⊂ EUROPE ⊃
Putin orders troops to Ukraine: In the latest flare-up of the crisis in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognised the independence of two breakaway regions in Ukraine’s east as independent and ordered military forces to deploy there. The rebel-controlled territories, Luhansk and Donetsk, comprise a larger region called Donbas that borders Russia. The two territories have been led by pro-Russia separatists for nearly a decade. On Tuesday, Russian parliamentarians approved the use of Russian forces abroad. Putin said that the Minsk deal – which outlined a plan of how to end the conflict between Ukrainian and Russian-backed separatist forces in the Donbas – was killed off long ago. The deal, he said, no longer exists. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there was a continued Russian military build-up and preparation for a larger scale attack on Ukraine.
npr.org, bbc.com, dw.com, reuters.com
EU sanctions Russia, Britain sanctions Russian oligarch and five banks: The EU agreed on Tuesday to impose a first round of economic sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis, joining the United States and Britain in a coordinated sweep of penalties that included painful limits on banking and the mothballing of an $11 billion Russian-owned gas pipeline. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that sanctions had been agreed upon unanimously at a meeting among EU foreign ministers in Paris. “This package of sanctions that has been approved by unanimity will hurt Russia and it will hurt a lot,” Borrell said at a news conference. The EU has said the bigger sanctions list will follow an “invasion” or “incursion” into Ukraine, but has stopped short of defining that trigger. Britain imposed sanctions on Gennady Timchenko and two other billionaires with close links to Russian President Putin. Canada, Australia and Japan also announced sanctions against Russia.
nytimes.com, reuters.com, reuters.com, reuters.com
Germany shelves Nord Stream 2 pipeline: Germany on Tuesday halted the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline designed to bring natural gas from Russia directly to Europe. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he had asked the German economy ministry to withdraw a binding opinion from October last year that stated the pipeline posed no security-of-supply threats. He added that his country would not accept the recognition of the two self-proclaimed, pro-Russian separatist regions in the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine, and that Germany had to reassess the situation regarding Nord Stream 2. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed the decision. Former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia’s security council, reacted to Germany’s decision by pointing out the EU’s dependency: “Welcome to the brave new world where Europeans are very soon going to pay €2.000 for 1.000 cubic meters of natural gas!”
cnbc.com, politico.eu
Biden announces new sanctions against Russia: US President Joe Biden also announced new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, warning that President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine this week amounted to „the beginning of a Russian invasion.“ The sanctions target large Russian financial institutions and Moscow’s sovereign debt, cutting the country off from Western financing. They also focus on five Russian elites with close ties to the Kremlin, but do not go after Putin directly.
nbcnews.com
Cyberattacks: German authorities warn companies of Russian hacker attacks. spiegel.de
Soccer: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says it’s „inconceivable“ that Russia hosts Champions League final. reuters.com
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EU recovery certificate can now be issued based on positive rapid antigen test: The EU Commission has adopted new rules on the issuance of recovery certificates, making the process easier and more convenient. According to a press release issued by the Commission, EU member states will be able to issue recovery certificates based on a positive rapid antigen test result. This means that travellers, especially those who have been infected with the COVID-19 disease during the Omicron wave, will be able to travel more freely and easily.
schengenvisainfo.com
- Italy eases Covid entry rules for citizens from non-EU countries handelsblatt.com
- Scotland: All legal restrictions to end on 21 March bbc.com
- Queen cancels virtual engagements after positive Covid test nbcnews.com
EU Commission plans its own supply chain law: Global firms from mining to fashion risk massive compensation payouts in a proposed EU crackdown on human-rights abuses and environmental breaches set to be unveiled this week. The ethical supply-chain rules, which target some 4,000 international businesses and 13,000 inside the 27-nation bloc, would allow victims to sue for compensation if companies or their suppliers don’t halt violations, according to draft EU documents seen by Bloomberg News. The move to instigate sweeping EU-wide legislation follows a similar German effort agreed on last year by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to rein in firms and suppliers around the world that breach human rights.
bloomberg.com
EU ministers gather in Vienna to boost asylum seeker returns: The interior ministers of 23 EU countries gathered in Vienna on Monday to discuss how to find a common European position to deal with asylum seekers and support Balkan countries in dealing with migrants. It is time for “swift reform of the EU Return Directive,” said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser alongside her Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner. The ministers discussed the fight against people smugglers, the protection of the EU border and support for Balkan countries in the repatriation process of failed asylum seekers.
euractiv.com
Greece: UN calls for end to ‚deplorable‘ migrant pushbacks. dw.com
EU country may refuse refugees with protection in another state: An EU country may refuse protection to a refugee who already enjoys protection in another member state. This was decided by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg. However, the court said family relations must also be taken into account if the refugee is the parent of a minor. The case concerned a Syrian living in Austria. His daughters, however, were granted subsidiary protection in Belgium.
zeit.de
- EU court: Italy may in principle inspect ships of German aid organisation Sea Watch for defects when they are in Italian ports dw.com
- EU and Poland prepare for Ukrainian refugeesde.euronews.com
- Less attacks on refugees in Germany n-tv.de
EU top court finds fault with Romanian judicial system: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg has made it clear that the powers of the Romanian constitutional court violate, among other things, the primacy of EU law over national law. Specifically, the issue is that Romanian courts are prohibited in certain cases from asking the ECJ to examine whether national laws are in line with EU law – so-called preliminary ruling procedures. This is the case if the constitutional court has previously declared the law in question to be constitutional. The ECJ now made it clear that this rule violates EU law.
rnd.de
EU court dismisses Hungary-Poland rule-of-law challenge: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that Brussels can cut funding to countries that violate rule-of-law standards. „The court dismisses the actions brought by Hungary and Poland in their entirety,“ the ECJ said last week. The judges said that „compliance by the member states with the common values on which the European Union is founded… such as the rule of law and solidarity, justifies the mutual trust between those states.“ Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga dismissed the ruling as a „political judgment“ and proof that the EU was abusing its power.
