⊂ EUROPE ⊃
ECB cuts pandemic bond buying, leaves interest rate untouched: The European Central Bank (ECB) will end net asset purchases under its pandemic crisis programme by the end of March and boost monthly purchases under its older programme to smooth the policy wind-down, it announced Thursday. The bank left its interest rate untouched, and Christine Lagarde, the bank’s president, said that it was “very unlikely” it would move higher in the coming year despite rising inflation, which the bank sees as largely driven by high energy prices.
politico.eu, nytimes.com
EU is planning a 9-month expiration date on Covid certificates: The EU is considering a nine-month expiration date on its COVID-19 vaccine certificates, which allow tourists certain freedoms to travel while the coronavirus pandemic still rages. The idea is that the document has a life span of nine months after the first set of vaccines are administered, and as immunity wanes the vaccine passport will expire. Meanwhile, France is to heavily tighten entry conditions for people travelling both to and from the UK in order to limit the spread of the Omicron variant, the government said on Thursday.
cnbc.com, euronews.com
Market approval: WHO and EMA could approve Novavax Covid vaccine next week; EU medicines regulator approves new Covid treatments. ft.com; dw.com
EU leaders warn Russia: EU leaders warned Russia of „massive consequences“ if it invades Ukraine, the 27 said in a statement following a summit in Brussels on Thursday. „The European Council reiterates its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any further military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe cost in response,“ the statement read.
euronews.com
- At the EU summit, several politicians expressed scepticism with regard to additional obligations such as PCR testing before entry even for vaccinated persons rnd.de
- EU Parliament President David Sassoli called for an end to strict rules on public debt faz.net
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Ukraine crisis:
- Russian court says country’s soldiers stationed in Ukraine dw.com
- NATO signals support for Ukraine in face of threat from Russia nytimes.com
- EU Parliament says sanctions against Russia should include a suspension from the SWIFT payment system europarl.europa.eu
- OSCE observers unwelcome in eastern Ukraine faz.net
Big Tech: Moscow court orders Twitter, Meta, TikTok to pay more fines for failing to delete content rferl.org
MEPs rebuke Slovenian government over attacks on media: The European Parliament has rebuked Slovenia’s government for “attacks, smear campaigns and slander” against journalists and critics. EU lawmakers backed a resolution condemning the Slovenian government for a “climate of hostility, distrust and deep polarisation” and seeking to weaken independent prosecutors and interfere with state-funded media.
theguardian.com
Gig economy: EU wants social security for delivery drivers de.euronews.com
Agriculture: Commission’s carbon farming ambition just buries the problem, stakeholders warn euractiv.com
Cancer-causing chemicals: EU to improve protection of workers from dangerous chemical substances consilium.europa.eu
EU Parliament: MEPs condemn “the electoral farce” in Nicaragua europarl.europa.eu
⊂ QUOTE OF THE DAY ⊃
„We are committed to delivering a stronger, fairer, more sustainable, more digital and more resilient Europe for our citizens. The European Union should stand proudly for its core values and leave no one behind.“
David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament.
consilium.europa.eu
⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃
Slovakia’s former prime minister Fico arrested: Slovak police on Thursday arrested former Primer Minister Robert Fico in front of live television cameras when he tried to give a statement to the media to start a protest despite restrictions on crowd sizes. Even medium-sized public gatherings are currently banned in the country, which has one of the highest coronavirus infection rates in the world after a record surge in November.
dw.com
EU agrees with Moderna to rush vaccine supplies to Germany: The EU Commission said on Thursday it has reached an agreement with Moderna to rush deliveries of the company’s Covid vaccine to Germany and other EU member states. The news comes after Germany’s health ministry on Wednesday warned that vaccine deliveries into Europe’s largest economy would drop sharply in the first quarter of next year, but it denied a report that the shortfall would reach 60 million doses.
reuters.com
Governing party gets German parliament’s seat order changed: The seats in Germany’s parliament will have to be rearranged after lawmakers backed the wish of one party in the new coalition government not to sit next to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). The Free Democrats said earlier this year that they didn’t want to sit next to AfD’s lawmakers anymore. The parliament on Thursday backed a motion under which the Free Democrats will swap places with the centre-right Union bloc of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, which is now in opposition. The Union had opposed the change, arguing that the Free Democrats should respect the seven-decade-old seating order in the lower house.
abcnews.go.com
Hopes rise for end to volcano eruption: Authorities on Spain’s La Palma island allowed evacuated residents to return to clear their ash-covered houses on Thursday as scientists suggested solidifying lava vents beneath the Cumbre Vieja volcano could herald an end to the three-month eruption. The eruption cannot be truly declared over until Christmas Day, said the team of experts monitoring the event, the Volcano Risk Prevention Plan (Pevolca). But optimism is spreading among people who have now endured the longest volcanic eruption on record in 375 years in La Palma.
reuters.com, english.elpais.com
US begins returning $10m of antiquities stolen from Italy: The United States is returning 200 antiquities that were stolen and smuggled out of Italy. The variety of Roman, Etruscan and Greek artefacts, valued at $10m, had been looted since at least the early 1980s before being smuggled out and sold to private collectors, museums or auction houses. Half were found at New York’s Fordham Museum of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Art as part of an investigation led by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance.
theguardian.com
Germany: Merkel government greenlit controversial arms deal with Egypt dw.com
Austria 1: Irregularities discovered during internal investigation at finance ministry n-tv.de
Austria 2: Assisted suicide permitted from 2022 onwards faz.net
Facial recognition: Clearview AI breaks EU data privacy rules, says French watchdog euronews.com
France moves against Amazon’s cheap book deliveries politico.eu
Serbia: Rio Tinto plans for lithium mine suspended after protests theguardian.com
⊂ POLITJOBS ⊃
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⊂ LAST BUT NOT LEAST ⊃
Dutch royals regret holding party amid surge in Covid cases: The Dutch royal family has expressed regret over last week’s birthday party for the heir-apparent to the country’s throne amid surging Covid cases. The family said 21 guests – all vaccinated and tested – attended Princess Amalia’s 18th birthday party in the palace gardens last Saturday. But King Willem-Alexander later admitted to Prime Minister Mark Rutte that the party was not appropriate.
bbc.com