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Die SCL Tigers müssen untendurch, punkten aber mit Esprit und Prinzipientreue. Im Emmental wird gespart, andernorts nur davon geredet.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (32) darf nicht nach Kamerun zur Nationalmannschaft – aus einem kuriosen Grund.

En cavale depuis un moment, un individu a été arrêté en fin de semaine écoulée à Togbin, dans la commune d'Abomey-Calavi.

Poursuivi pour vol à mains armées et association de malfaiteurs, il est tombé dans la nasse des éléments du commissariat de Godomey. Le présumé voleur sera présenté très bientôt au procureur de la République.
La perquisition effectuée à son domicile a permis de retrouver deux motos et plusieurs autres objets qui lui servaient pour ses opérations.
Ses acolytes selon nos sources, séjournent en prison depuis plusieurs mois.

F. A. A.

103.000 doses ont été acquises par le Bénin et 100.000 offertes en don par la Chine sur le total des 203.000 vaccins anti-Covid Coronavac du Fabricant SINOVAC qui ont été livrés au Bénin, dimanche 21 mars 2021, à l'aéroport international Cardinal Bernardin Gantin de Cotonou.

L'Ambassadeur de la Chine près le Bénin Jing Tao Peng et le ministre de la santé de la santé Benjamin Hounkpatin ont procédé à la réception de 203.000 doses du vaccin anti-Covid Coronavac du Fabricant SINOVAC. A en croire le diplomate chinois, ce lot de vaccins pourra aider le Bénin à combattre efficacement le virus de la Covid-19.
Pour le ministre de la santé, les vaccins livrés sont fiables et sûrs. Benjamin Hounkpatin a saisi l'occasion pour inviter les professionnels de santé et les personnes âgées à se faire vacciner.
M. M.

Diese Woche befassen sich die Abgeordneten in Plenar- und Ausschusssitzungen mit den Corona-Impfstoffen, dem Eigenmittelsystem der EU und nachhaltigem Tourismus.

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2021 - EP

Le ministre du Commerce Kamel Rezig s’est exprimé ce mardi 23 mars, sur les hausses des prix qu’ont connus les produits alimentaires de large consommation, ainsi que la polémique qui s’en est suivi. Intervenant sur les ondes de la chaine une de la Radio nationale, le ministre a d’emblée écarté toute hausse des prix des […]

L’article Hausse des prix alimentaires : Les précisions de Kamel Rezig est apparu en premier sur .

Die Sommerzeit beginnt am nächsten Sonntag. Um 2 Uhr werden in der Schweiz wie in den meisten europäischen Ländern die Uhren auf 3 Uhr vorgestellt. Die Sommerzeit endet am letzten Sonntag im Oktober.

La Vaudoise née Éthiopienne dirige les Ressources du Département fédéral des affaires étrangères.

Heute u.a. mit dabei: Das europäische Rätseln um Astrazeneca, Debatte um weitere Anti-COVID-Maßnahmen in diversen Ländern, und ein Einbruch der britischen Exporte im ersten Post-Brexit-Monat.

ENTWURF EINER EMPFEHLUNG zu dem Vorschlag für einen Beschluss des Rates über den Abschluss – im Namen der Europäischen Union und ihrer Mitgliedstaaten – eines Protokolls zum Abkommen zur Gründung einer Assoziation zwischen der Europäischen Union und ihren Mitgliedstaaten einerseits und Zentralamerika andererseits anlässlich des Beitritts der Republik Kroatien zur Europäischen Union
Ausschuss für auswärtige Angelegenheiten
Karol Karski

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2021 - EP

L’UE doit « développer une économie durable de l’hydrogène qui vise à rendre l’hydrogène propre compétitif dès que possible », indique le projet de résolution, adopté par 46 voix pour, 25 contre et 5 abstentions.

Tous les matins, Les Capitales décrypte pour vous l'info à travers l'Europe

Seit Ende des Vorjahres die ersten Corona-Impfstoffe zugelassen wurden, impfen die Länder weltweit in verschiedenem Tempo.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about Hungary approving the COVID-19 jab from China's CanSino Biologics, France's labour minister being hospitalised after testing positive for the coronavirus, and so much more.

French police have issued an arrest warrant for a driver at the Russian consulate in Strasbourg suspected of selling dozens of stolen bikes while on the job, sources close to the inquiry said Monday (22 March).

A 2016 március 22-én elkövetett brüsszeli terrortámadás 19 áldozata keresetet nyújtott be a belga állam ellen arra hivatkozva, hogy Belgium nem adott nekik kellő segítséget történtek után – írta hétfőn a BrusselsTimes helyi napilap.

