European Union

"In the context of the exponential growth of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the President of the European Parliament has announced a number of measures to contain the spread of epidemic and to safeguard Parliament's core activities.

On 2 April, the Conference of Presidents updated the EP's calendar of activities to introduce an extraordinary plenary session on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 April in Brussels, and additional dates for remote meetings for EP governing bodies, committees and political groups.

The current precautionary measures adopted by the European Parliament to contain the spread of COVID-19 do not affect work on legislative priorities. Core activities are reduced, but maintained to ensure that the institution's legislative, budgetary, scrutiny functions are maintained.

The next ordinary AFET Committee meetings will take place on 16 and 26 October (via videoconference).

New Calendar 2020
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The first EU-wide survey of the current challenges the pandemic has posed for local and regional governments across the bloc shows risks of a widening divide between the EU's regions and calls for closer involvement of local authorities in drawing up recovery plans.

Parliament’s new committee on tax matters will become “the European hub for debate on tax issues”, promises Dutch S&D member Paul Tang, the committee’s newly elected chair.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Due to the sharp rise in coronavirus infection rates, many European countries have reimposed tough restrictions: from closing bars and cultural institutions to making masks compulsory outdoors. Commentators ask who bears the responsibility for implementing successful measures and what mistakes need to be avoided.

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.