transforming all three for the better.
EU leaders will face difficult and fundamental issues on Friday-Saturday (17-18 July), when they attempt to agree on the planned seven-year €1.07 trillion budget and €750bn recovery package.
European culture is in the midst of a crisis. How decision-makers choose to respond now will set the scene for the next decade of cultural and creative life in our union.
The EU Commission unveiled on Wednesday a set of guidelines to strengthen the bloc's response to a potential future surge of coronavirus infections - and warned a simultaneous seasonal-flu plus Covid-19 outbreak would place a considerable strain on health systems.