“Azzal vádoljuk az államot, hogy nem adott megfelelő iránymutatást, jogi támogatást” – nyilatkozta Nic Reynaert az áldozatokat képviselő ügyvéd, aki maga is jelen volt a támadások elkövetésekor. Reynaert keresetét öt évvel a merénylet után kezdi tárgyalni a belga elsőfokú bíróság, április közepén illetve május elején a többi áldozat ügyét vizsgálják ki.

Reynard elmondta, hogy a metrókocsiban éppen a merénylet elkövetője mellett ült, amikor a pokolgép felrobbant. Hozzáfűzte, hogy a történtek emléke még mindig kísértik, fizikai és lelki megpróbáltatásokon megy keresztül.

“Meg vagyok győződve arról, hogy megnyerem a pert. A többi áldozatnak segítséget nyújtok, mert ha a közeljövőben ismét terrortámadások történnek, akkor az emberek újra ebben a helyzetben találják magukat, és ezt szeretném elkerülni” – tette hozzá.

2016. március 22-én Brüsszelben, először a Zaventem nemzetközi repülőtéren, majd fél órával később az európai uniós negyed közelében lévő Maelbeek metróállomáson hajtott végre öngyilkos merényletet egy dzsihadista csoport. A támadásokban 32-en meghaltak – köztük a három elkövető -, 340-en megsebesültek, köztük két magyar. Ugyanez a hálózat csapott le egy évvel korábban Párizsban, a Bataclan koncertteremben, amely következtében 130 ember vesztette életét. Az akciók elkövetőjeként az Iszlám Állam nevű terrorszervezet jelentkezett.

A terrortámadásokról hétfőn Fülöp belga király, Matilda királyné és a belga miniszterelnök Alexander de Croo részvételével tartottak megemlékezést. A királyi pár és a kormányfő a megemlékezés keretében találkozott az áldozatokkal és azok hozzátartozóival. A merényletek színhelyén koszorúkat helyeztek el, az áldozatok emléktáblája előtt, egy perces néha csenddel rótták le tiszteletüket.

A belga igazságügyi kamara január elején tíz személyt utalt esküdtbíróság elé a brüsszeli terrortámadásokkal kapcsolatban, köztük a 2015-ös párizsi merénylet egyetlen életben maradt elkövetőjét Szalah Abdeszlámot is. Abdeszlámot 2016 március 18-án vették őrizetbe Belgiumban, feltételezhetően letartóztatása ösztönözte a brüsszeli terrorista sejt tagjait, hogy pár nappal később véghezvigyék a merényletet. Abdeszlám és bűntársai perét szeptember elején tárgyalják.

The post A brüsszeli terrortámadás áldozatai keresetet nyújtottak be a belga állam ellen appeared first on .

Im Berufungsprozess der UBS wegen Steuerbetrugs in Frankreich hat die französische Staatsanwaltschaft die Bestätigung der erstinstanzlichen Urteile beantragt. Deutlich tiefer als beim erstinstanzlichem Urteil sollen dagegen die Geldstrafen ausfallen.

Israelis began voting on Tuesday (23 March) on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political survival in a fourth election in two years, with the veteran leader hoping his role in a rapid COVID-19 vaccine campaign will win him another term.

Written by Ralf Drachenberg,

© Adobe Stock

One year after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the fight against the virus will again top the agenda of the European Council meeting on 25-26 March 2021. EU leaders are expected to focus their discussions on ‘digital green certificates’ (providing proof of vaccination and/or Covid-19 test results) and progress on production, delivery and deployment of vaccines. They will work further on developing a common EU approach to the gradual lifting of restrictions and refer to global solidarity. Other agenda points are digitalisation, including digital taxation, the single market and industrial policy. In respect of external relations, EU leaders will review the situation in the eastern Mediterranean and hold a strategic discussion on Russia. The subsequent Euro Summit will discuss the international role of the euro.

1. Implementation: Follow-up on previous European Council commitments

The Leaders’ Agenda for 2020-21 envisaged a physical European Council meeting in March 2021. However, due to the still serious health situation, this has been replaced by video-conference sessions. As is customary, at the start of the European Council meeting, the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, will address the Heads of State or Government. António Costa, the Prime Minister of Portugal, which currently holds the rotating six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, will provide an overview of progress made in implementing previous European Council conclusions. The Leaders’ Agenda 2020-21 published in October 2020 placed economic issues as well as Russia on the agenda. The eastern Mediterranean was added to the agenda due to the commitment made at the European Council meeting of 10-11 December 2020.

