European Union

Italians were hit hardest when the coronavirus landed in Europe but the European Union was slow to help the country. The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has apologised — twice.

Construction firms continued to suffer from a near-standstill in Belgium, were working as normal in the Netherlands, and just returned to work in Luxembourg, Besix, a Belgian company, told Reuters Tuesday, highlighting disparities in EU anti-pandemic restrictions. "There [in the Netherlands] we never had to close or slow down ... which is partially strange because it's the same business and only a few kilometres away," a Besix spokeswoman said.

European fatalities from seasonal influenza fell by half this winter, in what might have been a side-effect of anti-coronavirus lockdowns, early data from 11 EU states seen by Reuters indicated. "The flu season ended earlier than usual this year and this is probably due to the measures taken regarding [coronavirus]," Holger Rabenau, a virologist at Frankfurt University Hospital, said. Seasonal influenza killed 152,000 people in Europe in the 2017-2018 winter.

NGO BirdLife International urged the United Nations (UN) secretary-general António Guterres to declare "a healthy natural environment a fundamental human right" in an open letter on Wednesday - on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The letter asks for this article to be included on the agenda of the UN summit on biodiversity in September 2020, with the ultimate goal of its approval in December 2023.

The European Environmental Bureau revealed on Tuesday that air pollution is returning to China after it eased lockdown restrictions, and warned the EU about a similar outcome. "Our governments and the European Commission must prevent harmful air pollution from returning and develop exit strategies which avoid taking us back to a dirty future," said EEB policy officer Margherita Tolotto. The EU committed to cut air pollution under the Green Deal.

The EU should get "new tax-raising powers" and "clamp down on tax havens", as it looks to curb economic damage wrought by coronavirus, Polish finance minister Tadeusz Kościński told the FT Tuesday ahead of an EU summit on pandemic bailouts Thursday. The EU should be "looking at tax havens, a digital tax, also a financial transactions tax, a carbon border tax: taxes that will hit other [non-EU] economies", he said.

Coca-Cola, its biggest bottling partners in Europe and 20 other businesses come together to support EU’s Water Framework Directive. Industry, NGOs and EU citizens urge that the Directive is kept intact in order to maintain stability and protect Europe’s freshwater resources.

Days after Eurogroup proposals for mitigating the economic crisis due to COVID-19 and ahead of the European Council, MEPs met with Eurogroup President Mario Centeno.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Days after Eurogroup proposals for mitigating the economic crisis due to COVID-19 and ahead of the European Council, MEPs met with Eurogroup President Mario Centeno.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The recent COVID-19 outbreak has demonstrated that we must not let down our guard on  routine immunisations, Dr Hans Kluge, World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for Europe, stressed in a speech marking European Immunisation Week 2020.

In a debate with Frans Timmermans, the Environment Committee says the EU must remain firm on climate change and the timetable foreseen for the Climate Law.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

In a debate with Frans Timmermans, the Environment Committee says the EU must remain firm on climate change and the timetable foreseen for the Climate Law.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Let’s see things for what they really are. The European Union can do very little to improve the media environment in its member states, which in some of them can be described as poisonous.

As with all publicly-funded economic stimulus measures, conditions must be applied to the upcoming EU recovery plan, argues Peter Vis. He outlines a few ideas when it comes to the car and airline industries as well as the upcoming building renovation wave.

Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee urges the Commission to come up with a European action plan to help the tourism sector to overcome the crisis.
Committee on Transport and Tourism

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee urges the Commission to come up with a European action plan to help the tourism sector to overcome the crisis.
Committee on Transport and Tourism

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

With all events and activities cancelled from March to May (at least), and the planet literally holding its breath following the spread of the virus, what is the role of communication in an organisation that is not standing in the...

Additional EU action is needed to make sure EU help reaches the ravaged media and culture sectors, say EP Culture committee members.
Committee on Culture and Education

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Additional EU action is needed to make sure EU help reaches the ravaged media and culture sectors, say EP Culture committee members.
Committee on Culture and Education

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP