European Union

An independent commission has examined the crisis management in the Austrian ski resort of Ischgl after a coronavirus outbreak in March that apparently led to thousands of infections across Europe. The report concludes that the authorities were too slow to suspend the cable car service and that the quarantine announcement triggered panic. Commentators point to other major mistakes.

EU foreign ministers have agreed in principle on sanctions against Russia for the poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Now the concrete preparations are beginning, i.e. the compilation of names and individual measures. An agreement was also reached on sanctions against Lukashenka. Reactions to the news vary.

Alexander Lukashenka visited detained representatives of the opposition in jail for discussions on Sunday. According to media reports, he tried to persuade them of the merits of his constitutional reform. Two of the participants were released the next day, but a demonstration taking place at the same time was brutally quashed. Was the meeting the start of a dialogue or a publicity stunt?

The conflicting parties in Nagorno-Karabakh have agreed on a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks. This was announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday after a meeting with his counterparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan. But despite the agreement attacks continued over the weekend. Commentators analyse the situation and examine the options for de-escalation.

Travel warnings, quarantine rules, accommodation bans, lost bookings and last-minute cancellations: the tourism sector has been severely hit by the coronavirus crisis and there is no sign of a reversal in the trend. Observers describe fatal consequences for those who earn their living through tourism - and for the environment.

In the midst of the current crisis, I strongly believe we all need to work on a more inclusive, stronger and competitive Union. This requires to successfully turn it into a more digitalised and greener society, whose foundations rest on state-of-the-art secured telecom networks.

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While some of the effects of Brexit are still difficult to assess, the Erasmus+ university exchange programme has already suffered the consequences. EURACTIV France reports.

EU countries adopted on Tuesday common risk standards for restrictions on free movement in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, aiming to increase "transparency and predictability" for citizens and businesses. "It is our common duty to ensure coordination on any measures which affect free movement and to give our citizens all the information they need when deciding on their travel," said Michael Roth, Germany's minister for European affairs.