2. European Council agenda points Policy area Previous commitment Occasion on which commitment was made Coronavirus The European Council will return to this issue regularly. 1-2 October 2020 Single market, industrial policy and digital The European Council will return to the topics of the single market, industrial policy and digital at its meeting in March 2021. In this context, it will also assess the situation regarding the work on the important issue of digital taxation. 1-2 October 2020 External relations Submit a report on the situation in the eastern Mediterranean and EU-Turkey political and economic relations for consideration. 10-11 December 2020 EU coordination efforts in response to the coronavirus pandemic Progress on production, delivery and deployment of vaccines

EU Heads of State or Government will address developments regarding vaccine delivery and vaccination across the EU. Current figures show 69.5 million doses delivered and 51 million doses administrated in the EU (state of play 16/03). EU leaders will address the extension of the export authorisation scheme, most likely welcoming it.

EU leaders are also expected to discuss the temporary suspension of administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine in 20 EU Member States, due to concerns over the safety of the jab, despite the World Health Organization (WHO) having urged countries to continue administrating the AstraZeneca vaccine. On 18 March, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded that the ‘benefits still outweigh the risks’.

Moreover, the criticism from some Member States, spearheaded by Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, about the allocation of coronavirus vaccines is also likely to be addressed. In preparation for the summit, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel held a video-conference on 17 March with the leaders of Croatia, Austria, Bulgaria, Latvia, Czechia and Slovenia.

More positive developments regarding the fight against coronavirus came on 11 March, when the EMA recommended the Johnson & Johnson vaccine be authorised for use in the EU. This brings the number of authorised Covid-19 vaccines to four, adding to those from BioNTech-Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna (for a detailed overview of the different Covid-19 vaccines approved or under examination by the EMA see EPRS table). Moreover, on 16 March, the Commission announced that BioNTech-Pfizer would accelerate the delivery of 10 million doses for the second quarter of 2021.

Common EU approach to the gradual lifting of restrictions

EU leaders also aim at further developing a common EU approach to the gradual lifting of coronavirus pandemic related restrictions. In that context, on 17 March, the European Commission adopted a communication on ‘a common path to safe and sustained re-opening’. In this communication, the Commission invites the European Council to ‘call for an agreed approach to a safe re-opening based on a solid scientific framework’ and ‘to support further coordination on efforts to contain the pandemic at a global level, based on the Team Europe approach’ (i.e. supporting partner countries in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences).

Free movement of persons and digital green certificates

At their last video-conference on the fight against coronavirus, on 25 February 2021, EU leaders called for ‘work to continue on a common approach to vaccination certificates’ and promised that they would return to this issue. On 17 March, the Commission put forward the ‘Digital Green Certificate’, with the aim of facilitating safe free movement of citizens in the EU during the Covid‑19 pandemic. EU leaders are expected to welcome the proposal and to invite the co-legislators to adopt it rapidly. An in-depth discussion is expected on the proposal, notably regarding the type of rights such a certificate would provide.

The next practical steps will be for the Commission to set up the digital infrastructure to facilitate the authentication of Digital Green Certificates and for Member States to introduce the necessary changes in their national health records’ systems.

Regarding the free movement of people, the eight Member States which had previously set temporary internal border controls due to Covid-19 (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Portugal and Spain), have all renewed them until the end of March or even into April.

The ‘Digital Green Certificate’
The Digital Green Pass is a proof in digital form that a person:

• has been vaccinated against Covid-19;
• has a negative test result; or
• has recovered from Covid-19.

Travellers holding this certificate should be exempted from restrictions on free movement on the same basis as citizens of the visited Member State.
It ensures a very high level of data protection.
It does not

• present a precondition to free movement or require a person to be vaccinated;
• discriminate between different vaccines, authorised by the EMA;
• share any personal medical data.

Source: European Commission.

Single market, industrial policy, digital transformation and the economy

EU leaders will take stock of progress on the single market, industrial policy and digital transition.

Single market and industrial policy

The return to a well-functioning single market, especially in the field of services, and the protection of fair competition are at the centre of the EU’s agenda. In line with previous European Council conclusions, EU leaders will probably highlight the need for an inclusive and sustainable recovery and the removal of remaining unjustified barriers. The European Council will most likely briefly discuss the role of labour markets and skills policies in the green and digital transitions.

EU leaders will debate industrial policy in the light of the update of the Commission’s 2020 Industrial strategy expected for 27 April 2021. They will most likely underscore the need to strengthen competitiveness and resilience, and to accelerate the green and digital transitions.

Digital transition

The European Council will once again discuss the digital transformation, which is a key pillar of the EU’s recovery from Covid-19. Charles Michel has repeatedly stated the role that digital sovereignty ‘plays in our greater goal of strategic autonomy’, while digital transformation is a prerequisite for a successful economic recovery strategy. EU leaders will also probably endorse the Commission’s communication, 2030 Digital Compass: The European way for the Digital Decade, and call for the Council to examine it and formulate relevant policy guidelines. In line with the conclusions of the economic and finance ministers on 16 March, they will most probably put particular emphasis on the need to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy and support the ongoing negotiations on digital taxation in the OECD, which are aimed at achieving a global and consensus-based solution by mid-2021. Despite the efforts of Italy, Spain and France for a European solution, a group of low-tax countries, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Germany, the Netherlands and Romania will push for a global solution. However, the European Council will most likely also state its readiness to move forward with an EU solution, should there be no progress in the G20/OECD format. Indeed, the Commission is expected to put forward a proposal, separate from the OECD negotiations, on a digital levy by June 2021, which the European Council will probably note during the meeting.

European Semester

Following the Council’s conclusions of 25 January, EU leaders will most probably endorse the policy priority areas of the annual Sustainable Growth Strategy and welcome the draft Council recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area.

External relations Situation in the eastern Mediterranean

The European Council is expected to take stock of the situation in the eastern Mediterranean. In 2020, tensions in the region reached a new high. EU leaders have repeatedly called on Turkey to stop its unilateral actions and commit to de-escalation as a means to facilitate cooperation. They agreed to embark with Turkey on a re-energised agenda should tensions de-escalate, dialogue be renewed and stability return to the region. In early 2021, Greece and Turkey resumed bilateral talks on maritime delimitation, with several rounds already concluded, whilst the Council has closely monitored progress. As a parallel process, talks on the Cyprus issue are expected to resume under UN leadership in April 2021. At the request of EU leaders, High Representative Josep Borrell will present a report on EU-Turkey relations, which will focus on the political, economic and trade relationship. No decision on the way forward in the relationship with Turkey is expected at this stage, as EU leaders will most probably continue to monitor developments.

Russia

For the first time since October 2016, EU leaders will hold a strategic debate on relations with Russia, at a time when bilateral relations are at a ‘new low’. The High Representative’s visit to Moscow earlier this year did not succeed in ‘reversing the negative trend’ in EU-Russia relations, and an opportunity to have ‘a more constructive dialogue’ was lost. Borrell himself was criticised not only for undertaking the visit, but also for the lack of results and the negative impact on the EU. To uphold principles and values as well as show unity, the EU activated its recently introduced global human rights sanctions regime and imposed sanctions on officials responsible for the illegal imprisonment of opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. EU leaders had condemned Navalny’s detention, and called for his release.

In preparation for the European Council meeting, the Foreign Affairs Council noted that Russia ‘was drifting towards becoming an authoritarian state and away from Europe’. Ministers have reconfirmed their attachment to the ‘five guiding principles’ which have governed EU relations with Russia since 2016. This reflects continuity rather than adaptation to a rapidly changing environment in which Russia’s increased assertiveness is a reality.

In recent years, Russia has multiplied destabilisation attempts, through targeted disinformation and cyber-activities against EU Member States and partners in the Western Balkans. In parallel, it has maximised its action regionally in Syria and in the illegally occupied Crimea where accelerated militarisation is under way and human rights abuses accumulate. For the past seven years, the European Council has succeeded in achieving and maintaining unity in setting and renewing sanctions in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. Yet shaping an effective Russia policy requires more than consensus on that one issue. At present, there is a window of opportunity to rethink the EU’s Russia strategy in close cooperation with the US, under the new EU-US transatlantic agenda. Furthermore, both the EU and NATO are currently developing their strategic visions and should grasp the opportunity to reflect (jointly) on their future relationship with Russia.

3. Euro Summit

On 26 March, the Euro Summit will meet in an inclusive format with all EU-27 leaders (while the 19 leaders of the euro-area countries automatically attend, leaders of the other Member States that have ratified the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the EMU (now all 27) only participate by right in certain discussions). The focus will be on the euro’s international role and ways to ‘strengthen our autonomy in various situations’, in line with the Commission’s communication of 19 January on the European economic and financial system. EU leaders will probably receive an update on the state of play of banking union and fiscal support measures, with a focus on the fiscal strategy, the fiscal stance in the euro area, and the future of the ongoing coordinated fiscal response.

Read this briefing on ‘Outlook for the meetings of EU leaders on 25-26 March 2021‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

EU leaders are puzzled over how to handle delays in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines produced by Anglo-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca. The issue will be discussed at a teleconference later this week. But whatever path the EU follows will have...