dw.com
Companies criticise EU push for satellite internet: A dense network of low-orbit satellites is to supply all of Europe with fast internet and also be suitable for military communications. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton presented the plans without waiting for proposals from commissioned consortia of companies. The suspicion: established companies are being favoured. handelsblatt.com
Eurovision: Ukraine’s act quits after claims she illegally travelled to Russia-controlled Crimea news.sky.com
High inflation: European Central Bank may need to cut short bond buys: Reinesch reuters.com
Mali: EU considers suspending its two military missions in Mali, according to EU foreign policy chief Borrell deutschlandfunk.de
EU Africa summit: Relationship reboot: EU-AU summit ends on positive note despite vaccine difference euronews.com
⊂ QUOTE OF THE DAY ⊃
„The principles of the UN Charter are not an a la carte menu.“
UN chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged Russia to fully comply with the global body’s charter, condemning Moscow’s recognition of the „independence“ of two breakaway Ukrainian regions.
france24.com
⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃
Amsterdam police end hostage situation at Apple store: Dutch police said on Tuesday evening they had ended a hostage situation in an Apple flagship store in Amsterdam, where a man with a gun held at least one person hostage for hours. Images on social media showed a man in a camouflage outfit brandishing what looked like a gun and holding another man hostage inside the Apple store. Police said the hostage taker was arrested after he ran out of the building. Images circulating on social media showed two people running out of the Apple store and one of them being hit by an unmarked car, flying over the hood from the impact. The images could not be immediately verified by Reuters. There were no reports of any other injuries.
reuters.com
Data leak exposes how Swiss bank served strongmen and spies: The client rosters of Swiss banks are among the world’s most closely guarded secrets, protecting the identities of some of the planet’s richest people and clues into how they accumulated their fortunes. Now, an extraordinary leak of data from Credit Suisse, one of the world’s most iconic banks, is exposing how the bank held hundreds of millions of dollars for heads of state, intelligence officials, sanctioned businessmen and human rights abusers, among many others. A self-described whistle-blower leaked data on more than 18,000 bank accounts, collectively holding more than $100 billion, to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The newspaper shared the data with a nonprofit journalism group, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and 46 other news organizations around the world, including The New York Times.
nytimes.com
Swiss approve extradition of German CumEx lawyer: One of the key figures in the CumEx trading scheme which cost German taxpayers billions of euros will be handed over to the German justice system. The Swiss Federal Office of Justice has approved the extradition of tax lawyer Hanno Berger. The 71-year-old had absconded to Switzerland ten years. The Alpine country is known for not extraditing tax evaders to their home countries in many cases.
spiegel.de
German officials condemn climate protests at roads, port:‘ German officials condemned protests Monday by climate activists who blocked roads including near the country’s biggest port. Members of the group Uprising of the Last Generation glued themselves to roads in Stuttgart, Freiburg and near the port of Hamburg to demand an end to food waste. The group argues that throwing away vast amounts of usable food contributes to hunger and climate change. Bavaria’s top state security official said such blockades weren’t covered by freedom of assembly.
abcnews.go.com
Germany submits delayed CAP plan without major changes: Germany has finally submitted its national strategic plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, almost two months after the deadline set by the EU Commission – but without any major overhaul after the recent government change. The strategic plans are where EU countries set out how they plan to implement the reformed CAP and translate the nine EU-wide objectives into national policy action.
euractiv.com
Party donations in Austria to be more transparent: The Austrian government wants to strengthen the position of the Court of Audit in controlling party donations. In the future, every donation of more than 150 euros must be reported to the Court of Audit with the name of the donor. In the case of party donations above 500 euros the names of the donors would also have to be published. If the upper limit for election expenses of 7.2 million euros is exceeded, there will be severe penalties.
spiegel.de
German far-right ‚NSU 2.0 trial‘ starts in Frankfurt: Alleged far-right extremist Alexander M. has gone on trial in Frankfurt accused of sending dozens of threatening emails and messages to public figures under the name „NSU 2.0,“ apparently in an attempt to assume the legacy of the neo-Nazi terrorist organization known as the National Socialist Underground (NSU). The original NSU carried out several nail-bomb attacks and murdered at least 10 people between 2000 and 2007 before being uncovered in 2011. In Frankfurt last Wednesday, Alexander M. held up his handcuffed hands, both middle fingers raised to the cameras and the courtroom, as he waited for his trial to begin. The defendant then sat still for the next three hours while the prosecution read out every one of the threatening emails and messages he had allegedly sent between August 2018 and March 2021.
dw.com
Portugal: New government delayed by 157,000 invalid votes from abroad euronews.com
Abuse allegations: Spanish bishops commission external audit on allegations; Archdiocese of Vienna imposes ban on German priest faz.net; spiegel.de
Germany: Environment Minister Lemke sees good basis for environmental cooperation with Poland handelsblatt.com
France: Accidental killing of hiker fuels bitter debate over hunting theguardian.com
Spain: Families of 12 people missing since fishing trawler sank off Newfoundland call for search for their loved ones to resume de.euronews.com
Italy: Constitutional Court vetoes referendum to liberalise cannabis reuters.com
⊂ POLITJOBS ⊃
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⊂ LAST BUT NOT LEAST ⊃
Trump praises Putin’s Ukraine strategy: “I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful,” former US president Donald Trump told a conservative podcaster in an interview published Tuesday. „I said, ‚How smart is that?‘ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. … We could use that on our southern border,“ the former US president said, describing Putin as “a guy who’s very savvy” and whom he knows “very, very well.”
nbcnews.com