Report 2021, No. 7

News Agency on Conservative Europe

Report 2021, No. 7.

Report on conservative and right wing Europe 5th April, 2021

GERMANY

1. magyarhirlap.hu (translated, original by Szilvia Harle, 30.03.2021)

Provincial leaders were criticized by Merkel for handling the epidemic

More and more CDU MPs support Söder's candidacy for chancellor

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come under fire for criticism as a result of an interview broadcast on Das Erste on Sunday night.

Provincial leaders were criticized by Merkel for handling the epidemic

In the show, the federal prime minister essentially blamed the provinces for the failure of German epidemic management. According to Merkel, stricter measures are needed, which some provinces are unwilling to do. If there is no change soon, we need to think about how to make binding rules at the federal level, he added. 2

He rejected the chancellor's criticism of North Rhine-Westphalia's liberal deputy head of government, Joachim Stamp, who told Die Welt that the federal government should first make up for its own shortcomings. Bodo Ramelow, the left-wing prime minister of the Land of Thuringia, called Merkel's threat irritating.

However, the chancellor's proposal was supported by Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, president of the Christian Social Union (CSU), who said he was open to giving the federal government more power to regulate epidemiological measures.

The CDU / CSU wants to elect its joint chancellor candidate for the September Bundestag elections in the spring. According to surveys, Markus Söder is much more popular than Armin Laschet, who heads the CDU, but the party has so far spoken out in favor of its president in public.

Yesterday, however, Christian Democrat Johannes Steiniger of the Rhineland-Palatinate told Der Spiegel that the politician with whom the union parties had the best chance should be elected, and that is Söder. He added that he does not know anyone at the CDU base who would support Laschet’s candidacy for chancellor. According to Ronja Kemmer, CDU MP in Baden-Württemberg, the March provincial elections also showed that trust in candidates is extremely important.

2. vg.hu (translated, original by T.M., 31.03.2021)

Merkel, Macron and Putin agreed on the use of Sputnik V in Europe

Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron discussed each other in a conference call on Tuesday, the main topic of the meeting was the use of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine in Europe, The Guardian reported.

According to Moscow sources, the Russian, German and French presidents also discussed the registration of vaccines in the EU, the mode of transport and the possibility of joint production. 3

The European Union is currently struggling with vaccine shortages, which are expected to ease soon as 300 million doses of vaccine are expected from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca between early April and the end of June.

The German government announced last week that it was open to the use of Sputnik V, as approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

German Chancellor Merkel herself said that Germany should use all vaccines that the EMA has given a green light to.

In the case of France, an interesting addition is that Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian last week made a critical voice over the Russian and Chinese vaccines.

The way the Russian vaccine is managed is more propaganda and gaining influence than helping, Le Drian said at the time.

French EU Commissioner Thierry Breton has previously said that the union does not need Sputnik V at all, as it will be able to get 300-350 million doses without it by the end of June.

In response, the Russian vaccine manufacturer called Breton biased and expressed hope that this was not the EU's official position.

The EMA launched a vaccine authorization process in early March, during which a number of studies will be carried out. EU experts will visit Russia in early April to monitor the production process.

The caution with Russian vaccines can be traced back to the fact that the vaccine was registered in August, when extensive testing had not yet taken place.

Despite initial fears, the vaccine was later shown to be more than 90 percent effective in clinical trials.

Although Russian manufacturers have so far failed to significantly increase their capacity to meet both domestic and foreign demand, the government plans to produce 178 million Sputnik V vaccines by the end of June, of which just over 100 million doses can be exported. In addition, two other vaccines, EpiCacCorona and CoviVak, are being developed.

The Russian pharmaceutical company R-Pharm said last week that production of the vaccine will soon begin at a plant in southern Germany as well. Additional potential production sites have been identified as Italy, France and Spain.

The conference talks between the three leaders also touched upon the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, as well as the issue of the imprisonment of Alexei Nalvani.

3. jungefreiheit.de (translated, original by Alexander Graf, 29.03.2021)

Identity Politics on the Warpath

Greens censor "Indian chief" statement

The "Indian chief" affair does not let the Berlin Greens come to rest. After the top candidate for the House of Representatives election, Bettina Jarasch, said during an introductory round at the state party congress that she would have liked to become an Indian chief as a child, the state association is still concerned with the question of how to deal with it.

Apparently it is not enough that Jarasch publicly apologized shortly afterwards in her speech a week and a half ago for her choice of words and was retrospectively ashamed of her childhood dream.

Now the regional association has resorted to the censorship scissors and removed Jarasch's verbal slip from the video of the event on YouTube. At the appropriate place, a plaque informs about the fact that “a term was used at this point” that “is degrading towards members of indigenous peoples”. The party leadership admits self-critically: "We too are constantly 5 learning and want to continue to work on questioning our own actions and speech on discriminatory thought patterns."

Jarasch adds on Twitter

Subsequently, reference is made to Jarasch's self-indictment during her party conference speech. A hint of Stalinist show trials wafts towards the viewer and one suspects the torments of conscience the Greens have to torment on these issues.

Last weekend, Jarasch once again followed up with her public penance. On Twitter, she let the world know that she had spoken to a party member that she was personally affected and "actually injured" by the Indian saying. So that her statement from the introductory round "does not remain unordered in the live stream", she was subsequently deleted.

Will the hatchet be buried?

Alternatively, the state association could have left the scandalous response of its top candidate as a deterrent example and a warning to future generations in the video. But of course only with a preceding warning so that the viewers - whether indigenous people or pale faces - do not suffer any trauma.

It remains to be seen whether the evil spirits conjured up by Jarasch's choice of words will come to rest with it. Greens on the identity-political warpath are difficult to appease and the hatchet will not be buried that quickly.

4. tichyseinblick.de (translated, original by Silvia Pantel, 26.03.2021)

The “Federal Equality Foundation” is expensive, ideological and unnecessary

With the planned “Federal Equal Opportunity Foundation”, the Bundestag would give up one competence - to a left-green apron organization. The foundation mandate “Equal Opportunities” does not correspond to the constitutional mandate “Equal Opportunities”. By Sylvia Pantel, Member of the Bundestag

The federal government has decided to set up the “Federal Equality Foundation” in the cabinet. Today the draft law will be debated in the German Bundestag for the first time. The foundation aims to promote equality between women and men in Germany. To this end, concepts for “successful equality” are to be developed, state authorities and commercial enterprises are to be advised, and “expertise” is to be provided comprehensively. The cost of the project in 2021 will be 3.2 million euros. In addition, 33 staff positions are to be created. A further 5.2 million euros per year are planned for the years 2022 to 2024, a total of 18.8 million euros that will be "invested" over three and a half years.

The usual confusion of terms - equality instead of equality

But what for? Sure, equality has already been mentioned and has become a common placeholder in the political debate. The consistent ignoring of a semantic subtlety makes the difference here.

Article 3 of the Basic Law states: “(2) Men and women have equal rights . The state promotes the actual implementation of equality between women and men and works towards the elimination of existing disadvantages. "

A “Foundation for Equal Opportunities” could possibly be approved. However, this fictitious foundation is not up for debate. Instead, it's about equality. The confusion of terms suppresses the fact that equality is about guaranteeing the same rights for everyone (Article 3 of the Basic Law: “All people are equal before the law”). Equality, however, means equality of results, and that is explicitly not the mandate that the Basic Law places on the government.

Own goal “Board of Trustees” - Majorities can be organized together with the Left Party

The board of trustees should be made up as follows: Ten places will be allocated proportionally to the parliamentary groups represented in the Bundestag. In addition, there is the respective family minister, who should have a veto right in personnel and budgetary 7 matters. However, the members of the Bundestag who are to belong to the Board of Trustees must first be elected by the German Bundestag (Section 6 of the Foundation Statutes).

The first problem is that according to this regulation, both the AfD and the Left Party would have a place on the body. However, the CDU has a party convention resolution that prohibits cooperation with both parties. (31st party conference of the CDU in Germany, Hamburg 2018, resolutions C76, C101, C164 and C179). So it is not very consistent to create an organization yourself for which the prohibition of cooperation would have to be relaxed.

Gender mainstreaming and what we want to afford

The second grievance is a political prognosis: The AfD may not get through its candidates for the Board of Trustees, as happened with its candidates for the election of the Bundestag Vice- President to which it is entitled. So far so good. The experience of the last two years unfortunately shows that the firewall to the left is nowhere near as stable as our party conference resolution requires. The Union parliamentary group is currently entitled to four places, the SPD two, and all other parliamentary groups one place. In addition, there is Family Minister Franziska Giffey (SPD).

Imagine the not unlikely case: the AfD candidate is not elected. The party outwardly stylizes itself as a victim. The candidate of the left is elected by the German Bundestag. The external impact of the process would be catastrophic for the Union.

The board of trustees now includes: four Union, two SPD, one FDP, one Greens, one Left and the SPD Family Minister with the right of veto. In other words, there is a ratio of 5 to 5 between left and bourgeois forces. Since the SPD family minister has a veto right, the ratio is de facto 5 to 6. Red-red-green, despite a minority in parliament, would have a majority on the foundation council of the Equal Opportunities Foundation.

The expensive project of the "gender check"

In economically difficult times, the Federal Equality Foundation is to be financed with 18.8 million euros in tax money until 2024. The original demand of the SPD was 11.2 million euros annually, 44.8 million euros by 2024. Fortunately, the Union was able to avert the worst, but if Alliance 90 / The Greens are involved in the next federal government, the Greens will push for it that it will not stay at 18 million euros until 2024. The election manifesto published by the Greens in March calls unequivocally: “With a gender check we want to 8 check whether a measure or a law promotes gender equality and intervene accordingly where it opposes it. We will develop the newly created Federal Equality Foundation into an effective institution. “The“ Gender Check ”and the Equal Opportunities Foundation should therefore work hand in hand to ensure nationwide gender legislation. This will lead to further legal uncertainty.

As an example, we were able to experience this with the draft law on insolvency law from October 2020, which the SPD Justice Minister presented in “female language” and which had to be “written back” in German due to doubts about the constitutionality of the law. It is already clear: Even with 40 or 50 million euros for gender activities of a foundation, gender laws will not be more compatible with our legal system. As an example, we were able to experience this with the draft law on insolvency law from October 2020, which the SPD Justice Minister presented in “female language” and which had to be “written back” in German due to doubts about the constitutionality of the law.

It is already clear: Even with 40 or 50 million euros for gender activities in a foundation, gender laws will not be more compatible with our legal system. As an example, we were able to experience this with the draft law on insolvency law from October 2020, which the SPD Justice Minister presented in “female language” and which had to be “written back” in German due to doubts about the constitutionality of the law. It is already clear: Even with 40 or 50 million euros for gender activities in a foundation, gender laws will not be more compatible with our legal system.

Summary: The foundation will be expensive and left-green

So let's summarize: The German Bundestag should hand over a competence - to an ideological run-up organization. A left-green majority will most likely be organized in the board of directors of the foundation council in order to fulfill the left-green foundation mandate of "equality" - in contrast to the constitutional mandate of equality - correspondingly left-green.

With the Equal Opportunities Foundation, the federal government and the Bundestag are creating an organization that will take the powers of the government and parliament out of their hands and, at the same time, will still be a left-green front organization. In economically difficult times, this will be financed with 18.8 million euros in tax money until 2024. That will not help enforce equality between men and women. The subject belongs in parliament and not in an overpriced foundation.

Sylvia Pantel (CDU) is a directly elected member of the Bundestag for the Düsseldorf-Süd constituency.

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FRANCE

1. index.hu (translated, original by Sándor Márton Németh, 31.03.2021)

Macron versus radical Islam

In France, the issue of radical Islam is constantly on the agenda, a proposal to strengthen the principles of the republic before the Senate, and the construction of the mosque in Strasbourg has also generated tension.

Emmanuel Macron outlined his action plan against Islamist radicalism last October, the month when high school teacher Samuel Paty was brutally murdered. The bill passed by the National Assembly in February does not specifically state that it is about Muslims. The general goal is to prevent the segregation of certain groups on the basis of religion or ethnicity within society.

Shocking Teacher's Shocking Prediction: "You Can Die Because of Teaching"

The brutal killer sent a message to Macron that he “ended up with a race of hell who despised the Prophet Muhammad” - the president is awaiting a quick investigation.

Gergely Fejérdy, senior researcher at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economics, summarized the main points of the draft on the question of the Index as follows:

Associations receiving state support must commit themselves to the values and principles of the republic, increase control over organizations subsidized from abroad, and eliminate advertisers of demonstrably radical ideas.

’I would have stricter supervision of foreign preachers invited to mosques.’

Homeschooling outside public education is relatively widespread in France, and this would only be possible for good reason, avoiding students attending paper-based home education going to illegally operating Muslim institutions. I would make punishable those who endanger the lives of others by disclosing personal information or hating speech on social media. Doctors who issue a virginity certificate would become punishable. Actions against polygamy and forced marriage would also be strengthened.

The Senate debate began yesterday, and it is already clear that there will be no easy process for the government. According to the opposition right, who are otherwise in the majority in the upper house, the draft is too soft, so it would be expanded to include the notion of Islamist separatism, a stronger ban on wearing Burkin, and no extension of residence permits for foreign nationals who do not comply. principles of the Republic.

They would also reach out more strongly to higher education, as it was often a problem that rooms called prayer hours were also reserved where a university lecture would have taken place at that time. The tightening of home schooling, on the other hand, would be removed because the majority of the children involved are Christian.

Mélenchon’s radical left has also voiced criticism, but precisely from the other point of view: in their view, such legislation is unworthy of the republic and could exacerbate discrimination.

All the circumstances are in place for the process to drag on, after the Senate debate and the expected amendments, the draft is returned to the National Assembly, and even later, even in the Council for the Protection of the Constitution, individual paragraphs can be attacked.

Social tension 11

Religious affiliation is not surveyed in France, with unofficial data showing that 6-7 percent of the population professes to be Muslim.

Allegations of terrorism are limited to a very narrow circle, and the number of people involved in the radicalization process cannot be more than 10-15 thousand. What is more threatening and generating tension is that, according to a survey, a quarter of people who profess to be Muslims are tacit supporters of extremist Islam.

Fejérdy highlighted, emphasizing that the majority of them accept the values of the republic.

Members of Islamic communities usually have foreign roots, and members of the second to third or even later generations of their families also have ties to a foreign, Muslim-majority country.

And these groups receive significant support from outside France, a glaring case of which is the Strasbourg case.

One of the largest mosques in Europe with foreign influence?

A giant mosque is being built in Strasbourg, around which a serious debate has unfolded. Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin accuses the municipality of supporting foreign acquisition with French public money.

The municipality of Strasbourg is supporting the investment with EUR 2.5 million.

Strasbourg, led by Green Party Mayor Jeanne Barseghian, will contribute € 2.5 million to the Eyyub Sultan Mosque. The criticism in this regard is based on the fact that this point goes to the umbrella organization representing the Turkish diaspora, the Islamic Confederation of Milli Gorus (MGIC), which did not accept the Macrones' charter to protect the values of the republic.

This January document states that Islam can see itself as a religion, not a political movement, and that religious beliefs cannot be exempted from respecting secular law. It was signed by five of the eight major Muslim organizations in France. 12

In France, according to a 1905 law, secularism is the defining principle, it regulates the relationship between the state and religion, strongly separating them. The Alsace region, on the other hand, was a German territory for a long time, so the special situation is that it does not apply to Strasbourg in the same way as to the rest of the country. Here, associations related to religions can receive some degree of municipal or state subsidy.

In the case of the mosque, the main question is whether the support of a foreign-affiliated association from French public funds is allowed. An action in this regard is already pending before the administrative court, and the decision may even set a precedent in other cases - says the researcher, adding that Strasbourg is one of the most important cities in the Turks in France, they live there in large numbers and have a strong influence.

Disagreement with Ankara

The most significant supporters of Muslim communities in France are Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Algeria. Turkey may come to mind first, though, because Recep Tayyip Erdoğan got on the issue, and after Macron outlined his plans to crack down on radical Islam last October,

THE TURKISH PRESIDENT DECLARED THAT THE FRENCH STATE OF MY FRENCH COLLEAGUE MACRON SHOULD BE EXAMINED.

He later looked like the conflict was coming to a standstill, turning to calmer communication, but Strasbourg was fueling tensions again.

The opposite is most spectacular with Turkey, also because Ankara treats as a simple religious organization those that are considered extremist in France. Moreover, Erdoğan has a long- known political idea to expand his influence in Europe through Muslim communities, which he represents quite consistently.

Further politicization of the Islamic issue is also expected due to the upcoming, summer regional, and 2022 presidential elections. With his more determined action, Macron may try to draw from the moderate right-wing voting camp for a shake-up.

2. magyarnemzet.hu (translated, original by Loretta Tóth, 27.03.2021)

Will Macron and Le Pen have a new challenger?

XAVIER BERTRAND'S PRIORITY DEFENING THE FRENCH, RESTORING PUBLIC SECURITY

Xavier Bertrand could be Emmanuel Macron’s current French head of state’s most likely conservative challenger in the 2022 presidential election. The president of the Hauts-de- France region, who is severely affected by immigration, would run as an independent, but by announcing his candidacy, he sent a clear message to the Republican Party, which has been struggling for years: support, otherwise there is no chance of defeating Macron or Marine Le Pen.

Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France region in northern France, also officially announced the other day that Emmanuel Macron, the current head of state, will run as a conservative challenger in the 2022 presidential election. The announcement of the 56-year- old politician is a clear message to the center-right Republican Party, which has been struggling with internal problems for years, rather than to Emmanuel Macron.

In doing so, Bertrand seeks to put pressure on the Conservative Constellation, which has still not decided whether to select their candidate by a possible pre-election or otherwise.

In any case, the party does not yet have a candidate to take it for granted against Emmanuel Macron or, according to surveys, the second most popular presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, president of the radical right-wing National Concentration.

And Xavier Bertrand would run outside the party, meaning the politician left the Republican Party in 2017, when Laurent Wauquiez was elected president six months after former Prime Minister François Fillon, a conservative candidate in the 2017 presidential election. he was embroiled in a scandal, and as a result finished in third place in the first round.

Analysts say the party’s deep flight has continued ever since, despite Christian Jacob, who has been much less divisive than Wauquiez since the fall of 2019, leading the party.

The politician of the Hauts-de-France region, who has been known for his problems with illegal immigration since 2015, also has a similar view to the Hungarian and Polish governing parties in several respects. He said he did not want to vote for a party during his presidential candidacy and campaign, but, like the legendary former prime minister, Charles de Gaulle, wanted to represent “the common cause of the French”. Its priorities will be to protect the French, restore public security and the authority of the authorities, restore a society distorted by the spread of violence, end impunity, awaken the French national pride and embody a long-unseen, “true French president”.

However, there is a serious chance of confronting Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen only if Republicans do not hold a pre-election and run another conservative candidate in parallel with Bertrand, in which case there is a very likely risk of conservative votes splitting. between two candidates.

The politician, by the way, has long been present in French politics: during his presidency, Jacques Chirac held the post of Minister of Health, and later as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs and then Minister of Labor, Employment and Health under the leadership of France. He took the lead in Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign and is a close ally of the former president of Hungarian descent to this day.

According to the latest polls, if it were now the first round of elections, Emmanuel Macron in office would get 25 per cent of the vote, Marine Le Pen would get the same number, while Xavier Bertrand would achieve 15 per cent without Republicans running for another presidential candidate.

3. hirado.hu (translated, original by hirado.hu, 30.03.2021)

To museum with men! But, what is heterodoxy?

To allow girls to swim in a separate time zone, more female artists are needed, it needs to be reviewed that boys are in the middle of schoolyards. Such and similar goals are set by the brand new, "sensitive" budget of the third most populous French city.

Gender-sensitive budgets emphasizing gender equality have been adopted in several cities in France: Lyon, with the support of left-wing parties, is the first to introduce this “gender budget,” writes Valeurs Actuelles.

What does heterodoxy mean?

“One of the antecedents of gender-sensitive budgeting is that“ many in heterodox economist circles are dissatisfied with the unfavorable economic conditions caused by the widespread use of neoclassical economic instruments. Not only is there a growth gap between countries, but the gap between women and men at the economic, political and social levels remains unchanged and, in the worst case, deepens, ”wrote economist Valéria Szekeres in a study earlier.

