European Union

The Croatian government is struggling to mitigate the damage caused by a 5.5 Richter-scale earthquake on Sunday (22 March) and simultaneously, protect citizens from the coronavirus outbreak. EURACTIV Croatia reports.

Spain paid tribute on Monday (23 March) to front-line staff battling a worsening coronavirus outbreak that has infected nearly 4,000 health workers, who make up more than a tenth of known cases in the country.

The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy was of 602 on Monday (23 March), the smallest increase for four days, while the number of new cases also slowed, raising hope that the most aggressive phase of the epidemic may be passing.

One year ago, on 15 March, 2019, a terrorist entered a Christchurch mosque, murdering more than fifty people. Beyond the atrocity of such a hate crime, it hit the whole world for two reasons. First, it happened in New Zealand, which had been considered a peaceful corner of the world. Second, the massacre was broadcast by the terrorist through Facebook live.

Elite hackers tried to break into the World Health Organization earlier this month, sources told Reuters, part of what a senior agency official said was a more than two-fold increase in cyberattacks.

EU member states took the unprecedented decision to suspend the Stability and Growth Pact obligations on Monday (23 March), in order to allow billions of euros in extra spending to mitigate the "severe economic downturn" caused by the coronavirus.

A 41-year-old external contractor working at the European Parliament died on Sunday (22 March) from respiratory complications after he contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the institution confirmed yesterday (23 March).

Since reporting its first case of coronavirus on 26 February, Georgia has had only 61 confirmed cases of the virus as of 23 March. With 3,320 people placed in mandatory quarantines, the Caucasian country is being lauded as a success story in the global fight against the pandemic.

EU states' ambassadors have provisionally agreed to open accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia, ending months of uncertainty after France vetoed it last year. Ambassadors took the step Monday, with EU affairs ministers to discuss it Tuesday, prior to adopting the move by so-called written procedure. North Macedonia was due to hold snap elections over its EU bid in 12 April, but these were postponed due tot he virus.

The UK closed shops selling "non-essential goods", playgrounds, libraries, and churches on Monday as prime minister Boris Johnson spoke of a "national emergency" due to coronavirus. Police will also enforce new rules on staying home, except for daily exercise, medical care, and essential work and shopping. France limited home-excursions to once a day, in a 1km radius, and one hour duration. The measures could last several weeks, it said.

There is a place in Italy where the coronavirus has already been defeated. Its name is Vo', a small settlement of 3,000 inhabitants in the countryside of the Veneto region, about 70km from Venice.

This week Spain hopes it may see the longed-for 'peak' of the epidemic - if measures taken so far prove to be effective in the fight against the coronavirus. Yet the government is set to extend lockdown until 11 April.

Doing EU foreign policy by videoconference works, but legal and security constraints vexed the process, Lithuania's foreign minister has said.

Italy is not the only European country turning to China for help in fighting the crisis, and the Chinese authorities consistently use European requests for self-aggrandisement. Europe should be wary of being used to advance an authoritarian state's propaganda.

The EU commission wants countries to allow goods to flow undisturbed in the bloc, warning that further congestion at borders can lead to shortages.

Ceasefire violations in east Ukraine rose above the daily average for 2019 in recent days despite the coronavirus pandemic and a UN appeal for peace, international monitors from the OSCE said in their last report. There were more than 580 explosions along the contact line, the OSCE said, leaving several people injured, Ukraine added. Russia had detected 438 coronavirus cases by Monday, the WHO noted, while Ukraine reported 73.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that the coronavirus pandemic is "accelerating" as there are over 300,000 cases registered worldwide, Reuters reported. WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urged G20 countries to boost production of medical supplies and protective equipment. Meanwhile, the head of WHO's emergencies program, Mike Ryan, warned that Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games would not proceed if it poses a risk to athletes and spectators.

EU finance ministers on Monday backed suspending EU limits on government borrowing to give member states space to fight the devastating economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. EU rules require that governments cut budget deficits and not exceed three percent of the GDP and that they reduce public debt until it is below 60 percent of GDP. The EU is expected to enter deep recession this year.

Trade in counterfeit pharmaceutical products worldwide is worth just over €4bn, according to a study conducted by the OECD and the European Union Intellectual Property Office. It says India and China are largest producers of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, which are primarily shipped through the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Hong Kong. Most end up in Europe and the United States.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has appealed for a global ceasefire, in order to be able to fight the "common enemy: Covid-19." In a statement Guterres said "the virus does not care about nationality or ethnicity, faction or faith. It attacks all relentlessly. Meanwhile, armed conflict rages on around the world," adding "it's time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives".