The EU said on Wednesday (17 March) it is prepared to tighten COVID vaccine exports to vaccine-producing countries or those with higher vaccination rates if they do not comply with its plea for “openness and reciprocity”, in a move seen as a veiled threat to the UK, one of the key vaccine manufacturing countries.
Following lengthy and at times contentious negotiations, the European Parliament and Council agreed Friday (11 March) on the Connecting Europe Facility, making available over €30 billion in funding for transport, digital, and energy projects.
Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz accused the EU on Friday (12 March) of unfairly distributing COVID-19 vaccines among member states, highlighting that certain EU countries have several times more vaccines than others.
Hungary is asking the European Commission to publish all vaccine contracts jointly procured by the EU, as well as delivery schedules, pointing out that it has already made public its own vaccine contracts with China and Russia for the sake of “maintaining public confidence”.
Nine EU member states have called on the EU’s chief diplomat, Joseph Borrell, to have a strategic discussion on the Western Balkan countries and their prospects when EU foreign ministers meet in April, according to a letter made available to EURACTIV.
Portugal will hold a high-level summit in Lisbon on 21 June focused on the recovery plans of the 27 EU member states, defending “smart fiscal policies” in response to the economic crisis triggered by the pandemic.
Serbia’s aspirations to join the EU are delayed due to a lack of political will, Vice-President of the European Movement in Serbia Vladimir Međak, declared at a presentation on Monday.
German Green MEP Terry Reintke, co-chair of the European Parliament’s LGBTIQ intergroup, called for “strong limitations” so that EU funds can only be spent on projects respecting fundamental values such as equality.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Friday (5 March) called for the creation of a new European right-wing force for “our type of people” who want to protect their families and homeland.
Lawmakers have denounced a “loophole” in the European Commission’s proposed climate target for 2030 and pointed the finger at the EU executive for its hard negotiation style over the EU climate law.