Heterodoxy was defined by Ákos Bod Péter, an economist, politician and former president of the MNB: “this rarely defined term in economic theory usually means other professional directions beyond the accepted, dominant, mainstream trend of the era”.

Maintaining the town hall is neither a boy nor a girl ...

His initiative “Gender Adaptive Budgeting” has recently been adopted in several cities in France, including Lyon, Rennes, Brest and Montreuil. As Le Parisien reported, on Monday, March 29, Socialist, Communist, and Green Party MPs in these large settlements decided to take steps with this budget tool to achieve gender-sensitive approaches.

Audrey Hénocque, Lyon’s deputy Green Mayor for Finance, told LCI television that, while creating a gender-sensitive budget, of course, there are still items that have little to do with gender neutrality, such as maintaining the town hall building. He added that they aim to make these items represent a smaller proportion of the budget.

Discriminated against sports teams: less support for men

Ensuring equal opportunities for men and women includes, among other things, providing time zones for girls on skating rinks and in swimming pools. They also pay attention to the fact that municipalities provide more support for women’s than men’s sports teams, and this attention even affects schoolyards, where they want to eliminate the fact that girls are pushed to the edge of the yard while boys occupy the interiors. so the location of ball games. 16

As more women go to museums, they want to encourage men to go to the exhibitions more, while in the arts they want to be more of a female creator.

4. mandiner.hu (translated, original by Barnabás Leimeiszter, 02.03.2021)

A French city where now Islam rules

70 percent of the city of Trappes near Versailles is Muslim, with residents of more than forty nationalities, and Mayor Ali Rabeh is suing a local teacher who speaks out against the spread of Islamism - who left the teaching profession because of threats and came under police protection. Status report from the heart of the new France!

Trappes is a small town of about 30,000 in the Paris neighborhood of Yvelines, France. The county’s most famous town is Versailles, but recently another city in Yvelines has gained a reputation - albeit a much more dubious reputation -: an Islamist assassin Samuel Paty graduated in history from Conflans-Sainte-Honorine on 16 October last year (for details of the case). we wrote more here).

Thirty kilometers from the scene of the assassination - and a few kilometers from the Grand Trianon Palace, by the way - 70 percent of the population of Trappes is Muslim, and the inhabitants are 40-50 different nationalities.

The city is one of the centers of radical French Islamism.

From 2013 to 2016, most jihadists traveled from France to the Middle East on their way from this city to 67 - a European record in terms of population. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the city, which often acts as an accomplice to extremism, is also a strength of the city: mayors who come out of their ranks typically turn a blind eye to jihadist gain.

Valeurs actuelles prepared a report in 2017 for the municipality. The article in the paper shows that on the "street of whites and banks", rue Jean-Jaurèsen still reminds me of the 17

French way of life, there is a Catholic school and pubs here, but outside this area "integration is going in the opposite direction": no not a butcher shop that would not be halal, men's and women's hairdressing shops have largely ceased to exist, and there are five Muslim places of worship next to a single church in the city.

The author of the December report notes that on the streets, apart from the mayor’s office’s inscription “happy New Year holidays”, there was no indication that Christmas was approaching, but Muslim culture-related names and symbols would very much define the street scene. Unemployment is around 20 percent, but clichés about the social background to radicalization do not apply here: crime has been noticeably reduced since Islamists took control - emphasizes the reporter.

Trappes boasts the title that for the first time in the history of modern France, a clearly religious riot broke out here: it was set on fire for four days in 2013 after police produced a woman wearing a veil (the country banned full-body wear in 2010).

The Versailles Public Prosecutor’s Office found in 2016 that there is serious concern in the city that the Islamist community "now organizes a significant part of community life", and most of the shops are at the service of this community.

But two right-wing journalists at Le Monde, Ariane Chemin and Raphaëlle Bacqué, who are hard to blame for being right-wing, also drew attention to the terrifying situation in Trappes in their 2018 book (La Communauté). It spoke to female residents who no longer dare to sit in cafes or take to the streets with their arms uncovered in the summer - but also reported that some Muslim youth pay tribute to jihadists in Trappes who have left for the Middle East.

Lemaire's testimony

The small town has reappeared in the news in recent weeks after Didier Lemaire, a philosophy teacher at a high school in Trappes, who was also a speaker at the Chemin-Bacqué book, delivered an open letter to his fellow teachers in L’Obs after the death of Samuel Paty. Lemaire explained that individuals can only be educated if the state ensures that no community can force its worldview on others, and that the school shapes people into citizens by imparting “humanist, scientific, artistic, and philosophical knowledge”.

However, the first condition is no longer given in some places in France: as a teacher in Trappes, he was able to follow as twenty years of Islamist rise transformed local life. 18

As he writes, after the 2015-16 assassinations, he embarked on, or would have caught, preventive action as his efforts clashed with “forces beyond him”. In Trappes, in addition to those suspected of specific terrorism, the authorities have 400 radical Islamists who can continue to operate unhindered.

The killer of Samuel Paty was just a fist of a project being carried out by thousands of ideologues who, as the Nazis once did, incite hatred and prepare their actions by appealing to the victims ’feelings.

Their strategy is to exhaust the enemy little by little with their assassinations, against whom they would have no chance in a frontal war. They reinforce the feeling of “humiliation” in the less integrated strata of French society and plant the idea of religious purity in them. Meanwhile, they are playing against the bad conscience of progressists to work together against “racism” and “exclusion”.

They are integrated into schools, universities, local and national political life, the media, to student and parent organizations, they prevent anything that would be a meaningful response to terrorism beyond candles and flowers. They present themselves as bastions of fanaticism while working closely with the enemies of the French way of life, Lemaire writes.

“We are at the beginning of a war by terror, which will become more common, intensifying as most of our fellow citizens are unwilling to acknowledge that our heritage is being threatened,” the philosophy teacher says. Samuel Paty had the courage to acknowledge this danger, but it was not defended by institutions that invariably postpone the confrontation.

Lemaire later said in an interview with Figaro that many of his students live in a schizophrenic state between the “world of the Enlightenment and France” and the norms of their community, and while they can enjoy some freedom at school, they have to follow strict rules at home - but Islamist pressure is growing. .

From 2015 onwards, for example, she found girls who had previously dressed in French veiled themselves. and in some classes, he sees girl and boy students sitting strictly apart.

Oil on fire? 19

After the publication of the open letter, Lemaire called some of his students, but even some of his teaching colleagues, hateful, racist. Sometimes, during one lesson, his students asked him why he wrote a letter “against them,” and a mother told him that if he continued, he would be “the second Samuel Paty”. On the social sites, the anger over Lemaire’s standups only boiled, and the teacher was placed under police protection in the wake of the threats.

On February 11, Lemaire announced he was leaving his teaching career but would continue to fight. As for the people of Trappes, many of them were outraged by Lemaire’s words - the loudest was the left-wing mayor, Ali Rabeh, who protested maintains that the situation in the settlement is not nearly as dangerous as the philosophy teacher paints, and he thinks it is an exaggeration to call Trappes a “lost city”.

The mayor, a child of Moroccan immigrant parents, became famous in the Socialist Party for drilling his party lovers - but he was a close confidante of Benoît Hamon, a former member of the Trappes constituency and 2017 social presidential candidate, Benoît Hamon. · S-ba is.

Similarly outraged, Jean-Jacques Brot, prefect of Yvelines county, said Lemaire was just pouring oil on the fire and crushing the results against radical Islam with a bulldozer - but critics said Brot could be the type of politically appointed arch who watched the Islamist push with naive inaction. L’Express speaks to an imam, Abdelaziz Al Jaouhari, who worked with former prefect Yvelines on programs to prevent radicalization - but following the “reorientation” following Brot’s 2018 appointment, representatives of Salafist associations appeared in public institutions. They are not Salafists, but “Rigorists,” Brot explains, saying there is a difference between the two adjectives. Al Jaouhari also recounts that when Brot took office, he stated that it is not the intelligence reports that will determine who he will build a relationship with as a prefect.

After the outbreak of the Lemaire affair, Mayor Ali Rabeh, along with his staff, appeared at the philosophy teacher's grammar school to distribute leaflets condemning "violent statements" against them, not to the astonishment of the teaching staff.

But Rabeh also considered it important to visit a barber shop in front of cameras, thus refuting Lemaire's statements — it is true that the Halal butcher and Muslim boutique opposite the barber shop no longer showed such fervor.

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ITALY

1. 888.hu (translated, original by Andrea Kovács, 30.03.2021)

Salvini: After Covid-19, there is an opportunity to rethink European identity

We are presenting a common charter defining common values and goals, said Matteo Salvini to the MTI question in an online interview he gave before his trip to Budapest on Thursday.

Matteo Salvini, the leader of the Italian League party, will travel to Budapest on Thursday, where he will meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and the topic of the discussion will be the restart of Europe after the corona virus epidemic.

After Covid-19, Europe will be different, with an opportunity to rethink European identity. " Salvini said. He believes that it is the epidemic that offers the opportunity to create a "different, real" Europe and a European Union with a "new role, a new meaning".

The European Union must find its soul, its backbone, its mission, it cannot be a mere supermarket or business center, because it will not be able to respond to the needs of five hundred million Europeans. " he declared. Salvini thanked Viktor Orbán and Mateusz Morawiecki for welcoming him as Prime Minister, who personally does not currently hold a government position.

The League is the largest Italian party preparing to govern in the next election. With his usual irony, he added: there will be no short journey, as in the absence of direct flights, he will have to travel seven hours from Rome to Budapest.

He noted that the League, Fidesz and the Law and Justice Party share common European values:

No joint party group will be formed. (...) In Budapest we discuss the vision of the future Europe, we work on work, prosperity, security, identity, family, education, defense, migration, foreign policy, health cooperation, real life of citizens ” said Matteo Salvini.

According to Salvini, "certain European treaties that hinder European growth" need to be reviewed. He stressed that Europe needs to do more on certain issues and give nation states freedom on issues such as electoral or judicial reform, family policy, rather than “bureaucratic stalemate”.

Where is Europe when the epidemic is a source of concern for migrants? ” - asked the leader of the Italian right-wing ruling party, adding that the EU did not properly monitor the vaccination process against the coronavirus and that those who made mistakes should therefore be held accountable.

The consultation with Viktor Orbán and Mateusz Morawiecki is the first stage of his planned tour of European capitals, during which he wants to discuss the same topics in Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany, among others.

Salvini added, the accession of the League to the European People's Party is not on the agenda ", entry into the EPP is of exclusive interest to the press, while neither the League nor sixty million Italians prioritize this issue.

Salvini stated that his dream is to unite the Party Family of Identity and Democracy and the European Conservatives and Reformists, as this would represent the second largest faction, which would "make Europe great again, returning to its original values".

Matteo Salvini noted he makes no other political attempt.

The right-wing League is currently a member of the European Identity and Democracy party family, founded in 2019.

Justice and Justice (PiS) belongs to the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, born in 2009, of which the Italian Brothers (FdI) are also members. FdI leader Giorgia 22

Meloni, whose party is a member of the Italian center-right coalition led by Matteo Salvini, was elected president of the ECR last September.

2. origo.hu (translated, original by MTI, 27.03.2021)

They managed to trick the Danes - the NGO ship carrying the migrants negotiated a lot of money

Further details have been revealed from a prosecutor's investigation into the non- governmental organization Mediterranea Saving Humans (MSH), which said NGO members celebrated the price agreed for the reception of immigrants with champagne, according to investigative material reported by Il Giornale on Saturday.

The Sicilian Ragusa prosecutor's office announced on March 1 that it had launched an investigation into members of the Mediterranea after authorities said it had obtained evidence that the NGO's ship Mare Jonio had taken over a group of 27 immigrants from the Danish cargo ship Maersk Etienne for "substantial financial benefits".

Maersk Etienne took migrants on board in the Mediterranean on 5 August last year. Immigrants did not receive a mooring permit on the island of Malta. Thirty-seven days later, members of the Mediterranea arrived on the Danish cargo ship, transferring the 27 people to their own ship, including a small child and a pregnant woman.

The civilian ship arrived on the southern Italian coast with the migrants on 12 September.

The telephone intercepts TEXT PROVIDED BY MEDIA NOW AND THE DANISH Mediterranea ship operators MAERKS TANKERS DANISH COMPANY HELD OVER THE RECONCILIATION BETWEEN weeks: THE BEGINNING OF THE ITALIAN ORGANIZATION FOR 270 THOUSAND EURO receiving immigrants, FINALLY 125 thousand euros agreed.

The head of the Mediterranea mission, Beppe Caccia, a well-known Green Party politician, even discussed the amount in Copenhagen in early October, which was transferred to the accounts of the Mediterranea in late November. Another NGO leader, Luca Casarini, commenting on the arrival of the amount, called on NGO members to splash champagne over the phone. Beppe Caccia voiced that they had managed to "trick" the Danes.

In order for the civilian ship to be able to take over the group from the Danish cargo ship, Mediterranea lied to the authorities that it had supplied fuel to Maersk Etienne. And the stipulation with the migrants was justified by the NGO on the grounds that one of the women was pregnant and should reach shore immediately. As it turned out later, the woman transported to the hospital did not need medical attention.

Authorities had previously conducted house searches of the homes of the persons involved in the investigation and of the Mediterranea offices.

As is the case with the arrival of all immigrant groups, the competent territorial prosecutor's office opened an ex officio investigation to clarify the circumstances of the migrants' arrival. Immigrants reported being transferred from one ship to another. The prosecution wanted to clarify the relationship between the Danish cargo ship company and Mediterranea, thus revealing that a "commercial transaction" had taken place between the two parties.

MEDITERRANEA SAVING HUMANS STARTED ITS WORK IN THE AUTUMN 2018 AS THE FIRST CIVIL ORGANIZATION IN ITALY TO HAVE VESSELS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. The NGO, based in Bologna, works with the ship MARE JONIO and ALEX.

3. mandiner.hu (translated, original by MTI, 24.03.2021)

The Italians were outraged that the ship carrying the migrants could be moored

The civilian ship Ocean Viking has received a mooring permit off the coast of Sicily.

The ship of the French NGO SOS Méditerranée, with more than a hundred immigrants on board, received a mooring permit in Augusta, Sicily, local police said Tuesday night. Residents of Lampedusa have filed a civil lawsuit against NGOs involved in rescuing migrants from the Mediterranean.

Ocean Viking took the group of 116 on board in Libyan waters. Immigrants were still tested for coronavirus by the Italian health authorities on board the ship, and only then were they allowed to land. Six people tested positive. More than half of those arriving are unaccompanied minors or juveniles. Most of them are Central African, but there are also Libyans in the group. The identification of the immigrants has begun and they will be placed on a quarantine ship called Allegra for the next two weeks.

Residents hired a lawyer

The French SOS Méditerranée, a Norwegian-flagged ship, has been calling off the coast of southern Italy for the second time since the beginning of the year: in early February, Ocean Viking arrived with 422 people, forty-six of whom proved positive. In early March, Sea- Watch 3 ended up with a group of 385 people, with the German civilian ship seized by Italian authorities on Sunday.

“Italy is under closure, companies are closing down, residents and companies are being restricted, the only thing the government is not stopping is the stipulation of illegal immigrants,

Italy closed and ports open ”- said Giorgia Meloni, President of the Italian Brothers (FdI) on the right, on his community. Residents of Lampedusa have announced that they have hired a lawyer and filed a civil lawsuit in a lawsuit filed by the Sicilian Trapani Public Prosecutor's Office against Jugend Rettet, Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children NGOs in support of illegal immigration. Residents of the island consider themselves an aggrieved party as “they have been suffering for years from illegal migration from civilian shores off the Libyan coast,” lawyer Valter Biscotto said.

They are seeking damages

Lampedusa residents are seeking compensation for “invaluable” damage to local tourism due to, among other things, mass migration. According to press reports, nearly ten thousand have 25 left Libya since the beginning of the year: more than four thousand people have been returned by the Libyan Coast Guard, and 3,500 have reached the shores of southern Italy. 43 percent of the latter arrived by NGO ship. Another more than two thousand five hundred moved from Tunisia to the Italian islands.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Tuesday that Rome looked forward to the United States' involvement in stabilizing the situation in Libya. “The migration, which is intensifying with the approach of summer, which carries the risk of radicalization and terrorism, must be stopped,” the head of Italian diplomacy said.

4. origo.hu (translated, original by MTI, 24.03.2021)

29 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine were found in a warehouse in Italy

A plant was searched in Italy where, according to reports, the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company hid 29 million doses of coronavirus vaccine for export to the UK.

However, according to Italian police on Wednesday, during the weekend, vaccines were found at the plant that were destined for Belgium. The law enforcement authority added that the European Commission had asked the Italian prime minister to investigate, through local authorities, shipments at the Catalent site in the small town of Anagni, 30 kilometers south of Rome.

Italian newspaper La Stampa, on the other hand, reported on Wednesday that 29 million doses of coronavirus vaccine had been "hidden" by AstraZeneca in Italy. THE EXTINGUISHED MATERIAL WAS INTENDED TO BE TRANSPORTED TO THE UNITED KINGDOM CIRCULATING THE RULES.

Catalent fills ampoules with the vaccine on behalf of the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. The search of the company's premises was initiated by EU Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton after AstraZeneca failed to meet its delivery obligations to the EU for the first quarter.

TOWARDS ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOSES, SO ONLY THIRTY MILLION DOSES HAVE REACHED EU MEMBER STATES.

The EU on Wednesday confirmed the news of the Italian newspaper at the request of the German news agency dpa.

In a resolution published in the meantime, AstraZeneca said in relation to the vaccines stored at the Anagni manufacturing site that the company had no plans to export them, only as part of the COVAX cooperation to low- and middle-income countries.

According to the company, 13 million doses of vaccine are waiting to be shipped to COVAX after quality control, in order to make millions of doses of vaccine available to low-income countries. He said that THE VACCINE IS MANUFACTURED OUTSIDE THE EU AND HAS BEEN FILLED IN VIALS AT THE ANAGNI PLANT.

According to AstraZeneca, an additional 16 million doses of vaccine are awaiting quality control at the Anagni plant and then shipped to Europe. He stressed that it was wrong to consider this as stockpiling. In this context, he pointed out that vaccine production is a complex and time-consuming process. AFTER FILLING INTO VIALS, ALSO DOCUMENTS MUST BE SUBJECT TO QUALITY CONTROL BEFORE DELIVERY. the company added.

The company pointed out that it had shipped nearly 10 million doses of vaccine to EU member states in the last week of March, and plans to send more in April, as soon as delivery is authorized after quality control.

In early March, the EU did not allow the delivery of some 250,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine to Australia from AstraZeneca's plant near Rome.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has urged the European Commission to take tough action against pharmaceutical companies that fail to meet their delivery obligations.

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SPAIN

1. abc.es (translated, original by Paloma Cervilla, 05.04.2021)

Abascal challenges Iglesias in Vallecas and Vox warns that they will campaign in "any neighborhood in Madrid"

The president of Vox will present the candidacy of Rocío Monasterio tomorrow in this area of the capital, days after the former vice president of the Government will start his pre- campaign in this neighborhood

The president of Vox , Santiago Abascal , and the leader of Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, will settle in the Vallecas neighborhood their particular duel in the regional elections of the Community of Madrid .

The already former vice president of the Government opened the pre-campaign in this area of the capital, which has also been chosen by Vox to present Rocío Monasterio's candidacy tomorrow, Wednesday.

The formation of Abascal justifies the presence of its leader in this act because Vox is going to go to «all the municipalities, all the neighborhoods, all the streets and all the squares and we are going to challenge the parties of the national extreme left each and every will of the Spanish, to all the families, to all the Madrilenians who have become unemployed ”, as stated this morning by the spokesman for the Political Action Committee, Jorge Buxadé .

Vox insisted that “there is no street, no neighborhood in Madrid that is owned by anyone, not to the left or to the right. We have chosen Vallecas, like any other neighborhood. Yes there is one thing, I am not going to deny it, and it is that, unfortunately, in Vallecas live thousands of those Madrid citizens betrayed, deceived by the left.

In Buxadé's opinion , “we do not dispute the vote to the left because there is no vote ... we have already suffered for two years the argument that Vox has taken votes from the PP, but had he bought them? Where had he bought them? they are yours? How much had they paid? We have not taken votes from anyone. We are sincere, we are authentic. We can make mistakes, make mistakes, but we are not fooling anyone.

2. gondola.hu (translated, original by Brigitta Tóth/Magyar Nemzet, 05.04.2021)

Spain takes illegal immigrants home by plane

Spain transports migrants home by plane and Spain establishes regulated immigration routes. The foreign minister reached an agreement with the Algerian government this week to eradicate illegal migration. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry has announced that it will spend more than 600,000 euros a month on repatriating immigrants.

Spain begins to eradicate illegal migration. Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya and his Algerian counterpart, Sabri Bukadum, agreed to work together to establish regular and regulated migration routes. In doing so, they primarily want to help people who want to do business, study and work, while trying to eradicate illegal immigration routes.

A significant proportion of the people calling at Spanish cities, 51 per cent, are Moroccans, with plenty of them coming from the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa. Although the Algerian foreign minister does not think that nationals of his own country are fleeing to Spain either, according to the United Nations, 15 percent of immigrants reaching the coast are Algerian.

The Home Office is also working to resolve the migration crisis. The Spanish government is trying to agree separately with the leaders of the African countries concerned on the resettlement of the people. From June this year until December 2022, the state will spend 605 thousand euros a month to transport immigrants back to their country of origin by plane.

Cooperation with the Moroccan government is the smoothest, and with their help they began to send people back home late last year. The government of the African country provides the opportunity for this on the aircraft of the state airline. 29

A plane from Tenerife to Senegal would also have departed at the end of February, but that flight was eventually canceled for unknown reasons. According to the government, restocking will be significantly slowed by restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus epidemic.

According to the right-wing People's Party, the ruling Socialists should not have allowed illegal immigration in the country to degenerate so much. Incidentally, they believe that the government is not really doing anything to solve the situation, in fact, it denies that there is a migration crisis in Spain. As an example, they cite an increased police presence in several neighborhoods in the Canary Islands for months due to the riots and clashes between locals and immigrants.

Yet the Sánchez government is doing nothing to protect the locals. The right believes that the only solution is to speed up the repatriation of immigrants to their country of origin as soon as possible.

The protagonists of Spanish political life throw the ball back and forth at each other on the subject. The number of illegal immigrants in 2006 was last as high as in 2020 under the also socialist José Luiz Zapatero. Then 31,000 people landed illegally off the coast of Spain. The People's Party leaders at the time constantly criticized the Socialists' immigration policy, which was ultimately not fully resolved during the right-wing Mariano Rajoy's seven-year presidency, so the left can now cut back and try to sew the current situation around the People's Party. They claim, by the way, they are taking more people home than the Rajoy government.

Spain’s port cities are the main entrances to the EU for African immigrants. In 2020, more than 41,000 people arrived in the community, an increase of thirty percent compared to previous years. The situation is most dramatic in the Canary Islands, where an increase of 756 percent was recorded. While in 2019 there were 2687, in 2020 already 23 023 people came there. For this reason, in 2020, Spain again topped the list of asylum applications submitted.

The situation is not improving now, nor in 2021: every day there are more ships full of migrants that want to moor in one of the cities.

The main problem now is that they no longer just arrive on the usual routes. Several ships full of Moroccan nationals have docked in the last two weeks in three Valencian cities: Alicante, 30

Tabarca and Torrevieja. In addition, the number of boats successfully landing and in need of rescue is increasing in Murcia, Motril in Granada and Mallorca.

3. elperiodico.com (translated, original by elperiodico.com, 31.03.2021)

Vox will appeal the reform of the CGPJ before the Constitutional

PSOE and United We can approved that the entity cannot approve appointments if it is in office

The president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, announced today that his formation will file an appeal in the Constitutional Court against the express reform "that has been approved by the PSOE and Podemos to assault the judiciary." Through social networks, Abascal has pointed out that "there is a thin red line between the democratic rule of law and tyranny," and added that "today the social-communist government with its separatist partners has surpassed it."

Vox will appeal to the TC "against the reform of the LOPJ that deals a blow to the judiciary," he insists. The legal reform that prohibits the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) from approving appointments if it is in office , a situation in which it has been since December 2018, will enter into force this Wednesday, as published today by the Official State Gazette (BOE).

On March 24, the full Senate finally approved the legal reform promoted by the PSOE and United We Can so that the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) cannot make more appointments while it is in office.

4. larazon.es (translated, original by Cs Macias, 10.03.2021)

Abascal to Sánchez: “Who is he insulting? My mother, our wives, our daughters?

The President of the Government said on 8-M that the extreme right wants submissive women and affirms in the control session that Vox wants a Spain similar to Francoism

The face to face between the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez and the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal has been a crossroads of accusations. Abascal has reproached him for having "perpetrated very serious insults against Vox . " In the government control session, the Vox leader referred to the words that Sánchez spoke on 8-M when he warned that the extreme right would like women to be at their disposal as if they were "an object of sexual enjoyment ." He said that the reappearance of the extreme right was a "fearsome threat" with their hate speech and stark machismo”, Which is not limited to stopping progress, but advocates a return to the times of inferiority of women. Then, Sánchez considered that “they want to go back to the times of submission to the father, the husband, the boss; they feel nostalgic for a time when it was within the power of men to make and unmake the lives of women at will, and women were at their disposal as if they were a free service or an object of sexual enjoyment ”.

For this reason, Abascal snapped: “ You insult me if you want, but ... who are you really insulting with this? To all these deputies? To my mother? Our mothers? Our wives? Our grandmothers? " Our daughters? ”, The Vox leader complained, who has also demanded that the president apologize to Vox.

After hearing Abascal's intervention, Sánchez pointed out in plenary session that with those words he was referring to “the extreme right” and assured that he was struck by the fact that he was taken for granted.

Francoism

Sánchez received the blow, attacking and took Franco out again. He accused Vox of wanting a Spain similar to that of the Franco regime, "great, unique and free" , to which Santiago Abascal has replied, warning that his formation has the support of more and more citizens.

Abascal has blamed him for his pact with United We Can and the parties that endorsed his inauguration, which he believes have only generated the country "ruin, death and social division." 32

Against this, Sánchez recalled that the Constitution, "the greatest success of democracy in Spain", was the result of a pact. " If there were no Constitution, the principles of the National Movement would govern, I do not know if that is what you propose," the president has slipped.

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PORTUGAL

1. cmjornal.pt (translated, original by Lusa, 23.03.2021)

"It is the fault of the general disorganization": Ventura says that Portugal cannot stand a State of Emergency until May

"Chega will not support this state of emergency again, as it has not done in relation to the last ones", he reinforced.

The president of Chega considered this Tuesday that the country cannot stand to be in a state of emergency due to the pandemic of covid-19 until May, as the President of the Republic admitted, and criticized the Socialist Government for the "general disorganization".

André Ventura was speaking to journalists in the Lost Steps of parliament after a virtual audience with the head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and another clarification session on the epidemiological situation in Portugal by specialists at Infarmed.

"Chega will not support this state of emergency again, as it has not done in relation to the last ones. I listened with amazement to the President saying that he wants a state of emergency until May. I do not know what country he lives in and wants to live in. I know one thing, the country will not continue to endure this ", he argued. 33

The sole deputy of the extreme right-wing parliamentary party demanded clarification about the economic activities that may return to work and what the respective time horizon is.

"The Government, what it says to us is: 'look what is happening in France, in Germany ... we will have to be very careful, open very gradually, maybe, we will have to go back'. As if it were guilt of the population what is happening! It is the fault of the general disorganization in which the Government organized the processes of confinement, deflation, testing and vaccination ", he said.

Ventura pointed to the Spanish case as an example, as he "chose to keep things open" and "fight the pandemic with the means he had".

"Do you know what the problem is? It is that we do not have these means. The problem is that the miracle of the national health system does not exist. The hospitals, at the slightest fragility, collapse, as happened in December and January", said.

On Thursday, the Assembly of the Republic will debate and vote on the draft presidential decree for the renewal of the state of emergency for a new period of 15 days, with effect from April 1 and which will cover the Easter period.

Portugal today registered 10 deaths related to covid-19 and 434 new cases of infection with the new coronavirus, according to the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).

In Portugal, 16,794 people have died from 818,212 confirmed cases of infection.

2. sabado.pt (translated, original by Alexandre R. Malhado, 27.03.2021)

Enough approves 66 new municipal candidates 34

Direction approves 66 more names for municipalities. The director, Catholic veterinarian Pedro Frazão, a member of Opus Dei, was chosen for Santarém, while Rui Paulo Sousa goes to Castelo Branco.

66 more names to head Chega's municipal lists were approved in a catadupa at Friday's board meeting, SATURDAY confirmed to an official board source. Pedro Frazão and Rui Paulo Sousa, members of the board, are among the approved names.

Veterinary doctor and fervent Catholic, supernumerary of Opus Dei , Pedro Frazão was the choice for Santarém. On SATURDAY , he stressed that his candidacy will have a strong focus in Santarém as "agrourbe". The candidate, with his father's background in Santarém, has been advising André Ventura's parliamentary office on agriculture issues.

In the past, he worked in the areas of Animal Health and joined the Veterinary Directorate- General in 2010 for a career as a senior technician, having been part of the Services Directorate

Veterinarians in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region. He is the author of several controversial opinion articles in the Observer, where he criticized the slaughter of Muslim and Jewish religious animals, for example. He was also writing on a website linked to the Portuguese and Spanish QAnon, which is being investigated by the secret and the Judiciary Police, as SATURDAY revealed in an investigation.

It was at the II Chega congress where Pedro Frazão came into view (which earned him a place in the leadership). He presented a motion on agriculture entitled "Food Sovereignty of Portugal" which was unanimously approved by all congressmen.

In Castelo Branco, the name chosen was another name of the direction: Rui Paulo Sousa, national agent of the André Ventura campaign and coordinator of the party's Ethics Committee, the body responsible for executing the 3/2020 directive, better known as the 'law of cork 'of the Chega.

Partner at Villabosque - Espargos Verdes do Ribatejo, Rui Paulo Sousa was already head of the Aliança por Santarém list in the legislatures. After being a candidate for Aliança in the place where he works, he is now a candidate for Chega in the place where he was born. "I was born in Castelo Branco and my family is from a small village, Rodeios, which is about 15 kms from Castelo Branco", he considered on SATURDAY . 35

"I think we will be able to have an excellent result. The PS will not support the ex-president who lost his mandate and the PSD apparently still has not managed to find any candidate," he added.

In addition, it established the Saturday along the direction of the sources, were also approved a number of other names. For Setúbal, the president of Setúbal district Luís Maurício was chosen; for Almada, the parliamentary adviser to Chega and president of the Pro-Life Party Manuel Matias; for Barreiro, Marta Trindade, from the same council as the party.

3. jornaleconomico.sapo.pt (translated, original by Leonardo Ralha, 06.04.2021)

Enough wants RSI beneficiaries recruited for public functions

Diploma intends to amend the Basic Social Security Law so that beneficiaries in conditions to work can perform functions of cleaning, auxiliary work and other services in their areas of technical, professional or academic training while receiving social benefits.

Chega intends to amend the Basic Social Security Law so that beneficiaries of social insertion income (RSI) and other social benefits have to do public work while receiving these funds from the State. According to a bill delivered this Tuesday to the Assembly of the Republic, the recruitment of these people for necessary public functions would be at stake, such as “cleaning, auxiliary work in public facilities or departments or provision of services in the area of technical, professional or academic training. of the beneficiary ”.

The diploma of the sole deputy of the party, André Ventura, emphasizes that the public functions to be exercised, when possible for the beneficiaries of the RSI, must “be previously defined and be agreed according to the personal conditions of the beneficiary and his educational background, academic and professional ”.

In the explanatory memorandum to the Chega bill, it is argued that the RSI is a “paradigmatic case” of injustice resulting from the contrast between the “enormous tax burden that 36 suffocates the Portuguese” and the “continuous (extremely expensive) social benefits” of that social groups benefit "without any counterpart to the society that works and contributes to them".

Despite recognizing cases in which “social and human solidarity”, which Ventura stresses is characteristic of a rule of law based on the dignity of the human person, “imposes the attribution (often extendable and of long duration) of social support aimed at achieving of a minimally dignified personal and / or family life ”, the single deputy of Chega opposes to them the“ chronic dependence that needs to be reduced, corrected and resized ”. Something that, in his opinion, translates into the permanence of “young people in full health and in effective working condition” for “long months or years” to benefit from the RSI and to ensure that “entrepreneurs do not obtain labor for their employees. Business".

“What is intended is that the beneficiaries of the RSI and identical or equivalent benefits - using the justifying and functional criteria - contribute to work, whenever possible and within their professional or training area, for the well-being of the community” , it is read in the introductory text of the bill, in which it is argued that the granting of this type of subsidies “should promote integration and inclusion, namely through work, and not cultivate inactivity or subsidization, which promotes glaring inequalities. social and financial ”.

According to the most recent data from the Social Security Institute, referring to February 2021, there were 214,239 beneficiaries of IHR in Portugal, mainly concentrated in the districts of Lisbon, Porto and Setúbal. of which more than 63 thousand were minors, while those over 65 were below seven thousand. The average value of this social benefit was, in the same month, 119.39 euros, which resulted in a total monthly charge of 25.5 million euros.

4. noticiasaominuto.com (translated, original by Lusa, 31.03.2021)

Ventura promises to resist the country's "asphyxiation" and "venezuelization"

The president of Chega today promised to resist "to the end" and "in all the streets of Portugal" the attempts to illegalize his party, describing a picture of "democratic asphyxia" and "venezuelization" of the country.

In a political statement in parliament, André Ventura recalled the demonstration called for April 18, in front of the parliament and the Constitutional Court, as a way of protesting against the illegalization of the political force of the parliamentary extreme right, and the vice president of the social- Democrat Carlos Peixoto saluted him and said that the idea was installed that "someone is doing everything to control the controllers, to guard the guardians".

"We will resist until the end, no matter what order, no decision there. We will resist on the street, in all the streets of Portugal, in the face of such a vile act of threat to our existence. We will resist until the end. In view of the passivity of a parliament that does not stands up to defend what should be democracy and freedom from political pluralism, we will resist ", guaranteed the populist leader.

According to Ventura, there is "democratic asphyxiation because when a state begins to use justice as a way of conditioning adversaries and pursuing political parties, it is a sign that we are on the wrong track".

"There is an idea that has installed itself that there is someone who is doing everything to control the controllers, to guard the guardians. I do not know if it is democratic asphyxiation or not. What I do know is that it starts to be a poor quality democracy. He did very well in bringing this issue here for a matter of sanitizing public and political life ", said the PSD deputy.

Carlos Peixoto accused the Socialist Government, without ever explicitly mentioning it, of placing Portugal in the "last places in Europe in the perception of corruption and transparency", of displacing three people "from the Ministry of Justice to the Judiciary Police to key places - - one of them monitoring wiretaps "," having a prosecutor convicted of pressuring colleagues in order not to investigate Socrates ", being" compliant with exemption from stamp duty on dams "and" minimizing the period of public discussion of the Resilience and Recovery Plan ".

"There are today many in Portugal interested in maintaining control of the Justice, the Public Ministry and the courts", lamented Ventura, criticizing "party leaders" who "called for the illegalization of a party elected to this assembly and whose leader had half a million people. votes in the Presidential ". 38

"Presidential candidates, supported by parties that are here, delivered complaints, my arrest and closure of facilities. Where have we heard this without in Venezuela of Nicolas Maduro or in North Korea?

We were silent when the country's largest mayor, Fernando Medina says 'in fact, sooner or later, we will have to discuss the illegalization of a political party called Chega' ", he lamented.

Previously, the single deputy of Chega had cited as examples of his thesis the recent and consecutive substitutions of the Attorney General, the President of the Court of Auditors, the European Prosecutor, in addition to the apparent delay of Justice in relation to cases where the former Prime Minister José Sócrates or ex-president of the extinct BES group Ricardo Salgado.

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AUSTRIA

1. jungefreiheit.de (translated, original by jungefreiheit.de, 30.03.2021)

Refugee helpers want to prevent deportation and cause traffic chaos

VIENNA. Left-wing extremists and refugee workers have again protested in Vienna against the deportation of illegal immigrants and caused traffic chaos. As the police and several media unanimously report, around 50 demonstrators blocked a motorway junction at Vienna Airport.

Accordingly, the left-wing radicals abseiled down from a bridge and set up sit-down blocks. The photos show how they blocked the multi-lane access road to the airport with a banner that read “Stop deportations!” And “Deportation is murder”.

Around 45 Afghans are to be deported

The left-wing extremist "Antifa" and the "Alliance Right to Stay" were also involved in the actions. Left-wing photographers criticized the fire brigade for supporting the police in clearing the blockades.

According to the Green politician Birgit Hebein, around 45 Afghans are to be returned to their homeland on Tuesday. The Lower Austrian police announced that the protests had been unannounced. After the blockades had been cleared, the demonstrators announced that they would be protesting against collective deportation in Vienna that afternoon.

Demonstration against deportation of rapists

It was only at the end of February that refugee workers tried to prevent the deportation of several Afghans in the Austrian capital. Among the rejected asylum seekers were several men who had committed serious criminal offenses in the past . For example, three of them were found guilty of attempted and committed rape.

The government's asylum policy had also led to disputes in the black-green coalition in the past. The Greens stressed that the government had a "political commitment to humanity" . The ÖVP, on the other hand, insisted on compliance with the law. (ls)

2. heute.at (translated, original by heute.at, 06.04.2021)

Fix: Lockdown in the east extended, openings in May

Corona summit on April 6, 2021: Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) and Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) as part of a video conference of the Federal Government with experts and the governors in the Federal Chancellery in Vienna

After the summit, Chancellor Kurz gave the Corona update for Austria in a large group on Tuesday. Now it is fixed: Lockdown in the east will be extended.

The big Corona summit has been meeting in the Chancellery since late morning. The federal government, governors and numerous experts are discussing, partly via video, how to proceed in the pandemic. What is certain is that Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland have once again extended their lockdown. Until April 18, the pause button will still be pressed in the eastern region. This also has an impact on schools .

From 4 p.m. Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz , Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler , Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig , the Styrian Governor Hermann Schützenhöfer and Professor Oswald Wagner , Vice Rector for Clinical Affairs of the Medical University of Vienna, provided information at a press conference.

"We have a very different regional situation in Austria, especially with regard to the occupancy of the intensive care units," Chancellor began his address. Currently, 578 people are being treated on ICUs nationwide. "The picture for us is as follows: We have a relatively stable situation in six out of nine federal states," said Sebastian Kurz . The situation is only tense in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland.

No new measures

Therefore, the government will continue its regional approach. In the other six federal states they will "continue to try to make do with the existing measures."

There is a climate of solidarity between the countries. Kurz explicitly thanked Upper Austria and Styria, who will now take on intensive care patients from the eastern region.

Trend reversal in sight

Of the 7.5 million eligible for vaccination, only just under 5 million would also want a Jaukerl, the Chancellor calculates. When vaccinating, one will continue to categorize strongly according to age. In April, the focus should still be on the over-65s, from May onwards it will be on people aged 50+. In the meantime, his 92-year-old grandmother also received a stab, the Chancellor reports. Postscript: "Thank God".

The whole country should soon go uphill: From May, Kurz expects a massive trend reversal in the pandemic. Then new easing should also take full effect. Therefore, an opening commission is now set up to prepare the procedure and coordinate the implementation.

Fixed opening dates in 14 days

"From May this will be realistic. When will depend on how the number of infections will develop," said Vice Chancellor Kogler in connection with the opening plans mentioned.

In 14 days he wants to announce the exact opening dates so that the respective companies get enough lead time. The prerequisite, however, is that the situation must stabilize by then.

New measures in Vienna?

Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig emphasized that if the number of corona patients in the intensive care units in the federal capital could not be "drastically" reduced soon, further measures would have to be imposed.

At the same time, the city chief thanked the Viennese, who would implement the previous requirements "by an overwhelming majority". "The majority of the population is very disciplined because they see it as an opportunity to get out of there again," said Ludwig.

At the same time, corona rebels will continue to be punished in order to signal to everyone that the situation is still dramatic. "The safety of the population and the health of the population are of the utmost importance."

Solidarity and caution

The Styrian governor immediately followed suit. "Health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health," said Hermann Schützenhöfer , who is currently also the chairman of the Governors' Conference.

He also emphasizes that the number of infections can "explode" anytime and anywhere. "One shouldn't praise the day before evening". At the same time he underlined the solidarity among the countries of the eastern region.

Three measures

Vice Rector Oswald Wagner took over the closing words: The increase in the number of cases in Austria had occurred as forecast by the experts, but there is a huge difference to the other countries. The increase in this country is linear and not exponential, as was the case in October.

Three measures would have had a particularly strong effect here: namely the FFP2 mask requirement as well as its issue at cost price and the expansion of the test programs in Austria.

Inoculation, too, now leads to a flattening of the curve. The regional measures could have massively reduced the reproductive factor of the virus in Salzburg, for example - an infected person is only infected less than another person here.

FFP2 compulsory and tests in companies

Wagner appealed to everyone to wear the FFP2 masks wherever possible. He also sees compulsory testing in companies as an effective means. The panel of experts also welcomes regional measures and the extension of the lockdown in the eastern region. The Vice Rector also supports the procurement of the Russian vaccine "Sputnik V" by the German government.

3. wien.orf.at (translated, original by wien.orf.at, 31.03.2021)

Viennese of Turkish origin are at risk of having their passport withdrawn

A Turkish electoral list from 2018 is currently being processed in the magistrate. This ensures that hundreds of Austrians of Turkish descent who have dual citizenship will lose their Austrian citizenship.

Such a list already existed in 2017. This came from the FPÖ environment and was not very precise or faulty. The current list is of a different quality as it is a 2018 Turkish document. 43

According to MA 35, it is “an official list from the Turkish electoral commission”, reports the “Kurier”.

The Administrative Court (VwGH) approved them as evidence in March 2020. For hundreds of people of Turkish origin who now have Austrian citizenship and have never renounced their Turkish citizenship, this could result in the loss of Austrian citizenship.

Recurrence: Case by case is processed

The procedure is rather informal: the illegal possession of another citizenship, so to speak, inevitably entails the loss of the Austrian one. All this is not really new, it is said from the office of the responsible city councilor Christoph Wiederkehr (Neos), it has simply been processed case by case since the decision of the Administrative Court. In total, there are a few hundred cases.

"Dual citizenships are fundamentally forbidden and full compliance with these regulations is also an important part of a full integration activity," says the Vienna ÖVP. She has announced a request to return.

4. portfolio.hu (translated, original by MTI, 02.04.2021)

Austria supports the Czechs with vaccines

Austria is supporting the Czech Republic with 30,000 doses of the vaccine, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced on Friday. Austria, Rudolf Anschober, in consultation with the Austrian head of the Ministry of Health, is helping bilaterally with the coronavirus vaccine in the Czech Republic, Kurz said. As he said, it is very positive that they see a willingness to do so from other EU Member States.

As part of our new promotion, the annual SIGNATURE subscriptions purchased between March 31 and April 9 can now be purchased with a 40% discount for HUF 18,000. This gives 44 you access to the latest news, key analytics and exclusive content at a much better price. Plus, you can even support quality economic content production. Click here for more details.

Most EU member states agreed on Thursday to distribute nearly three million doses of Pfizer / BioNTech population-based vaccines in solidarity among the countries "most in need" of the coronavirus epidemic; three Member States - Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia - have rejected the agreement, leaving them with no change in their population. Austria rejected the agreement out of solidarity with the Czech Republic, saying its northern neighbor also needs more vaccines to cope with the severe epidemic.

Kurz criticized the agreement, saying the Czech Republic was particularly affected by the epidemic with a high number of deaths and a high number of people infected, but still did not receive an additional vaccine as part of the EU vaccine distribution. "We find it unfair and contrary to solidarity that the Czech Republic would not receive support," Kurz stressed.

According to the Austrian chancellor, the situation could have been remedied with a few hundred thousand doses. As he said, in the first proposal, about eight hundred thousand doses would have been allocated to the Czech Republic, but then it turned out to be nothing. He stressed that if there is a backlog in immunizing the population in each member state, it is bad for everyone, because the pandemic can only be defeated together.

Vaccines bound by the European Union are always distributed in proportion to the population of the 27 Member States. However, the ambassadors of the 19 EU member states agreed to change the quota system for the ten million doses of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine arriving in the second quarter of the year, which the European Union will receive in advance from the hundreds of millions shipped in the third quarter.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis voiced his misunderstanding of how Portugal, which holds the rotating EU presidency, had announced that member states had agreed to distribute three million doses of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine on a solidarity basis among the "most deprived" countries due to the coronavirus epidemic. Babis also pointed out that the agreement had been rejected by the three Member States concerned - Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. In a statement forwarded to the CTK news agency on Friday, the politician said the key to vaccine distribution was "unsustainable and unbalanced". According to the Czech prime minister, the solution described was "under pressure and force from the great states."

Of the ten million, 2.85 million so-called "solidarity vaccines" are distributed among the five countries - Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia - that need the vaccine the most. In addition, these countries will receive a proportionate share.

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GREECE

1. demokrata.hu (translated, original by MTI, 30.03.2021)

THE COMMISSIONER IS ENTHUSIASTIC, THE OPINION OF THE GREEK RESIDENTS HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT

The new refugee camps based on the Greek Aegean islands are intended to significantly alleviate the migration situation there, said European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson during a visit to Greece on Tuesday.

Johansson stressed that the inhabitants of the islands had to bear a disproportionately high burden. He added that the new facilities are designed to improve the lives of both migrants and those living there.

“Of course, the patience of Greek citizens also has limits, and of course there has been a disproportionate burden on these islands,” Johansson said at a joint press conference in Athens with Greek Minister of Immigration Nitarius Mitarakis. "It is therefore important that there are tangible measures to build appropriate new facilities so that migrants never again find themselves in the same situation as in Moria," the EU commissioner referred to the overcrowded Lesbos refugee camp set on fire last September.

The European Union has promised EUR 276 million (HUF 100 billion) to build new migrant camps on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Leros, Samos, Kos and Chios.

The Nazi camp is almost complete, while on other islands, local politicians and residents are vehemently opposed to building asylum centers.

Kostasz Mucuris, governor of the North Aegean region, did not attend the meeting with Johansson. He complained that the EU had not consulted with the islanders before calling for new refugee camps. Mucurisz stressed that the wishes of the local population were completely ignored.

There are currently about 14,000 migrants on the Greek islands, up from about 42,000 last year.

2. cnn.gr (translated, original by cnn.gr, 25.03.2021)

Velopoulos for March 25th: Turkey must abandon neo-Ottoman dreams

With two messages to the Greek people, the president of the Hellenic Solution, Kyriakos Velopoulos , wanted to wish Greece and the Greek people for the anniversary of March 25 and the 200th anniversary of the National Uprising.

The announcement issued by the political office of Kyriakos Velopoulos in detail:

"For today's 200th anniversary of the Revolution of 1821 and today's parade we have two messages and one remark.

Both messages are about enemies and friends.

The first message concerns the allied friends who, as then, are behaving very positively and even provocatively towards Turkey .

The second message concerns Turkey, which must abandon the neo-Ottoman dreams as it must not forget what happened in 1821, 200 years ago, and that with the Greeks united and the Greek militant armed forces, the "desired" can be repeated again and again. the Unredeemed Homelands, Asia Minor, Pontus, Constantinople to be liberated as our country was liberated in 1821.

The remark concerns the lack of people and the message of solidarity that the parade had to send, with the responsibility falling solely on the government that did not allow the presence of Greek citizens.

Happy birthday to the Greeks for the great feast of Orthodoxy and the 200th anniversary of the National Uprising.

Cheer for the nation".

3. newseu.cgtn.com (original by Jim Drury, 22.03.2021)

Greece increases pressure on Turkey to take back 1,450 migrants

The Greek government has renewed demands for Turkey to take back 1,450 migrants currently held in reception centers.

Migration minister Notis Mitarachi's comments came as hundreds of anti-racism campaigners demonstrated in Athens, with many calling for refugees to be allowed to stay in Greece.

Greece has faced persistent allegations of migrant pushbacks in Aegean waters.

Mitarachi told AFP that Turkey must demonstrate its "willingness to cooperate" with the EU on a controversial 2016 deal in which Ankara is paid to stem the flows of would-be refugees, primarily from Syria.

The accord arranged for payments of $7.1 billion to Turkey to stop asylum seekers from crossing to Bulgaria and Greece. The European Commission says $4.8 billion has already been delivered, with the remaining amount contracted to projects supporting refugees.

Ankara says that only $4.3 billion has been received, and stresses that Turkey has 3.7 million Syrian refugees on its soil.

Since the deal, which allows Greece to send back asylum seekers arriving via Turkey, the number of migrants and refugees arriving has plummeted from 856,000 to just 10,000.

Mitarachi denied accusations that his government has authorized the turnaround of boats in Greek waters. "We haven't returned boats," he said. "We have prevented boats from entering European and Greek territory, but this is something allowed by the regulations."

On Friday Berlin-based campaign group Mare Liberum said it had documented 321 incidents from March to December 2020 in which more than 9,000 people "were violently pushed back to Turkey and thus deprived of their right to asylum."

So-called 'pushbacks' prevent asylum-seekers from making refugee claims and, if practiced indiscriminately, constitute a violation of core EU human rights laws and the 1951 Geneva Convention. A recent investigation by EU border agency Frontex into the allegations proved inconclusive.

After a two-day Athens summit on a new European Union migration pact, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Malta and Spain on Saturday urged other EU states to share the migration burden. The countries have already told the European Commission that its proposed New Pact on Migration and Asylum fails to share fairly the burden of migrants arriving in Europe.

"We repeat our strong plea in favor of a true balance between solidarity and responsibility," the common statement read. "In its current format the Pact does not provide sufficient reassurances to the front-line Member States."

Mitarachi warned that "the pact shouldn't allow in future the emergence of new camps like Moria," referring to the Greek island refugee camp on the island of Lesbos destroyed by fire.

He added that "there is a lack of balance between the obligations of the countries of first reception and the uncertain mechanism of solidarity of the rest of the EU."

Lesbos currently houses at least 8,500 asylum seekers, most living in a temporary tent camp.

Protesters marched through Athens, and other Greek cities, on Saturday in support of migrants and refugees.

Organizer Petros Constantinou told reporters: "We want the European Union to stop the policy of deportation, to end the agreement with Turkey. It is necessary to open the borders because we don't want to see women and children drowned in the Mediterranean Sea."

The talks occurred ahead of this week's two-day EU summit focusing on EU-Turkey relations, which begins on Thursday. Much is at stake.

EU chiefs on Friday pressed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a "sustained de- escalation" as the neighbors seek to improve diplomacy after rising tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. The bloc has been encouraged by Turkey resuming talks with Greece over their disputed maritime border and by plans to restart UN peace efforts for divided EU member state Cyprus.

4. hu.euronews.com (translated, original by Gábor Kiss, 29.03.2021)

Greece opens the vaccine gate

Greece will accept all coronavirus vaccines even if they have not yet been authorized by the European Medicines Agency.

At a press conference after Monday's meeting of Serbian and Greek tourism ministers, Greek minister Haris Teokaris said Serbs vaccinated with Chinese and Russian vaccines could also go to Greece in the summer, writes hvg.hu.

Those who are not vaccinated but can show a negative PCR test will also be free to enter the country. Children under the age of 10 do not need a vaccination certificate or a negative test, the minister stressed.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Tourism announced last week that Greece would allow citizens of EU member states and Israel to enter its territory once they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. It has not yet been announced when the measures will take effect.

The Greek government has been pushing for an EU vaccine passport since the beginning of the year to save this year’s tourist season. Tourism previously accounted for one-fifth of Greek GDP.

A few weeks ago, all five hundred residents were vaccinated against a coronavirus on a small Greek island, signaling that they were ready to receive tourists.

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THE NETHERLANDS

1. telegraaf.nl (translated, original by telegraaf.nl, 06.04.2021)

Debate about disastrous formation: Kaag spoke with Rutte about the position of President of the House of Representatives

THE HAGUE - Informateur Herman Tjeenk Willink is given the assignment to ensure more openness and transparency in the Hague administrative culture. That wish of D66 member Sigrid Kaag wants to embrace VVD member Mark Rutte in all its glory. PVV leader Geert Wilders immediately puts it into practice and soon finds out that the two have discussed the election of the President of the House.

The Lower House will speak on Tuesday after a bizarre political week about the continuation of the formation. D66 proposes to appoint Minister of State Herman Tjeenk Willink to an informateur to investigate the formation of a new cabinet.

Party leaders may give the informateur an assignment. If it were up to Rutte, the subject of 'power and counterpower' will become part of the discussions with the informateur. The liberal calls it 'very useful and sensible' if that were to be the red line.

According to the VVD leader, it should concern, among other things, the relations between the cabinet and the House, the question of whether a coalition agreement should be completely boarded up, but also the ins and outs surrounding the weekly coalition meeting. A little later it appears in the debate that this is exactly the wish of D66 leader Sigrid Kaag.

She would like the informateur to be ready within three weeks. If it were up to her, there will be a cabinet that is as progressive as possible with broad support in the Netherlands. “I'm starting from scratch,” she says. "I want to get away from talking about the personal and persons." She therefore does not want to say much about a future role for Rutte. “It will take a lot,” Kaag warns.

Elections

If it is up to Geert Wilders, Tjeenk Willink will not get to work. According to the PVV leader, it is about citizens' trust in the government that has been damaged. He sees the best solution in new elections.

"A democrat is never afraid of new elections," Rutte responds. He just doesn't like going to the polls again so shortly after the elections. "My approach is to regain confidence step by step."

Wilders thinks it is strange if Rutte stays on as VVD leader. "Then the voter at home sees that you can lie and cheat." It is striking that Rutte does not consider a role for the VVD in the opposition unthinkable and says that he wants to lead the fraction in that situation. Attacks against Rutte are raining in the debate. Remarkably, GL leader Jesse Klaver does not participate. The published documents show that he would love to join the next cabinet.

President of the Chamber

Kaag's desire to gain more openness and transparency was immediately tested by Wilders. The PVV leader wants to know whether the D66 leader in the back rooms has made a deal with other parties to have Chamber president Arib succeeded by MP Vera Bergkamp (D66).

Kaag indicates that she announced in a 'personal conversation' with Rutte on Monday that her party is considering applying for Bergkamp. The D66 leader says she has made it clear that it must be a free choice for MPs. "I also want this process without any obligation or expectation." Rutte comes to her aid: "It is correct from A to Z."

Wilders, who himself advertises 'his' candidate, Member of Parliament Martin Bosma, does not trust it at all: “In a personal conversation? That stinks, you don't do that in a personal conversation. That smacks of haggling. ” PvdA leader Lilianne Ploumen, the party of current parliamentary president Khadija Arib, also has her reservations. Observant photographers have captured a wink from Rutte towards Kaag during this scene.

2. ad.nl (translated, original by ad.nl, 01.04.2021)

Wilders: Rutte lied to the Netherlands, he must resign and then new elections

Opposition parties are furious with VVD leader Mark Rutte, who at first said that he had not mentioned CDA MP Pieter Omtzigt in his conversation with the scouts, while that has now turned out to be the case . PVV leader Geert Wilders wants Rutte to leave and that new elections will take place.

“Rutte has a big problem as far as I'm concerned”, says SP leader Lilian Marijnissen. "We already thought that Rutte cannot be a credible leader of this country, and if you keep the country in its grip for another week by telling lies and actually have to come back to that today, then you are definitely no longer credible" 'says Think leader Farid Azarkan.

"It is inconceivable that the prime minister has been lying", Marijnissen grumbled prior to the debate about the collapsed reconnaissance. In the interview reports that have been released, it is recorded that Rutte would have said: "You have to make something with Omtzigt, minister."

D66 leader Sigrid Kaag is also shocked by the comments that VVD leader Mark Rutte has made about Pieter Omtzigt (CDA). "This is neither good nor good is an understatement." Kaag did not want to say whether she still has faith in Rutte.

Wilders believes that Prime Minister Mark Rutte should resign and that new elections should be held. According to Wilders, Rutte 'lied' to the Netherlands by denying having said anything. “So it was Rutte. He lied very hard. ” He asks Rutte to resign, but also announces a motion of no confidence in the first part of the debate. “Ollongren gave us a look behind the scenes of the political mafia”, Wilders sneered.

3. origo.hu (translated, original by origo.hu, 25.03.2021)

They show naked men to children in a scandalous show in the Netherlands

“Gewoon. Bloot. "(Simply. Bare.) Features five naked people in front of children around the age of 11 who can ask adults questions about their bodies. The show is being produced by Warner Bros. in collaboration with the Rutgers Sexuality Knowledge Center and is causing growing public outrage around the world. , as many say this is a covert attempt to accept pedophilia with society.

The children’s TV show caused some controversy in the country, Dutch conservative politicians were disapproved, and the Reformed Political Party announced that it would ask 54 questions about the show in parliament. The reaction of the Dutch moderate right is typical, with Thierry Baudet, the leader of the Forum for Democracy, expressing his disapproval somewhat more clearly when he reacted to the news: "God beat him!" The Dutch right-wing politician was the only one named naming the thing, he described the public television show as propaganda of pedophilia, writes the Firewall Group.

In the Netherlands, however, sensitization to pedophiles and permissive treatment of perpetrators are not a glaring case. In recent decades, countless sensitization attempts have expanded the tolerance of Dutch society, so the public television show has not been able to provoke real outrage.

There is no other country in Europe that, thanks to its liberal legal system, can boast that pedophile advocacy organizations and political parties have been able to operate for years without any disruption. One such organization was the Brotherly Love, Freedom and Diversity Party, which was recently an active political movement in the Netherlands. INCLUDED IN THEIR PROGRAM THAT IT MAY BE POSSIBLE FROM THE AGE OF 12 TO ESTABLISH SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ADULT CHILDREN, BUT ALLEGALLY CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.

Their main objectives also included: children can take drugs, postponement of the choice of place of residence, ban on meat and meat consumption Many around the world have followed the ban on the party, but the Hague District Court has dismissed the lawsuits, citing freedom of expression and assembly. The party finally disbanded itself in 2010, until then they were able to operate virtually undisturbed.

In addition to political representation, one of the members of the three-member party also operated a pedophile organization operating since 1982 under the name Vereniging MARTIJN. The organization, like the party, fought for the legal and social acceptance of sexual intercourse between adults and children. The organization was only banned by the Dutch Supreme Court in April 2014, as after more than thirty years of operation, they realized that such an organization was harmful to public order and dangerous to children. After the dissolution, the leader of the "movement" appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, but the new procedure upheld the decision of the Dutch court.

It also caused great outrage when, in 2018, Dutch authorities discovered that a hundreds-page handbook on how pedophiles can seduce young children had been circulating on the dark web for more than a decade. The book was shared on many surfaces, but the authorities were unable to take action against the distribution of the book.

THE PROCEEDING HAS BEEN PREVENTED BY THE EVENT THAT THE CONTENT OF THE BOOK HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED DANGEROUS, BECAUSE IT HAS NOT BEEN CONSIDERED ILLEGAL IN THE NETHERLANDS.

Provocative content in the name of sensitization to pedophilia appeared in the Dutch media even before its production on public television. In one show, for example, a man who asked for her name to be withheld admitted that she was attracted to boys aged 4 to 14, and also mentioned that she thought they could already decide if they wanted to have sex.

Not only in the Netherlands, but also in Hungary, sensitization to pedophiles has been going on for years, and the leading material in the most read left-wing papers includes writings that seek to awaken sympathy for pedophiles. According to a well-established method, pedophiles have been “brought closer” to people through personal stories to make the public aware of the appalling situation of members of this excluded, vulnerable social group.

4. mandiner.hu (translated, original by Bernát László Veszprémy, 05.04.2021)

Scandals are tearing the strong man of the Netherlands

Mark Rutte first denied that he had lied, later defending himself by forgetting the case of his fellow politician.

Dutch executive prime minister Mark Rutte is on fire: the president of the Liberal Right-wing People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) is piling up scandals, and interestingly, both cases feature Christian Democrat coalition partner Pieter Omtzig, who is a member of the Alliance.

The parliamentary elections in mid-March were won by the Rutte-led VVD for the fourth time, despite the fact that the head of government was forced to resign earlier this year due to a family support scandal stirring up the big dust. The VVD has won 35 seats in a lower house of 150 people, and 76 seats are needed to form a majority.

Rutte's recent scandal is that although he claimed Omtzigt's name did not appear during the coalition talks, the Dutch press photographed a document that did say that Rutte was going to give him a position "elsewhere." Rutte first denied that he had lied, he later defended himself by forgetting that the name of the politician had indeed arisen.

Against the prime minister, Geert Wilders, president of the populist Freedom Party, initiated a no-confidence vote that Rutte had just survived. Still, he has no plans to resign, arguing that he won an election two weeks ago and so it would be “crazy” for him to move.

It is important to mention that the D66 and the CDA, although they indicated that their confidence in Ruthe had faltered, did not yet completely rule out the possibility of joint governance.

Vaccination scandal on the horizon

So far, another scandal has appeared in only a few places in the Hungarian press, which also affects Rutte: this is a matter related to the development of AstraZeneca vaccines.

As summarized by the NLTimes portal, the Dutch public service NOS was able to view details of a letter that Rutte received from researchers at Oxford University just a year ago, in April 2020.

It asked the Dutch Prime Minister to contribute to the expansion of the capacity of the Halix vaccine production center in Leiden, which would have required € 10 million. Researchers at the university were now close to preparing the AZD 1222 vaccine, and warned the Prime Minister that there will be a great demand for vaccines once the tests are successful, and expanded manufacturing capabilities will be needed to “avoid disruptions”.

Although not all details of the case are known due to confidentiality agreements, the NOS said the university originally approached the aforementioned Omtzigt and then held a hearing in Rutte’s office on April 28 last year. The next day the letter was sent to the Prime Minister.

A day later, Swedish-English AstraZeneca and Oxford University announced that the pharmaceutical company had agreed to improve the university’s vaccine. The Netherlands later tried to reach an agreement with Halix, but this was not successful, as the Swedish- English company had already invested in the facility at that time.

According to NLTimes, not increasing the vaccine production capacity in Leiden was also detrimental to the EU, as if Rutte had responded to the request in a timely manner, the current dispute between the EU and the UK could have been avoided. As is well known, AstraZeneca says it will only be able to deliver a fraction of the vaccine it has committed to the European Economic Area, as the company is fulfilling its commitment to the UK for the first time.

According to the article, this also includes vaccines manufactured at the Leiden site, and the Dutch investment, if implemented, would have given the EU as a whole greater access to covid-19 vaccines.

According to Statista.com, at the time of writing these lines, there are 58.5 vaccinations per 100 people in the United Kingdom, 28.61 in Hungary and the Netherlands at the end of the line, with 13.88 vaccinations between Croatia and Slovenia.

It is quite recent news that the Netherlands, meanwhile, has stopped vaccinating people under the age of 60 with AstraZeneca, mainly because of fears about the risk of thrombosis.

The European Medicines Agency continues to consider AstraZeneca to be safe, with National Chief Medical Officer Cecília Müller saying that “out of 17 million people, 15 cases of thrombosis and 22 cases of pulmonary embolism have been reported, which is less than that there will be some side effects from vaccination ”.

In the meantime, it is important to note that analysts at ING Bank in the Netherlands said on Monday that they believe a new election may be needed in the Netherlands.

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BELGIUM

1. brusselstimes.com (original by Maithé Chini, 05.04.2021)

Closing schools was ‘incredible blunder’ for Belgium, says De Wever

Belgium’s federal government made “an incredible blunder” when it decided to close the schools one week early before the Easter holidays, according to Antwerp mayor and leader of the rightwing N-VA party Bart De Wever.

Last week, several incidents with large groups of young people violating the coronavirus measures to party together, including a gathering at the Leopold de Wael square in Antwerp, near the Museum of Fine Arts, which led to some commotion when police officers intervened.

“It is an incredible blunder to close down education. Small children are taken care of elsewhere, older children and young people have extra holidays, go out on the streets and party and gather,” De Wever said on VTM News.

“Two halves of society have emerged: the young people are fed up, they want freedom,” he added, “and the other half are older people, or people with illnesses. Both sides are facing each other with drawn knives.”

According to De Wever, reopening the terraces would not be a way to relax the current rules, but a “measure of public order,” referring to the fake festival that took place in Brussels’ Bois de la Cambre and the video of partying young people on a train.

“I would much rather have all those people now sitting in those parks, on squares and terraces with stewards and a maximum capacity,” he said. “The mayor of Amsterdam comes to exactly the same conclusion, but some people in the federal government do not understand that.”

The same logic applies to schools, De Wever stressed. “Better to have children in the classroom, in a bubble where you can see them and control them.”

“I have four teenagers in the house myself and can only hope that they follow the rules when they get outside, but I have no illusions about that,” he added.

However, De Wever is still hopeful about the reopening of the hospitality industry on the planned 1 May date.

“You have to reopen at some point, or the cure becomes worse than the disease,” he said. “The epidemic is shrinking now, so there is a little hope. In four weeks’ time, it may yet succeed.”

2. hln.be (translated, original by hln.be, 26.03.2021)

Vlaams Belang: "Belgium is sinning against its own constitution with corona measures"

According to Vlaams Belang, our country is sinning with the applicable corona measures, or the way in which they are implemented, not only against its own constitution, but also against the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights (ECHR).

Vlaams Belang senator Bob De Brabandere wants to take the initiative with his group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe - EC / DA - to put Belgium on the grid. He submitted a motion about it together with Vlaams Belang chairman Tom Van Greeks. The party is now looking for the required 50 signatures from other MPs to put the topic on the agenda.

“In the Council of Europe, the various members of the Belgian delegation turn out to be great defenders of human rights,” explains De Brabandere. “Of course people rightly point to violations of human rights in Russia, among others. But one must also dare to look inside: in 60

Belgium various corona measures, and the way in which they are enforced, are diametrically opposed to the ECHR. ”

3. kw.be (translated, original by Myriam Van den Putte, 29.03.2021)

Vlaams Belang Veurne will go to next elections with its own list

In 2024, Noël Van Kerckhove, Rudy Beulens and Jean-Pierre Op de Beeck will stand up for Vlaams Belang in Veurne with their own list. “It is high time to wake up the 'Veurnse Sleepers' and draw attention to themes that concern the Veurnaars, such as windmills, road safety and an upgrading of the infrastructure,” they say.

Chairman Noël Van Kerckhove: “In the federal elections in 2019, Vlaams Belang won 19% of the votes, and Vlaams Belang is also on the rise in our region. Look at Nieuwpoort, look at Diksmuide… ”

“I was contacted by the De Panne-Adinkerke department and thought it would be a good idea to set up a department in Veurne. I also spoke with Tom Van Greeks' father and provincial councilor and representative of the people Kurt Ravyts was responsible for sponsoring our new departmental board. ”

Obtain one or more seats

“The current polls strongly suggest that Vlaams Belang will improve in the next elections. We hope that this will result in one or more seats in Veurn politics being won. ”

These are also the expectations of vice-chairman Rudy Beulens and treasurer Jean-Pierre Op de Beeck. "We are convinced that Veurne needs a party that is committed to necessary changes," said the new board.

Unthoughtful municipal government spending

“A working point will be road safety in Veurne and each district, for everyone and in particular for the children. We also want to tackle the upgrading of the infrastructure step by step. A lot of residents are not satisfied with certain ill-considered expenditures of the municipal council, while a lot of important themes are not tackled or are just insufficiently addressed. ”

“There must also be more transparency about a number of projects, such as the wind farm along the Lovaart. How far is this and will it continue? Vlaams Belang Veurne also advocates organizing real plebiscites in which the Veurnaar can participate in such important matters. If a majority says no, it is then also no. "

Militants are allowed to register

“Another spearhead is the security around Veurne, especially aimed at transmigrants. They know what budget Veurne spends on the police force, but then it turns out that they cannot guard the industrial park itself due to a shortage of manpower and have to have it guarded by external firms. Where is the problem then? ”

The start-up is part of the multi-year strategy 'Mission 2024'. Candidate board members and / or militants are welcome to apply.

4. ma.hu (translated, original by MTI, 02.04.2021)

Human traffickers sentenced to death in Belgium with a two-year-old Kurdish girl in prison Belgian police chased a van full of migrants for more than 70 kilometers.

Human traffickers have been sentenced to prison in Belgium for killing a two-year-old girl in a van carrying migrants while fleeing police, the French-language Belgian daily La Libre Belgique said on Thursday. 62

In May 2018, Belgian police chased a van full of migrants for more than 70 kilometers. During the action, a child was kept out of the van window to keep the cops away. The van was stopped using targeted shots. A sharp bullet killed a two-year-old Kurdish girl exposed by the window.

According to a Belgian daily on Thursday, the court with jurisdiction in the case has sentenced six members of a criminal group involved in smuggling illegal immigrants across Europe, three of them in absentia. According to the decision, smugglers were sentenced to three years in prison for continuing illegal activity, abuse of human dignity, high number of migrants transported and detained, as well as a fine of 208 thousand euros and compensation for migrants in vans 8 thousand euros per capita. were required to pay.

According to the daily, three members of the criminal group accused of human trafficking traveled alongside the migrants during the car chase that ended with the death of the two-year- old girl. Back in February, the Mons court in southern Belgium sentenced the driver of the van to four years in prison and ordered him to pay € 208,000 for aiding and abetting human trafficking for road traffic that endangered human lives. The second defendant, also in the van, was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay 264,000 euros. A third partner, also accused of human trafficking, was acquitted for lack of evidence.

Police officers found 26 adult migrants and 4 children in the van after a car chase, which began near the French-speaking city of Namur in southern Belgium and near the town of Mons near the French border.

Illegal immigrants came from Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran. The little girl of Kurdish origin and her family had previously been taken to Germany by the Belgian authorities, from where they tried to escape to Britain, along with the rest of the group.

A Belgian court found the case guilty of murder in mid-February and sentenced to one year in prison a police officer who caused the death of a two-year-old girl of Kurdish descent, Mawda, after being shot in a truck full of migrants. The court awarded the child's parents € 30,000 and the couple's other child € 3,000.

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IRELAND

1. precedens.mandiner.hu (translated, original by Mandiner, 01.04.2021)

Irish Prime Minister: restore relations between the UK and the EU

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has called on the UK and the EU to finally restore their international relations.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin called on the UK and the European Union to finally re- establish their international relations in order to “fine-tune” the “post-Brexit” situation in the Northern Ireland.

In an interview with the Financial Times, the Irish “taioseach” said that the relationship between the parties has deteriorated considerably in recent months.

The main reason for this is, in essence, still to be found on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. As is well known, this also caused a disruption during the Brexit negotiations at the time.

On the one hand, Ireland remains a Member State of the European Union and thus a full player in the internal market. On the other hand, Northern Ireland belongs to the United Kingdom, which has left the European Union. And Northern Ireland and Ireland are close not only geographically but also nationally.

“I believe there is a need to completely relaunch relations,” Martin said of London’s introduction of unilateral customs measures in recent months, which has led Brussels to sue the British before the European Court of Justice. 64

In the midst of the events, Ireland found itself in a delicate position, Martin reports. At the same time, it is trying to maintain a balanced relationship with the United Kingdom, while also wanting to remain a waist member of the European Union.

“I have made it clear to EU partners that British-Irish relations are unique, with serious historical roots. (…) We all respect the acquis of the Good Friday Convention, accordingly, there can be no doubt that constructive cooperation between the two countries will be maintained throughout. (…) Our aim is to keep the Irish government’s relationship with Britain constructive, ”the Irish Prime Minister said.

The Northern Ireland-Ireland-British issue was one of the most sensitive points in the Brexit negotiations. After a long time, peace and political stability between the parties was brought about by the so-called Good Friday Agreement, which reassured the border dispute over the Northern Ireland’s affiliation with the UK. Although the Irish Prime Minister is optimistic, the recent disagreement between the EU and the UK over AstraZeneca-produced vaccines does not seem to have subsided.

Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, said that there is no room for negotiations between Brussels and London until the British-Swedish factory has fulfilled its commitments on distribution in the European Union. That is, Brussels continues to push for a ban on the export of British-Swedish vaccines to the island nation (AstraZeneca also has production lines in Belgium and the Netherlands), causing regret in London.

AstraZeneca's plants in the European Union have entered into a contractual obligation with the United Kingdom, and any export ban will prevent these commitments from being met. In the extreme case, an export ban would implement border controls at the Irish-Northern Irish border.

Incidentally, the EU tried to do this for a few hours: not so long ago, at the initiative of the European Commission, it seemed for a while that border controls on the Irish and Northern Irish borders would indeed be reinstated. The intention to do so united London, Dublin and Belfast, which otherwise held opposing positions. The European Commission was finally forced to back down only at the urging of EU officials who heard about the fierce resistance from the social media and news agencies.

2. abc.net.au (original by Reuters, 04.04.2021)

Brexit protesters in Northern Ireland set cars alight, attack police

Demonstrators in Northern Ireland have set cars alight while protesting the Brexit trade deal. Share

Cars have been set alight, 20 police officers have been injured and masked people have pelted a police van with petrol bombs in further disorder in pro-British parts of Northern Ireland amid rising post-Brexit tensions in the region.

Key points:

Belfast Police said they were attacked with masonry, metal rods, fireworks and manhole covers

The injuries included burns, head wounds and a broken leg

Seven people were arrested and chargied, two of them as young as 13 and 14

Many pro-British unionists fiercely oppose the new trade barriers introduced between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom as part of Britain's departure from the EU and have warned that their unease could lead to violence.

Political leaders, including Britain's Northern Ireland minister, had appealed for calm earlier on Saturday but police said they attended reports of disorder in Newtownabbey on the northern outskirts of Belfast.

A video posted on Twitter by the Police Federation for Northern Ireland showed four masked individuals flinging petrol bombs from close range at an armoured police van, which they also kicked and punched.

Fifteen officers were injured in the Sandy Row area of Belfast on Friday when a small local protest developed into a riot.

Police said the rioters attacked them with masonry, metal rods, fireworks and manhole covers.

The injuries included burns, head wounds and a broken leg, resulting in the arrest and charging of seven people, two of them as young as 13 and 14.

Twelve officers were also injured in the fifth straight night of rioting on Friday in Londonderry.

Other political parties blamed the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster on Saturday for stoking up tensions with their staunch opposition to the new trading arrangements.

A return of 'the Troubles'?

Sean Hillen sitting on the same bench that he photographed when there was widespread conflict in Northern Ireland. There are many on both sides of the Irish border that fear a return to the dark old days of terror in the event of a no-deal divorce from the EU.

"By their words and actions they have sent a very dangerous message to young people in loyalist areas," Gerry Kelly, a lawmaker from the pro-Irish Sinn Fein party, which shares power in the devolved government with the DUP, said in a statement.

A DUP lawmaker, Christopher Stalford, said rioters were "acting out of frustration" after prosecutors opted not to charge any members of Sinn Fein last week for alleged breaches of COVID-19 restrictions.

The DUP have called for the head of the police force to resign over the issue.

The British-run region remains deeply split along sectarian lines, 23 years after a peace deal largely ended three decades of bloodshed.

Many Catholic nationalists aspire to unification with Ireland while Protestant unionists want to stay in the UK. 67

3. independent.ie (original by Eoghan Moloney, 06.04.2021)

Coronavirus Ireland: nine further deaths and 443 new cases confirmed

There have been nine new deaths of people with Covid-19 and 443 further cases of the virus confirmed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) this evening.

Three of these deaths occurred in January, two in February, three in March and one in April.

This brings the number of people who have died with the virus in Ireland to 4,727, while the total case count has risen to 238,907.

There were 208 new cases confirmed in Dublin, 32 in Cork, 24 in Kildare, 20 in Meath, 17 in Donegal and the remaining 142 spread across 19 other counties.

As of 2pm today, there were 261 people with Covid-19 in Irish hospitals, of which 60 are in intensive care settings. There have been 12 newly confirmed cases in hospitals in the past 24 hours, while six people were discharged.

Of the cases notified today; 239 are men and 203 are women; 75pc are under 45 years of age and the median age is 31 years old.

The national 14-day incidence rate has fallen to 157.1 cases per 100,000 people.

Offaly (407) continues to have the highest incidence in the country while Sligo (27.5) has the lowest.

Latest HSE data shows that 660,800 have received at least one vaccine dose as of last Saturday, with 271,524 people now fully vaccinated in the State. 932,324 doses have been administered in total.

Earlier today, EMA’s head of vaccines Marco Cavaleri told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero that there is a link between the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and blood clots. 68

“In my opinion, we can say it now, it is clear there is a link with the vaccine. But we still do not know what causes this reaction,” he said.

“In the next few hours, we will say that there is a connection, but we still have to understand how this happens,” Mr Cavaleri continued.

Mr Cavaleri said they are still trying to understand where exactly this link comes from.

“We are trying to get a precise picture of what is happening, to define in detail this syndrome due to the vaccine,” he said.

“Among the vaccinated, there are more cases of cerebral thrombosis ... among young people than we would expect.”

An investigation is also underway in the UK, where researchers are looking at the possibility of links between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots. Many countries have already begun to restrict the use of the vaccine in younger people.

4. irishpost.com (original by Harry Brent, 11.03.2021)

Leo Varadkar calls Sinn Féin 'an obstacle to Irish Unity' and accuses party of being 'sectarian'

LEO VARADKAR has lashed out against Sinn Féin, accusing them of being 'sectarian' and an obstacle in the way of Irish unity.

The Tánaiste's comments came following news that Mary Lou McDonald's party had authorised adverts, promoting a United Ireland referendum, in several prominent US newspapers this week.

The ad, which was printed in both the New York Times and the Washington Post on Wednesday, was titled: 'A United Ireland - Let the people have their say'.

It called for the Irish government to "promote and plan for unity" and for the British government to set a date for the vote itself.

"With your support, we can be the first generation of Americans to visit a free and United Ireland," the advert read.

Varadkar said that he had no objection to Sinn Féin running adverts in American papers, but took with issue with their claim of being the party motivated by the notion of unity.

"[A United Ireland is a] legitimate aspiration, and one I share with my party," Varadkar told RTÉ.

"What I do have a problem with is Sinn Féin is an obstacle to Irish unity.

"They have relationship with Unionism which is one of mutually hostility, which is a big problem, and they are sectarian," Varadkar added, before calling the party "anti-British".

"I believe that for a United Ireland to be achieved, and I think it can be achieved in our lifetime, we need to talk about unity among people.

"That means accepting one million people on the island who are British, that their national identity is as valid as ours and the flag is orange as well as green, and that is not the way Sinn Féin thinks.

"It has to be about reaching out to people and about respecting their national identity and rebuilding a different state. It's not about that old-fashioned nationalism."

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DENMARK

1. bt.dk (translated, original by Peter Astrup, 22.03.2021)

Vermund after exit: The other parties buy the prime minister's scare campaign

Pernille Vermund (NB) criticizes the other parties for buying into the Prime Minister's scare campaign. She left the negotiations on Monday afternoon.

Chairman of Nye Borgerlige Pernille Vermund rebukes the other party leaders, especially in the blue bloc, after she left the negotiations on Monday afternoon on the reopening of Danish society.

“They grumble a little in the East and in the West, but basically, they buy the government’s scare campaign. Otherwise, they could bypass the government and make an agreement. They do not want that, "she says.

»Mette Frederiksen has tunnel vision. It's way too cautious, ”she says.

On Thursday, the parties in the Folketing reached a relatively small agreement on reopening. Among other things, that now you had to be 50 for outdoor sports instead of 25 people.

It is not fair that you have to use different types of documentation to travel in your own country – said Pernille Vermund, chairman of Nye Borgerlige

When it did not become much more, it was because there were many calculations on the infection pressure, which the politicians did not have, as they simply did not exist yet.

“Now it was raining on schools, educations and liberal professions. But there was still no rain in malls, restaurants, gyms and cinemas. It testifies to what is accepted in such negotiations, "says Vermund.

Nyte Borgerlige's position is that society must be reopened, where it can then be re-closed locally if the need arises.

“There are huge areas in the province where there are very few infected. It is completely on the moon that a hairdresser on Læsø can not be allowed to open up to his customers. It is not the case that people make a pilgrimage to Læsø to be cut. It is as if the others do not look beyond the capital area, "says Vermund.

Pernille Vermund (NB) criticizes the other parties for buying into the Prime Minister's scare campaign.

Vermund says that the "icing on the cake" that made her leave the negotiations was the discussion about the corona passport. Pernille Vermund sees the corona passport as a potential means of power that the government can use, where the other blue parties see it as an opportunity for the business community to get the economy moving.

“The government would not sign into the agreement to let private hospitals help settle the humps that have emerged in our healthcare system. They would not deny that taxes and duties for our companies should increase to pay the bill for the pandemic, but the government would not deny that either, "says Vermund and continues:

“But the crucial thing was the corona pass. The government would not open up for liberal professions if a corona passport were not introduced. That was the icing on the cake, "says Vermund.

Why do not you like the corona passport? Isn't that a good opportunity for business to get started a little earlier?

Mette Frederiksen has tunnel vision, says Pernille Vermund, who left the reopening negotiations when she could not see herself in the picture that emerged of the negotiating room.

“It is not fair that you have to use different types of documentation to travel in your own country. It just has to be opened, "says Pernille Vermund and continues:

"The government is equipped with a means of power so that it can dictate where and how to move. And I am afraid that the government looks very differently than the bourgeois parties at where such a corona pass should be used and when it should be phased out, "she says.

2. tv.fihedensstemme.dk (translated, original by Uwe Max Jensen, 26.03.2021)

Taxpayers pay: Gender-segregated prayer at Muslim private school

Little schoolgirls are forbidden to wear tight clothing under Sharia law. The girls are given sharia scarves before the school pilgrimage. The little girls must honor Allah and must not sexually tempt older men.

When the Muslim school children are on tour, there is Islamic mass prayer where the students are gendered. Girls, of course, sit in the back because they are unclean according to the Quran. This is everyday life at a Koranic school in Nørrebro in Copenhagen - just a stone's throw from the red wine-drinking cultural elite who enjoy the sun on the fashionable Sankt Hans Torv.

DIA Private School - also called 'The Islamic Arab Free School' - was run by a group of men from an Islamic association who even shared an address with the school. A former school leader swindled with payslips for up to four million kroner and spent two years and six months in prison.

In January 2018, a group of Muslim men attacked the controversial Koranic school and threatened some employees. Some of the intruders were wearing guard uniforms.

“Suddenly there were 15-20 men. They wanted to take over the school, ”said an employee at the Koran school in Nørrebro. A few days after the takeover attempt, it is crazy again, when a large Muslim crowd gathers in the small Sankt Hans Gade in Nørrebro. The agitated Muslims, some of whom have children in school, want to seize control of the Koranic school.

The Danish media is subsequently filled with headlines that 'The Islamic Arab Free School' is threatened with closure and must have been deprived of all public subsidies. The Danish Agency for Education and Quality puts the Koranic school under stricter supervision.

"Board will close the country's oldest Muslim free school," it says in Berlingske. But the media is silent as the case takes a turn. The Islamic Koranic school survives and the school continues to this day.

This is happening despite direct suspicion of extensive cheating with the grades of the Muslim students. The Koran school, for example, has had a towering grade point average in sports of 11.4. The extreme result raises suspicions of cheating at school tests. The whole thing is orchestrated by a school board, where the majority were appointed by an Islamic association.

Today, students are taught by a female Muslim who has been accused of being a Holocaust denier. The scarf-clad teacher has also been criticized for saying that homosexuality is not innate and can be cured.

The Koran school continues, and the Danes pay. The 'Islamic Arab Free School' gets about 75 percent of its expenses paid by the state. The Koran school collects between 16 and 19 million kroner every year. Money taken from the Danes' common fund.

Why do Danes have to pay for gender-segregated sharia prayer in a Koranic school?

3. ekstrabladet.dk (translated, original by ekstrabladet.dk, 03.04.2021)

Director convicted in Paludan case

A 35-year-old man has been convicted of, among other things, braking hard in front of a party leader's car on the Helsingør motorway

A 35-year-old director of a large chain with more than 20 stores has been disqualified from driving for six months and fined DKK 4,500 by the Court in Elsinore, where he pleaded not guilty.

It happened in connection with an unusual traffic case, which was about an episode at the Humlebæk access to the Helsingør motorway in June 2019. Here the court finds it proven that the 35-year-old drove recklessly at about 110 kilometers per hour up to the driver in front without adjusting the distance. A motorist who was Tight Course leader Rasmus Paludan. The distance to the front was just one meter.

Then followed an overtaking right around Paludan's car. At the same time, the 35-year-old made a steering turn towards the right side of Paludan's car, which forced the party leader to pull as far to the left of the roadway as possible.

But the 35-year-old then continued with a rapid deceleration, forcing Paludan out an equally rapid deceleration.

In its judgment, the court emphasized that Rasmus Paludan's explanation appeared coherent and credible. It was also supported by a called witness, who was an unnamed 'source', a term used by police and intelligence services for employees with special tasks in handling, for example, informants.

It does not appear from the judgment whether the reckless driving was caused by the fact that the driver in front was precisely Rasmus Paludan.

4. bt.dk (translated, original by Thomas Normark Krog, 30.03.2021)

Mette Frederiksen is called in consultation: 'It is so grotesque'

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) is now called in consultation, as DF chairman Kristian Thulesen Dahl does not understand how the government can enter into an agreement on something that could not be done at all a week ago.

»I think that Mette Frederiksen is fooling the Danes by suddenly entering into an agreement to investigate something that a short time ago could not be done at all. That is why I am now calling her in consultation, "says Kristian Thulesen Dahl, who is chairman of the Danish People's Party.

The reason for the consultation is the agreement on help for the Danish children in Syrian camps , which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was able to present on Tuesday morning.

Specifically, the government has entered into an agreement with the Liberal Party, the Socialist People's Party, the Radical Left, the Conservative People's Party and the Liberal Alliance that a fast-working 'Task Force Evacuation' must have uncovered by 15 May whether evacuation of the Danish children in Syria is possible. , without their parents to take home.

Case in point

In September last year, the Defense Intelligence Service made a report showing that the terrorist movement Islamic State has smuggled 30 children out of two Syrian prison camps to train them as terrorists in their home countries.

These are Syrian camps where 19 Danish children live.

According to Ekstra Bladet, the movement should have planned to pick up another 350 children from the prison camps.

The report was sent to four central ministries, but the Folketing never received the information.

The case has put pressure on Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod (S), who has received harsh criticism from especially the Radical Left, the Unity List and the Socialist People's Party. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the government has entered into an agreement with the Liberal Party, the Socialist People's Party, the Radical Left, the Conservative People's Party and the Liberal Alliance to call a group of officials to Syria.

They must by 15 May 2021 have uncovered whether 'evacuation of the Danish children without their parents on the basis of an individual assessment can be carried out in a safe manner and within the framework of Denmark's convention obligations'. Source: DR and Ekstra Bladet.

Kristian Thulesen Dahl believes that Mette Frederiksen has already announced that it is not at all possible to get the children home without the parents.

And that is why the Danish People's Party has chosen to say no to the agreement.

"I think that the parties to the agreement and especially the government are trying to deceive the Danes about something that cannot be delivered, and they know it themselves. In fact, I think it is a blue light that they are bringing, "says the DF chairman.

He can tell what he himself has heard Mette Frederiksen say about the Danish children in Syria:

"Until a week ago, the Prime Minister and I agreed that it is not possible to take children to Denmark from Syria without accompanying parents. The only thing that has changed this week is that the government has been under considerable pressure, and she has risked having her foreign minister fired, "says Kristian Thulesen Dahl.

The DF chairman now wants an explanation.

'There has been no change in conventions or rules on family reunification. None of the things that until a week ago made her say again and again that you can not take the children to Denmark, because then the parents come along. We are in full swing now, and we are calling the Prime Minister in consultation to get an explanation. "

But Kristian Thulesen Dahl, why is it the Prime Minister and not Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod who should be in consultation?

She's standing in a soup kitchen - Kristian Thulesen Dahl, chairman of DF

"A month ago, I had the Prime Minister for an urgent question in the Folketing Hall, where I asked her if she would insist that the children from Syria could not come home without their parents, and she stated that she did. That is why she has to answer this herself, "says the DF chairman.

But in the agreement, it sounds like it is a task force that will investigate each child's opportunities to come to Denmark without the parents. Isn't a study good enough, which is not a guarantee?

"But this agreement makes SF chairman Pia Olsen Dyhr, for example, say that she does not have the imagination to imagine that no children have come home in mid-May, I heard in Radioavisen. This agreement is made only because it is considered an opportunity to get the children to Denmark. It is there that I believe that the Danes are being deceived by something that does not hold in reality, "says Kristian Thulesen Dahl and adds:

»Nothing has changed in the law, so she is now in exactly the same suppedas that she was in a week ago, where she said that if the children come to Denmark, so do the parents, and she would not bring Denmark out in. «

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SWEDEN

1. friatider.se (translated, original by friatider.se, 07.04.2021)

Called the neighbor a Negro – convicted

LAW & RIGHT. A man in his 50s used the word "negro" when he asked the African neighbors to keep pli on their messy kids. He has now been convicted of "incitement against ethnic groups".

The incident took place already on 4 August 2018 in Hallstahammar, but it is only now that the man is convicted by Västmanland District Court.

The man had stood on the balcony of the apartment building and shouted at a group of children in the yard that they should turn down the volume. He then used the word negro, several witnesses testify.

He then went down to the playground and used the word again when he scolded the children. Some of the children responded by shouting at him to "shut up".

The man states that he was drunk at the time and does not remember any of the incident. He has also stated that he is not a "racist" - but in vain.

"The word 'negro' constitutes such an opinion which gives expression to contempt for an ethnic group and which may give rise to responsibility for incitement against an ethnic group", states Västmanland District Court in its judgment.

The punishment becomes a conditional sentence for "incitement against an ethnic group". However, the man avoids a daily fine because he "has not previously been convicted of a similar crime".

2. friatider.se (translated, original by friatider.se, 28.03.2021)

Annie Lööf's attack on L after the SD decision 79

DOMESTIC. Center leader Annie Lööf is now attacking Sunday's decision by the Liberal Party Council to open up for SD cooperation.

Chaotic when the Liberals vote for SD cooperation

"We are now the only alliance party that says no to negotiating and cooperating with SD and I regret that the Liberals choose to open the door to an anti-liberal and xenophobic party," writes Annie Lööf on Instagram.

SD leader Jimmie Åkesson comments on the L decision in Expressen, where he explains that it is not interesting for his party to "constitute a support wheel for a government that does not give us influence that is in proportion to our size".

- This particular point is actually not negotiable, and I assume that the same applies to all other parties, he says.

The Christian Democrats' party leader Ebba Busch also welcomes L's message.

"Welcome message from L today. Regrets that they will continue to negotiate a budget with the Löfven government. But regardless of this, today's message is an important step closer to a change of power and a policy that puts issues and Sweden's best first," Busch wrote on Twitter.

M-leader Ulf Kristersson is also satisfied.

- I welcome today's message from the Liberals. Sweden needs a fresh start and a bourgeois government that has the power to tackle crime, unemployment and exclusion, says Ulf Kristersson in a statement.

3. mandiner.hu (translated, original by mandiner.hu, 22.03.2021)

Social Darwinism and victim blame: Swedish women are to blame, immigrants are born stupid

It is women’s fault that immigrants keep the list of rapists, says the Swedish Crime Prevention Council.

An official study published on March 4 factually finds that young men with an immigrant background are visibly overrepresented in sex crimes.

The official document does not investigate the reasons, but many research attempts to do so and draw rather steep conclusions pros and cons. According to one expert, Swedish women are to blame for being raped.

Another research contemplates that immigrants ’“ low average intelligence levels ”at birth make them prone to acts of violence.

According to the Swedish Crime Prevention Council, Swedish women are to blame for the over-representation of immigrants in Africa and the Middle East among perpetrators of rape. According to the Council, the only explanation for this is that Swedish women report immigrants much more often than Swedish men, a Swedish newspaper reports.

Stina Holmberg, a research adviser at Brå, believes women are more likely to report rape if the perpetrator is an immigrant. “Someone may be more likely to report something they have been exposed to if the crime was committed by someone who feels more alien and has a low social status,” Holmberg says in a statement.

The results of a comprehensive survey released in early March showed that almost half of convicted rapists were born abroad and about 60 per cent had an immigrant background in Sweden. However, researchers are unable - or unwilling - to answer what causes strong overrepresentation.

“We have proven that people born in other countries are over-represented in rape crimes. Now more research is needed to find out what can cause this overrepresentation, ”Ardavan Khoshnood, lead author of the study at Swedish Expressen, said.

“It is also conceivable that immigrants commit more violence because they come from a culture where women do not behave like Swedish women. For example, they are not allowed to party and drink alcohol, so some boys may interpret this as meaning that the girls who do it have already said yes to sex, ”says Stina Holmberg.

Recently, leading researchers in Sweden are also considering biological factors. A Swedish study of nearly 50,000 men in 2010 found that men with low intelligence were more likely to commit crimes and were imprisoned more often than men with normal and high intellectual levels.

Research findings may be key to understanding why Somalis and Iraqis commit so many serious crimes, such as rape.

An article published by the Huvudstadsbladet now showed that Iraqi immigrants are 52.6 times more prone to rape than the average Finnish person. Somalis, one of Finland’s largest immigrant groups, are shortly after Iraqis in the statistics.

The average intelligence level in Finland is 102 IQ points, making Finns one of the most intelligent populations in the world. However, this is not the case with Iraqis and Somalis: the average IQ level of Somalis is 68, programs ’.

4. mandiner.hu (translated, original by mandiner.hu, 23.03.2021)

According to the Swedish Lutheran theologian, Mohamed was the new prophet of Christians

Jakob Wirén, the theological secretary of the Swedish Lutheran Archbishop, writes in his recently published book that Muhammad can also be considered a prophet by Christians.

He belongs to the inner circle of Archbishop Antje Jackelén, and serves as the secretary of the Archbishop of the Swedish Church. The views of the female archbishop are equally liberal 82 with our eyes, believing that, in addition to supporting same-sex church marriage, she has repeatedly called Mary’s virginity a mere myth. Asked if we could get a clearer picture of God from Jesus, he replied that “it goes without saying that Jews, Muslims, and Christians worship the same God”. In his new book, now published by his secretary, Jakob Wirén urges Christians to regard the founder of Islam, Mohammed, as their new prophet.

The Swedish newspaper Samnytt also mentions that Wirén has previously attacked Islamic critics who say he writes “Islamophobic bullshit” and has repeatedly called for more mosques to be built across Sweden.

Samnytt quotes the author as saying, “As for the concept of the prophet, it is quite open. Even after the resurrection of Jesus, there were prophets, not just in the New Testament, ”says the proponent of the“ open church ”. In his view, Muhammad can be accepted by Christians as their prophet without any problems because it “goes hand in hand with the Christian faith”.

Wirén's words agree with as-Sahada

Wirén likens Mohammed to Old Testament prophets who testified that there is only one God. Interestingly, Wirén’s views can actually be interpreted as a conversion to the Islamic faith, for the words of as-Sahada, that is, the adoption of the Muslim faith, are nothing more than a confession that there is none other than the One God and his prophet, Muhammad. adoption.

According to the Swedish man, the fact that Islam is a monotheistic religion is enough for Muhammad to be included among the Christian prophets.

Jakob Wirén has reviewed several of his Twitter posts in the Swedish newspaper, in which he emerges against the phenomena of racism, homophobia and Islamophobia. He does not see a contradiction between the teachings of the Church and the Prophet, even though the latter has repeatedly called his followers into a holy war against the unbelievers, he points out Samnytt.

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FINLAND

1. yle.fi (translated, original by Pekka Kinnunen, 01.04.2021)

Jussi Halla-aho on party support: The cult of personality built around Sanna Marin is melting

The Coalition Party assesses the support of the party that has raised municipal election work.

The three largest parties are marching almost at the same pace towards next summer’s municipal elections. In Yle's municipal election survey, the support of basic Finns has remained stable, the Coalition Party is upwind and the Social Democrats are slipping downhill.

The Prime Minister's party, the SDP, fell from the top spot to third and the Coalition rushed to the very top to feel second. The leadership of the basic Finns estimates that the decline in the support of the Social Democrats is due to the melting of the Prime Minister's popularity.

- The changes compared to the previous poll are, of course, quite small for all parties, but the long-term trends are quite promising. The cult of personality built around Prime Minister Marin is apparently melting little by little before the facts, the chairman of Basic Finns Jussi Halla-aho interprets the results of the support poll.

The Demars still believe in the top spot

The Social Democratic Party Office is still believed to be number one in the municipal elections.

- The government and the SDP ministers have, of course, focused on keeping this corona situation the best in the world in Finland.

- Now this debate on the necessary restrictions has focused more on these administrative-legal details, but I believe that when we talk about people's services and more in the municipal elections, we will be back in the throes, says party secretary Antton Rönnholm (sd.) With confidence.

The mood in the Coalition Party is high

The atmosphere in the Coalition Party office, which has raised its support, is high.

- As the light of spring increases and the election approaches, apparently more and more Finns have noticed that their own heart is on the right side, party secretary Kristiina Kokko (Coalition Party) advertises the Coalition's election phrase.

The Coalition Party estimates that municipal election work is now bearing fruit.

- I think that we have done a really long-term job before the municipal elections, ie both the acquisition of candidates and then this presentation of our own political alternative, says party secretary Kristiina Kokko.

Basic Finns will go to the polls from behind

In the leadership of basic Finns, it is acknowledged that traditional parties have a lead in municipal elections.

- The Coalition Party has a loyal, traditional electorate, and in this relationship, the Basic Finns are at a distance from all other parties.

- We are a new party compared to these traditional three big ones. We have very few voters who have voted for us all their lives, meaning we have to work harder to hold on to our own voters, Halla-aho describes the different starting points of the parties.

Basic Finns are focusing on raising their turnout in municipal elections.

- Of course, the minimum goal in the election is to make a better result than in the previous election in 2017. The next level goal is to make a better election result than ever before. The 85 goal of the third level is to be the largest municipal party, Halla-aho lists the challenger's goals.

The parties still have a month to complete their lists of candidates for the municipal elections.

2. iltalehti.fi (translated, original by Mika Koskinen, 24.03.2021)

Jussi Halla-aho opens in the party newspaper Ano Turtiainen - “Friends tried to control behavior with advice, exhortations and warnings”

Halla-aho equates Turtia with Japanese Banzai culture, which, according to Halla-aho, is a sad example of how pride and personal honor ignore common sense and overall good.

According to Halla-aho, the case of Turtiainen is an almost complete version of the dismissal of former PS MP James Hirvisaari in 2013, and similar features were also seen in the process leading to the dismissal of the party's former youth organization last year.

- In all three cases, the behavior of the person or persons gradually moved away from what a majority of party members and supporters may find acceptable. In all cases, friends tried, with advice, exhortations, and warnings, to direct the behavior to the right gangs, as it is the ungrateful duty of true friends, Halla-aho writes.

According to Halla-aho, in all cases, this advice was knocked out as cowardice and humiliation.

"Others are sheep"

According to Halla-aho, the separated people like to build a hero myth around them.

- They are the only ones who dare to say things as they are, They do not humble themselves. They are honest and up to the people. The others are sheep. 86

- The most frustrating thing for the rest of us is to look powerless from the sidelines, when pride, an inability to back down and a fear of facial success drives a fundamentally good person to commit political suicide. After jumping off the cliff, he notices that there are no large crowds around cheering. The media is no longer interested when its openings can no longer be used to bathe basic Finns, Halla-aho writes.

3. yle.fi (translated, original by yle.fi, 02.04.2021)

Finns Party MP facing third ethnic agitation charge

Sebastian Tynkkynen has been found guilty on two previous occasions of agitating against an ethnic group.

Finns Party Member of Parliament Sebastian Tynkkynen has been charged for a third time with ethnic agitation, after an indictment was filed in Oulu District Court at the end of March.

Tynkkynen has two previous convictions for similar offences. He was convicted of hate speech in 2017 and he was fined 4,000 euros in October 2019 over anti-Islamic texts and images posted on Facebook back in 2016.

Speaking to news agency STT about the latest charge, Tynkkynen denied he had committed any crime. He added that the prosecution is related to his municipal election campaign, in which he has highlighted messages sent to him by citizens concerned about the negative side effects of immigration.

"I will explain why it is not an offence to present citizens' messages in any way, but above all politicians should represent citizens and bring their voices into the political decision-making process," Tynkkynen told STT, adding that he considers the accusation an attack on freedom of speech.

"If making immigration-critical policies is deemed illegal by the judiciary, then it can be said that the judiciary is in a very weak position. The opportunities for one party to take practical action are deprived," Tynkkynen said.

4. helsinkitimes.fi (original by Aleksi Teivainen, 18.03.2021)

HS: Finns Party holds one-point lead over Social Democrats

Jussi Halla-aho, the chairperson of the Finns Party, will lead the opposition party to next summer’s municipal elections from the best position ever.

AN OPINION POLL by Helsingin Sanomat suggests the Finns Party has widened its advantage over the Social Democratic Party.

Popular support for the populist right-wing opposition party, the poll found, has crept up by 0.4 percentage points in the past month to 21.5 per cent, whereas that for the ruling party has dipped by 0.5 points to 20.5 per cent.

Sakari Nurmela, the research director at Kantar TNS, said the Social Democrats may have lost ground in the poll due to resurgent concerns about the coronavirus epidemic in Finland.

“Similarly to the Finns Party, they have won public support through their chairperson [Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP)]. Marin has been a guarantor in the fight against the coronavirus, but now that the situation looks to have changed it may be reflected in the [party’s] popularity,” he commented to Helsingin Sanomat.

Kantar TNS interviewed 2,462 people for the poll between 15 February and 12 March.

Infection numbers have risen noticeably almost across the country in March, prompting the government to commence preparatory work on restrictions as severe as curfews. Also the municipal elections were recently postponed by a couple of months because of the 88 epidemiological situation, a decision that has come under criticism especially from the Finns Party.

Nurmela also highlighted that the opposition party has managed to steer clear of controversy in recent months, possibly increasing its appeal in the eyes of some voters.

Helsingin Sanomat pointed out that although the respondents were asked to name their party of choice for the parliamentary elections, the poll results can be used to draw some conclusions about the balance of power heading into the municipal elections. The municipal elections are scheduled for 13 June.

The Finns Party, it highlighted, is clearly poised to succeed, having not only consolidated its position at the top of the poll but also secured a record number of candidates – over 1,500 more than in the municipal elections of 2017.

“The Finns Party is undeniably in the best position in its history ahead of the municipal elections,” confirmed Nurmela.

One of the perennial questions around the party, however, is whether it succeeds in mobilising its supporters and realising its full vote potential, he reminded.

Elsewhere, the Centre Party saw its popularity increase by 0.8 points to 11.8 per cent, probably as a result of its old supporters reinstating their support for it. Support for the National Coalition fell by 0.4 points to 16.0 per cent following the withdrawal of its mayoral candidate in Helsinki, Kirsi Piha.

Speculation suggests her surprise withdrawal may be a symptom of internal disagreements within the party. Piha was replaced as the lead candidate by Juhana Vartiainen.

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POLAND

1. dorzeczy.pl (translated, original by dorzeczy.pl, 08.04.2021)

Burza after the entry by Pawłowicz. The Commissioner for Human Rights comes into action

The Office of the Ombudsman will look at the case of Krystyna Pawłowicz's entry about a transgender child.

A former PiS MP, and now a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal, wrote on Twitter that primary school teachers in Podkowa Leśna were to be "obliged" to refer to a 10-year-old transgender student with a female name, not a male name, which appears in the marital status records.

"Director of the School of the Self-government named after Boh. Warsaw in Podkowa Leśna, Jana Pawła II Street, Agnieszka HEIN led the Pedagogical Council to pass the resolution of COMMANDING teachers to ask the 10-year-old student, BOY per AGNIESZKA, as parents wanted. The data on civil status records were disregarded "- wrote Judge Pawłowicz .

The mayor's harsh reaction

Its entry was commented by the mayor of Podkowa Leśna, Artur Tusiński . "A disgusting tweet hitting the welfare of our school's child and headmistress," he said on Facebook. He added that the school was inspected by the board "imposed from above".

The case will have a follow-up as it will be examined by the Equal Treatment Team at the Human Rights Defender's Office. As Interia found out, the topic will be dealt with by the director of this team, Magdalena Kuruś, who for now is based on media reports, although she does not hide that she will expand her activities.

The Commissioner for Human Rights comes into action 90

In her opinion, "in the light of media reports, the behavior of the school headmistress was correct and was aimed at ensuring respect for the child's dignity and safety". - If the student is provided with the support of the school community, she has the opportunity to develop in a friendly environment. The director is obliged to ensure such conditions - Kuruś said to Interia. The team director added that the ROP is also interested in the question of the direction in which the inspection of the board of education was carried out, about which mayor Tusiński wrote.

2. dorzeczy.pl (translated, original by dorzeczy.pl, 30.03.2021)

From the Left to the Right. How did Monika Pawłowska vote?

Monika Pawłowska, who recently moved from the Left to the Covenant, voted in the same way as the PiS club in most of Tuesday's parliamentary votes. Formally, Pawłowska is a non-attached MP.

Currently, the Law and Justice club has 234 MPs. However, Lech Kołakowski, who left PiS at the end of last year, is voting with him . After today's session of the Seym, it can be assumed with some probability that the ruling coalition has gained an additional "saber".

Pawłowska, together with the PiS club, voted, inter alia, against the Senate's amendments to the Road Traffic Act or against the Senate's amendments to the Supreme Court Act, which provided for the removal of most of its provisions.

It was different in the case of the worldview, that is during the vote on the project "Yes to the family, not to gender". Pawłowska was in favor of its rejection after the first reading, so unlike the MPs from the Covenant and the PiS club.

From the Left to the Right. Surprising transfer

Let us remind you that on March 21, the deputy head of the Lewica club, Monika Pawłowska, announced that she was changing colors and joining the Agreement. Pawłowska announced 91 her decision on Twitter. The deputy will remain unaffiliated and will not join the parliamentary club of Law and Justice.

"Thank you for the joint work and activities within the Left. Today we are starting to follow a different path, but I hope that we will still work in friendship for a better Poland for everyone and everyone. Today I am starting cooperation with Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin. The program and practice of political action Agreements are the closest to me in the present situation. It is the only grouping sincerely interested in cross-party cooperation for the good of Poland. I am joining the Agreement. I am not joining the PiS KP, I am a non-attached MP "- argued Pawłowska.

Pawłowska's decision caused a shock in the left-wing camp. Her recent colleagues are unable to understand the motives behind the transition to the party that formed the United Right camp. Hate poured out on the deputy.

Monika Pawłowska

Monika Pawłowska ran to the Sejm from district no. 7 (Chełm). She obtained 12 thousand. 916 votes. He has a university degree. By profession, she is an international relations specialist. In parliamentary committees he deals mainly with defense and international issues.

3. demokrata.hu (translated, original by demokrata.hu, 31.03.2021)

According to WARSAW, POLISH REGULATION DOES NOT DIFFER FROM THE UNION

Polish legal provisions on the functioning of the courts, which are otherwise the responsibility of the Member States, do not differ from the rules applied in the European Union (EU), Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller emphasized in response to another procedure launched by the European Commission on Wednesday.

The European Commission (EC) announced on Wednesday that it would turn to the European Court of Justice "to protect the independence of Polish judges" and asked the panel to take 92 interim measures suspending certain laws on the Supreme Judicial Disciplinary Chamber established under Polish judicial reform. regulations.

The regulation of the judiciary falls within the exclusive competence of the Member States, the Polish government spokesman responded to the ECJ's move in a post on the Twitter community portal, referring to the Polish constitution and the EU treaties.

Piotr Müller emphasized that the ECJ's motion had no legal or substantive basis. The ECJ also initiated the suspension of the Polish Disciplinary Chamber before the EU Court in January last year, and in April last year it initiated infringement proceedings, which also affected the functioning of the Chamber. The Brussels panel complains that the chamber regulations, which came into force in Poland in early 2020, allow for disciplinary action against judges who publicly question the appointment of another judge or who engage in “public activities incompatible with the independence of courts and judges”.

The EU Court of Justice ordered the suspension of the Polish Disciplinary Chamber's provisions last April, following which the Warsaw government approached the Polish Constitutional Court, asking the panel for an opinion on whether the ECJ is entitled to order preliminary measures such as those taken against Poland.

On Monday, following another ruling by the European Court of Justice in early March, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki submitted another motion to the Warsaw Constitutional Court on the hierarchy between Polish constitutional law and EU law. In its decisions in recent years, the robes body has established the primacy of Polish law.

4. demokrata.hu (translated, original by demokrata.hu, 01.04.2021)

LAVROV ON THE EU: THEY ATTACK THEIR OWN MEMBERS, POLAND AND HUNGARY

Moscow feels that Berlin and Paris are ready to cooperate in the fight against Covid-19, and the German and French governments are not pursuing a vaccine discrimination policy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Bolshevik Igra (the Big Game) on Tuesday's TV channel 1.

Lavrov said this, commenting on Tuesday's discussion between Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. He recalled that in the West, the announcement of the development of Sputnik V had previously been called a lie and a means of propaganda.

He expressed surprise at the fact that Brussels was offended by the way it described Russian- EU relations, even though it only established an “objective reality”. (In March, Lavrov said in China that there were no ties between Moscow and the Union because he had "destroyed" them with unilateral action by Brussels.)

According to the minister, relations between Moscow and Brussels had already stalled before the 2014 “coup” in Ukraine. He pointed out that negotiations on the introduction of visa reciprocity were suspended as early as 2013 because “an aggressive anti-Russian minority categorically opposed it”, and from 2014 the practice of bi-annual Russian-EU summits and dialogue on 17 issues also ceased.

“The EU has imposed sanctions on us and destroyed channels of communication essentially because we have raised our voices in defense of the Russians in Ukraine, the Donetsk Basin and the Crimea,” he said.

Lavrov reiterated Putin's earlier warning that anyone wishing to start another war in the Donetsk Basin would destroy Ukraine. He expressed hope that the Washington-led West would not fire on Kiev for this.

He noted that Europe had lost its military autonomy in NATO. He said there had never been an example of such an “oath of allegiance” as EU leaders made to President Joe Biden at the recent virtual US-Europe virtual summit.

He stated that European values are not universal for everyone and that their “missionary” dissemination has more than once brought trouble to the continent.

"If they look at the EU now and how its values are, they (they can see) they are attacking their own members - Poland and Hungary - just because these countries have somewhat different cultural and religious traditions," he said. .

He noted that the values contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, are considered universal, not those that are now being tried to impose on countries from the West. He stressed that Russia is committed to the UN.

Russia-US relations, in Lavrov's view, have reached a low point on the one hand, but on the other hand there is still hope "that all adults will understand the risks involved in further escalating tensions." He expressed his hope that common sense would prevail. Nonetheless, as he voiced, Russia is not seeking confrontation with the United States, despite President Biden's declaration of murder in a statement.

Lavrov blamed his Western colleagues for the fact that the word “war” was entrenched in diplomatic vocabulary and objected to world events being described as “a hybrid war unleashed by Russia”.

He criticized Washington for setting up its own role in world politics as a spread of democracy, pointing out that this behavior involved severe human casualties in Iraq and Libya. He blamed the appearance of the Islamic State terrorist organization as a political mistake of the United States.

He stressed that the policy of putting pressure on Moscow and sanctions will not succeed. As he said, this line has also been enforced by the US leadership since 2013, and Biden’s emergence is nothing new in this.

He said, however, that Moscow and Beijing will not “synchronize” their moves against Western sanctions. He said the two countries did not intend to conclude a military alliance, but the parties would extend their agreement on strategic cooperation - which the minister said was not directed against anyone. Lavrov warned everyone to be contemptuous of the two powers.

He complained that Washington was obstructing the development of a universal agreement governing the conduct of social media. He warned that the United States ‘increased political correctness to the point of absurdity will not lead to good’. He said Moscow had traditionally 95 opposed discrimination, but called the aggression of white American citizens in the Black Lives Matter movement an extreme manifestation.

According to Lavrov, Washington wants to extend this attitude to the whole world, for which it has “colossal possibilities”. He said he had asked António Guterres to speak at the UN General Assembly, in which the Secretary-General of the World Organization said that the past year had been a year of many manifestations of white “superiority”. The head of Russian diplomacy said he wanted to know what Guterres meant by that. According to him, the UN cannot be a terrain for promoting American concepts.

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CZECH REPUBLIC

1. express.co.uk (original by Alessandra Scotto Di Santolo, 28.03.2021)

'We like our crowns!' Czech Republic to defy Brussels' demands for state to adopt euro

CZEXIT campaigners are rallying against the EU's demands for the Czech Republic to join the eurozone.

A new wave of euroscepticism among young voters is prompting calls for the Czech Republic to resist Brussels' demands for the country to join the eurozone. The leader of a new anti-EU movement, Odchod, told Express.co.uk he believes joining the euro would mean "big troubles" for the Czech Republic.

The country joined the EU in 2004 but it is yet to adopt the common currency.

Matej Gregor said: “If we joined the euro the country will be in big trouble.

“Czexit would be very hard to achieve if our country will adopt the euro and I really hope we will not have that in a few years.”

“People don't want the euro in the Czech Republic.

“We have Czech crowns and we like them, but the European Union is still coming at us with the euro.”

The young eurosceptic said demand for his country to leave the EU is growing at home.

His movement, which he insists is not a political party and does not intend to become one for now, aims at intensifying an informative campaign in the Czech Republic about the true nature of the European Union and its benefits, or lack thereof.

He added: “When we joined the European Union, they said you will have the same money as in Germany, we will build new hospitals. We will build new things in your country. They made really hard promises to our people.

“And after 16, 17 years in European Union, we didn't get it.

“And if they don't know what the European Commission is…for people in the Czech Republic the European Union is something like the Soviets.

“It looks like one big country in Europe which has caused loss for our country, which has forbidden something for us and which caused a migration crisis in South Europe.

“So people don't know many things about being European. They see the European Union like a big bank."

2. expres.cz (translated, original by Stepán Karlesz, 22.03.2021)

Okamura on Salvini's Migration Court: I called him and dealt with Zeman. But I'm afraid ...

Former Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini could stay behind bars for so long. The Italian prosecutor's office is asking the court to start a trial with a well-known migration fighter for blocking the docking of the Open Arms non-profit ship, which had 163 migrants on board at the time, in August 2019.

According to the plaintiffs, Salvini thus committed kidnapping and abuse of power, the court in Palermo will now decide whether the closely monitored trial will take place. "I keep my fingers crossed for him, I also approached Zeman with a request for support," SPD leader Tomio Okamura, who is Salvini's good friend, told Expres.

When Matteo Salvini visited Prague in April 2019, it was his friend Okamura who accompanied him around the city. They put selfies on the internet and went to lunch. They had a lot to say, as migration fighters also cooperate at the political level.

Now the head of the SPD will be anxiously watching to see if his friend and colleague will be sent behind bars in Italy. If the court grants the Italian prosecutor's office, Salvini would face 15 years in prison for blocking a ship with 163 refugees on board.

"Matteo is my friend and partner of the SPD. I keep my fingers crossed for him, and the pro- Brussels sunshine and neo-Marxists are full of politics and courts in our country. We are in regular contact with Matteo, we are wearing mobile phones and we are writing to each other. N aposledy I congratulated him for his birthday, which was yesterday, " he told Okamura for Expres.cz that Salvini case will surely follow.

Their friendship obviously works remotely. The chairman of the SPD even actively supported the partner who leads the League of the North movement in Italy.

"In support of Matteo, I organized an event in front of the Italian embassy with our Member, Jarda Foldyna. I met with the Italian Ambassador, I also asked President Zeman for support in a personal meeting, and I also sent a letter to the President of the Italian Senate. I took four 98 specific steps. I directly informed Matt about everything. So maybe it will contribute at least a little to a successful end, " hopes Tomio Okamura.

We wondered what exactly, in his opinion, a possible sentence of Salvini to imprisonment would mean. And whether the loss of such a face would suffer the entire European patriotic faction, which, in addition to him and Okamura's party, is represented by other opponents of migration, namely Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders.

According to Okamura, it is exactly the opposite.

"Unfortunately, at a time when the European Union is ruled by globalists and neo-Marxists who promote migration and Islamization and restrict civil liberties and freedom of speech, I can imagine Matteo being condemned. But if that happens, he will be clearly on hand to win another election in Italy. Ordinary people there have had enough of Brussels' policies to destroy their country through migration. And such a ruling would undoubtedly strengthen all patriotic parties in Europe, including our SPD. "People do not want the dictatorship of elites, they want freedom, democracy, security and prosperity," says Okamura.

According to him, Salvini should definitely not change the rhetoric that he chose during the initial court proceedings in January. He has since firmly declared that he is proud to block the Open Arms at sea and would do so again because he saved lives. This may seem provocative to some.

"Matteo does it right, you need to stand for the right things and not bend your spine. It is necessary to have the courage to tell the truth and to stand up to the ruling elites who are promoting illegal migration and Islamization of Europe and will one day destroy it, " says Okamura.

Salvini now faces a similar charge in another case, which also concerns blocked migrants. It is his decision in July 2019 not to allow the Gregoretti Coast Guard to dock with 116 migrants on board. The case is being settled in Catania, Sicily.

3. parlamentnilisty.cz 99

(translated, original by Jakub Vosáhlo, 30.03.2021)

Brussels will force migrants on us, and the Pirates will still applaud us. You can see what's going on. The SPD launches the action

INTERVIEW The government of YES and the CSSD, supported by the KSCM, is incredibly servile towards the EU, says SPD chairman Tomio Okamura. The latest evidence is the negotiations on vaccines at the last EU summit. But with a government led by Pirate globalists, the prospects aren't much better. The best evidence of this party's thinking was provided by MEP Peksa, who urged citizens to state "European" nationality in the census.

What do you say to the results of last week's EU summit?

Last week's EU summit concluded that there would be no change in the distribution of vaccines among EU member states "because Berlin did not want to." That speaks for itself! What Berlin doesn't want is not. Babiš's government has not provided enough vaccines in time for those who want to get vaccinated voluntarily, and only boasts how many vaccines it has ever ordered. But doctors have nothing to vaccinate. After three months of vaccination of the oldest age groups, only 62% of them are vaccinated in our country.

At the same time, the EU has released billions for vaccine research and production, but so far only 88 million have been delivered to 446 million of its citizens. The SPD movement promotes voluntary vaccination and we reject discrimination against those who do not want to be vaccinated. The EU is not benefiting us, but it is harming us, which is why we are calling for a referendum on leaving the EU so that we can decide our own affairs, such as buying vaccines, just like the United Kingdom or Israel.

Prime Minister Babiš signed a letter from seven statesmen who demand the preservation of nuclear energy in the "green" economy. Should we strive to conserve nuclear energy?

The mad green deal promoted by the European Union and approved by Prime Minister Babiš and his government is to cost the Czech economy several trillion crowns and the economy of all EU states several trillion euros. In times of covid crisis, it can be deadly and liquidating. The government of Andrej Babiš (YES, CSSD with the support of the KSČM) is incredibly servile towards Brussels. We should leave the EU to avoid it. But if we are to meet these crazy EU demands when we are still members of the EU, nuclear energy is necessary.

100

Of course, it can be combined with other sources, but at present it has no stronger alternative in the case of the Czech Republic, as we have no way of otherwise ensuring our energy security and self-sufficiency. And I say that knowing that I am not a major fan of the core.

In the Czech Republic, the topic of nuclear energy, specifically the completion of the power plant in Dukovany, is also associated with the issue of "safety", which is to consist in the exclusion of Russian and Chinese candidates for the contract. What do you say about these initiatives based mainly on the TOP 09 and STAN clubs?

If some companies are excluded from the tender, there will be lower competition and therefore a higher price of electricity for our citizens. There is a need to ensure an open competitive selection process so that people have the lowest possible energy price. Of course, let's also take security aspects into account. I recall here that the US has recently imposed sanctions on German companies building the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline because the US does not want Germany's energy security and self-sufficiency. The US is thus directly damaging Germany. So we need to look at the issue of security comprehensively, not just how it suits whom. We must be vigilant on all sides, and the only criterion must be benefits for our citizens.

We support a company that gives the best offer and mainly includes Czech companies. It is insane that politicians in the demoblock are taking the energy security of our state hostage in their modern Cold War. Just as they take our citizens hostage when it comes to vaccination with Sputnik. For those who want to get vaccinated voluntarily, the state should ensure the choice of vaccine, and this choice undoubtedly includes Sputnik, which is registered in dozens of countries around the world and cooperation agreements are already concluded by the largest countries in Western Europe. For the SPD, the well-being of our citizens and our country is the highest law, and we do not intend to bow to the interests of the great powers, whether they are from the West or from the East.

What do you think about covid EU passports?

We reject the European Union's CovidPass because it discriminates against and segregates unvaccinated citizens. CovidPass makes unvaccinated people second-class citizens. It is unacceptable for the SPD that the content of this CovidPass be determined by the EU and conditioned by its validity, inter alia, by the type of vaccines used. The content of CovidPass should be very sensitive information about its holder and at the same time it will enable smartphone holders to monitor their movement in the style of a totalitarian "Big Brother".

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At the same time, CovidPass does not address the fact that its holder may be a carrier of coronavirus, whether or not it has been tested or vaccinated. CovidPass must also not be discriminatory and segregated for the unvaccinated, and the SPD therefore rejects its introduction in this form. Vaccination must be voluntary and non-vaccinated citizens must not have their civil liberties restricted.

With little interest, the issue of migration is once again becoming topical in the EU. Once again, there is talk of a system that would redistribute migrants among EU Member States under the slogan of "compulsory solidarity". How does the SPD approach this issue?

The SPD completely rejects this. The EU does not help, but it does harm. We must leave the EU, or Brussels will force immigrants on us! We have launched a petition against this , please support us by signing.

Already in October, we are in real danger in our republic as well, as the coalition of Pirates and STAN has in its program the reception of migrants and the euro. The same is enforced by the coalitions SPOLU (ODS, KDU-ČSL and TOP 09) and ČSSD. If these groups were to form a government, it would be an economic and social disaster for our republic.

What do you say to the call of Mikuláš Peksa, an MEP for Pirates, who, through social networks, called on citizens to state their nationality in the column - EUROPEAN?

This is a completely misguided view advocated by modern neo-Marxists and globalists. It can be seen that the goal of globalists and pirates is the end of European nations and our state, which is also a tool of mass immigration. The President of the Pirates, Ivan Bartoš, took part in the demonstration "Welcome Refugees". Adéla Šípová, who is now a senator of the Pirates, said again that she is in favor of quotas for immigrants and that she is looking forward to immigrants.

4. magyarnemzet.hu (translated, original by Magyar Nemzet, 31.03.2021)

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The epidemic situation in the Czech Republic is gradually improving

Coronavirus epidemic indicators in the Czech Republic continued to improve. Statistics released on the health ministry’s website on Wednesday found that 8,568 new confirmed infections were registered on Tuesday, down 2,400 in less than a week. The workload of hospitals is also eased. By Wednesday morning, about a quarter of the beds in the intensive care units equipped with special respirators were already free. Previously, this indicator was around 10-15 percent. However, doctors say there are still many problems because the improvement in the situation is not the same everywhere. All Czech hospitals currently treat more than 7,000 patients, slightly more than a thousand of whom are in serious condition.

So far, 85 patients have been reported dead on Tuesday. This indicator always rises somewhat as a result of subsequent clarifications. In early and mid-March, the number of deaths exceeded two hundred several times. This daily number also shows a declining trend. The Covid-19 epidemic has claimed 26,421 lives since its outbreak in early March last year.

Czech doctors have used 1.611 million doses of the vaccine so far, and about 464,000 people have already received the second dose. Health Minister Jan Blatný has stated that by the end of April, about two million Czech citizens will receive at least the first dose of the vaccine. Based on the decision of the Minister, the period between the administration of the two doses was increased from the previous 14 days to 42 days on the advice of experts. In the Czech Republic, only vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency are still used.

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HUNGARY

1. demokrata.hu (translated, original by demokrata.hu, 30.13.2021)

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REAL PLURALISM CHARACTERIZES THE HUNGARIAN MEDIA

"Contrary to the report, which does not give the appearance of objectivity and impartiality, Hungary is one of the few member states where there is real pluralism in the media, ideological debates and public opinion," the Minister of Justice wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

In her post entitled “Ms. Mijatovic was not disturbed again by the facts”, Judit Varga reacted to the report of Dunja Mijatovic, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, on the situation of media freedom and freedom of expression in Hungary.

“In addition to the many factual errors and biases, perhaps the most telling is the fact that the + independent + People’s Word reported on its content early in the morning, hours before the official publication of the report,” the minister stressed, noting “so much about left-wing media oppression”.

Judit Varga wrote that the ET Commissioner for Human Rights did not appear to be interested in the detailed oral and several tens of pages of written government information, as, as she pointed out, she did not include any of their comments in her report.

The Minister wrote that the Hungarian government is still open to dialogue despite all this, but has no illusions.

"If nothing else, this memorandum will certainly be good for one thing: Commissioner Mijatovic's analysis will be included one by one in the European Commission's next report on the rule of law," Judit Varga said.

Dunja Mijatovic, the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Tuesday: to restore journalistic and media freedom in the country.

2. mandiner.hu 104

(translated, original by Béla Pokol/Facebook, 03.04.2021)

Political analysis

126. Professions, occupational groups as resources of power

In a political democracy, a well-organized party has never been enough to succeed, there have always been only additional resources that made it possible to seize state power and effective governance in government power. If no economic elite is close to a governing party, but the opposition is rampant in supporters, their former voter groups will be crushed in months without their own media background. In the same way, if the entire social science-intellectual elite blows the voices of the opposition, there is not much chance of winning the next election.

However, this is only the general picture, and the changes in the organization of politics and society make it possible to specify more precisely which intellectual professions are primarily the resources of power in a given era. For example, in the age of industrial capitalism in the late 1800s, the engineering profession behind entrepreneurial groups was important in the operation of capital, but its political weight could not have been very great. But the reliance of state power on democracy, in addition to press capital, has already raised the political power of journalistic groups rather than power resources in the background of parties.

The same in the age of television highlighted even more emphatically the nature of the media elite as a power resource. And in the situation of mass-influencing at the end of the 20th century, any political camp could rarely and for a short time become a governing force against the cinema sphere, which complemented the media, as the Trump administration in the United States has now experienced. Or, in the same way, the literary and intellectual sphere in the broadest sense can be mentioned in Europe in order to supplement and amplify the influence of the mass media.

The Parisian intelligentsia, full of celeb philosophers and celebrity writers, for example, had always needed the French to gain and retain state power, and the support of millions of masses was not enough. If not to this degree, this pattern has been observed in several European countries since the early 1990s.

Parts of the legal elite have also always been important as resources of political power, but while state power could only be obtained tightly in elections with the support of a multi- million voter, at most as experts in the electoral system party lawyers employed to conduct it. 105

But the jurostocratic transformation of the organization of political power in recent decades has profoundly increased the importance of the legal elite as a resource of power.

As the law became more and more empty legal principles and solemn but meaningless legal declarations instead of the previously normative norms, the law laid down in the laws and applied by judges in individual cases became arbitrary. Although secular society still sees law as the embodiment of a rational decision-making process, anyone who knows it more closely knows that only judicial interpretation of law actually determines in most cases what is legitimate and who ultimately loses the lawsuit. This uncertainty was further exacerbated by the depletion of the original function of the constitutional judiciary and the replacement of the functions of the legislature on the basis of empty constitutional declarations.

The main basis for this, as well as the indicated eviction, is the ‘advocacy’ groups of global NGO networks, and the networking of individual departments of the university’s legal elite as a spiritual backbone. If this networked legal elite can achieve a decisive role in the training of law faculties and judicial academies, then the legal-weaving of state power will be complete and democracy as an empty form will only continue to function. In the jurisprudence, therefore, the chief resource of power is played by the peculiarly distorted legal elite. (As I mentioned in an earlier post, the attainment of the level of constitutional power in us and partly in the Poles has in many respects created a cut-off legal bureaucracy, and thus partly cut back on legalist tendencies.)

More recently, a further development in today's era of weaving social states with artificial intelligence is the narrow range of IT programmers with special programming expertise and the provision of data engineering knowledge in the background of individual political camps. This was particularly sharply exposed in the U.S. presidential election in 2020, when after that, the president of Smartmatic, a manufacturer of voting algorithms and machines, took over the presidency of the Soros Open Society Foundation, arguing that the Conservative right has no background groups to play in such elections.

And in the future, social activities will become more widespread on online platforms, and the whole of society will become more unimaginable than ever before…(datafication) makes knowledge over society directly dependent on data engineering groups. Thus, for political will formation, “material” will increasingly be available with data engineering knowledge and shaped into a political program. I would be greatly mistaken if one of the more leading cadres of the aforementioned Open Society World Organization no longer made the vacancy for such a high-tech computer engineer genius.

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3. index.hu (translated, original by MF, 31.03.2021)

Viktor Orbán: It is a sin to campaign against vaccination

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave an interview on public service television on Wednesday evening.

Among other things, the head of government spoke about the need to wait for two and a half million vaccinated people to reopen, because that way every registered person over the age of 65 will be sure to get the vaccine.

The third wave is more aggressive, restrictions can not stop, only slow down.

In late April, early May, everyone who registers will receive the vaccine.

It is a sin to campaign against vaccination.

2-3 difficult weeks are coming.

It shall inform the public one week before each measure.

It is planned that the schools will open first, followed by the shops.

He thanked the doctors, GPs and nurses.

By April 4, 2,356,000 vaccines will arrive in Hungary, and by mid-April, 4,121,000 vaccines will arrive in Hungary, so that by the end of May and the beginning of June, seven million people will be vaccinated.

We can get our lives back by the end of the summer.

Opening is a deceptive term, it can be opened in stages, the country and the economy can be restarted, Viktor Viktor said in an extraordinary interview with public service television on Wednesday evening. Regarding that the recent decree had made the entry into force of the possible opening subject to two and a half million vaccination numbers, the Prime Minister replied that the two and a half million numbers were stated by a moral law, as until all registered people over the age of 65 have been vaccinated. we can't open it.

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Of course, I would like to ask everyone to follow the rules. There are not many rules, but they can be followed. The third wave is much more aggressive. As long as the infections were isolated, closure helped. The infection is now massive. Restrictions no longer stop them, they only slow them down. There is only one cure, the vaccine. That is why all our efforts must now be focused on vaccination, the Prime Minister emphasized. As he said, not only the economy needs to be restarted, but the community as well.

It is more than just reopening shops. The virus is destroying jobs. Restarting factories, shops, hotels does not go overnight. People need to know what to expect, how long to stay at home, how long children will stay at home, he added. The prime minister called it important that everyone knows what to expect, how to plan for their future.

I’m glad we have a vaccine, but the situation we’re in is devoid of any romance, no happiness. The faster we vaccinated, the more the number of patients decreases, the more the number of deaths decreases. I understand if someone doesn’t vaccinate themselves or has doubts. On the other hand, I ask everyone not to talk about the vaccination, ”the Prime Minister underlined.

The head of government said on health that he believes command and redeployment is the way they can solve the current situation. There are about twice as many ventilators with a bed as there are now in use. And in the hospitals, he saw that the workers were kind people, determined, prepared: human lives would not depend on our nurses and doctors.

Thanks, gratitude, recognition, and support to nurses and physicians. Let's not make their job harder by creating horror news: now is not the time to go to the hospitals and make fake news and camouflage videos - asked Viktor Orbán. The head of government asked the teachers for patience regarding the reopening of the schools. He stressed that they will be taken forward in the vaccination order, but schools need to be reopened because the interests of children and parents also need to be taken into account. Teachers will receive the first dose one week before the start. The prime minister remarked that he also worked the day after the vaccination was given.

Whether they should be vaccinated through the GP system or just be hospital vaccines, the decision has been made that it is better for them to provide general considerations, but GPs also have room for maneuver, enough freedom to organize care as they know the patients. The Prime Minister said: There are 42,000 pregnant women in Hungary who can take the vaccine.

The scientific and epidemiological opinion was formed on the basis of practical experience in the world, and the new Hungarian regulations were adapted to this as well, he added. 108

Regarding vaccines, he highlighted if they are safe and use, no matter where they were manufactured. He added that making vaccines a political matter is an ass. According to him, the Hungarian people understood that it is not worthwhile to turn vaccines into a political issue, the important thing is that vaccinations can save lives.

Regarding vaccine purchases, the Prime Minister said that as early as November last year, it could be seen that the shipments ordered by the European Commission was not arriving on time. However, all countries have the option of using additional vaccines with an emergency permit.

If we had not taken Chinese and Russian vaccines, only half of the current population would have received vaccines - Viktor Orbán indicated. He explained that 2,356,000 vaccines would arrive in Hungary by April 4 and 4,121,000 by mid-April, so that seven million people could be vaccinated by the end of May and the beginning of June. In connection with this and the reopening, he said: now the number of people infected and those vaccinated are still too opposed. The prime minister has promised to inform the public one week before the next steps.

The government keeps its promise to create new jobs instead of all jobs lost due to the epidemic. At the end of February, 110,000 fewer people were working, so 110,000 new jobs need to be created, he stressed. A clear situation regarding the secession from the European People's Party was created by the severance of the relationship between the European People's Party and Fidesz.

There is a lack of representation in Europe for those who support the traditional family model, reject multicultural societies - said the Prime Minister. He reported that on Thursday, Matteo Salvini and Mateusz Morawiecki would discuss with Polish Prime Minister Viktor Orbán a new platform. The future of Fidesz's post-People's Party will certainly be a topic between Viktor Orbán, Matteo Salvini and Mateusz Morawiecki.

Returning to the viral situation, Viktor Orbán said: we are at the gate of victory.

We will have two or three more difficult weeks, but our summer will be beautiful, sunny, fun. We are preparing to get our serene lives back by relaunching communities - it’s just a stone’s throw away. We will take two or three more steps and we will win in the end. We will find our way back to a truly optimistic period where the epidemic interrupted our lives. Although our lives will no longer be exactly as they used to be, we will be beyond the epidemic - said the Prime Minister. Viktor Orbán added: in his opinion, this will be at the end of the summer. 109

4. szekelyszonline.com (translated, original by Székely Szó, 27.03.2021)

Interview - "Balliberal governance leads to fast, Fidesz leads to slow national death" - warns Előd Novák

Every Hungarian is responsible for every Hungarian! - since its inception, this has been the motto of the Our Country Movement, whose vice-president, Előd Novák, who has four children, often serves as a volunteer reserve soldier on the southern border. In our interview, we asked about the party's foreign relations and program, in which it called attention to the self-determination of the Szeklers: although they live in a minority, they also have a population the size of a country. Előd Novák described it as a diplomatic weapon that Viktor Orbán also voted for Romania's unconditional accession to the EU in 2005, contrary to his promise a year earlier. It is the heart of the vice-president of Our Country that the National Assembly, which has been established not only by the Parliament of Budapest since 2014, but also by the votes of foreigners, should finally become one: so let it be e.g. also a representative from Transylvania

- It seems from the program of the Our Country Movement as a national party that Hungarians living in the annexed areas are considered very important. Is that why the repeal of the Trianon Act has also been proposed in Parliament?

- Our symbolic bill on the XXXIII of 1921 on the insertion of the Treaty of Trianon. proposed the repeal of the law in the 100th year of the dictatorship, it was a fundamental principle of national politics on which the Hungarian balliberal parties were outraged, while Fidesz could neither swallow nor spit: it refused to discuss our proposal in the competent committee in a year in which case they would have thirty days according to the rules of the house. Of course, everything can be caught on the coronavirus, and so at least they didn’t have to withdraw, as they did back in 1990. It was finally voted down in March this year. We have already burned down this disgraceful dictatorship in a press conference to draw attention to Europe's largest disenfranchised minority, the Hungarians abroad.

Our proposal for repeal, which can be considered the first step of justice, was presented on the 100th anniversary of the election of Miklós Horthy as governor, but once again we had to realize that Our Country is the only party that does not rest in this disgrace, as Miklós Horthy remembers only. as a party, Fidesz doesn't want it either (or it doesn't dare, but it doesn't 110 matter, the end result is the same). Self-surrender does not lead to results, we have nowhere to go back: yes, lose it to Trianon!

- After their announcement, was there any positive or negative feedback from the representatives of the Hungarians living in the detached areas?

"Surely we have succeeded in stirring the stagnant water, which is our mission, since the rule of the balliberals is fast, Fidesz is leading to a slow death of the nation, so it cannot go on!" One Transylvanian balliberal journalist lamented in a writing, "The only party that is swirling across the border is Our Country." But we also received a lot of thanks from our torn compatriots for saying and demanding on the agenda what would have been more difficult for them during the Romanian repression. "Today we have to remove the Szekler flag, tomorrow the Hungarian inscriptions, then the place name plates may come, and in the end the deletion of the Hungarian language from Romania," said the co-president of the Transylvanian Hungarian Association, which has ten mayors and two members of parliament. in connection with the Szekler flag mission. János Mezei also stated that neither the DAHR nor the Hungarian government had supported the Szekler initiative so far, but he called it a great help that the Our Country Movement had donated a hundred Szekler flags to them.

This is natural for us: every Hungarian is responsible for every Hungarian! - this motto of Our Country, which has existed since its foundation, also led our movement to establish relations with Hungarian parties across the border. At our invitation, the leaders of several foreign parties also took part in László Toroczkai's annual evaluation last year, e.g. the leaders of the Hungarian People's Party of Transylvania and the Hungarian Civic Party, as well as the leader of the youth organization organizing the EMI camps were also present at the celebration of Our Country.

"Don't they consider the repeal of the Trianon Law dangerous?" This is because Hungary is bound by basic treaties between different countries, such as the Romanian- Hungarian Basic Treaty, Article 4 of which states that Hungary has no territorial claims against Romania and will not in the future. Would it not be more effective to renegotiate and amend these basic treaties first in order to avoid conflicts?

- Act XXXIII of 1921 on the implementation of the Treaty of Trianon the repeal of the law does not eliminate Trianon, it is obviously not that simple, but that is why we should take this attention-grabbing step, which would improve our negotiating positions, while self- abandonment will only give us bloodshed. Certainly the basic contracts are not in order either, 111 they should be put on the agenda e.g. The Szeklers. Romanian authorities should not further restrict the use of the Szeklers' language and national symbols! The case of the Hungarian military cemetery in Úzvölgy, which has been humiliated several times by the Romanian chauvinists, has not been resolved within the framework so far, and the Szekler patriots convicted in the political conceptual lawsuit must be released as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Viktor Orbán also voted in favor of Romania's unconditional accession to the EU in 2005, contrary to his promise a year earlier. It is the mission of the Our Country Movement to prevent such betrayals.

- Our Country named its candidate for Prime Minister László Toroczkai as the third way. How realistic do you see Our Country coming to government by 2030?

- When László Toroczkai called for the construction of a southern border fence in January 2015, almost everyone considered it unrealistic, but time proved him. In Jobbik's first independent competition, the 2009 EP elections, poll data below 5% were repeated, yet we achieved 15% with the then national radical party, and then in the 2014 parliamentary elections it was already above 20%. Now the international situation is also radicalizing, especially in Hungarian politics. I don’t want to be arrogant, but the point now is that we already have a program that is also capable of governance, based on principle and professionalism.

- You also started your political career as a MIÉP. Many do not even know the old MIÉP members, what was the reason they broke up with MIÉP and continued as Jobbik? Maybe the opening of István Csurka in the direction of Fidesz?

- Many of us socialized in MIÉP, including László Toroczkai. We owe a lot to István Csurka, but after he dropped out of parliament, time passed over the party, he could not renew himself. The program of the nation-building state is still decisive for me, and Our Country also formed an alliance with the remaining MIÉP in 2019.

- As anno one of Jobbik's best-known politicians, how do you assess Jobbik's current political activities and Péter Jakab's caressing the left?

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- I was the founder of Jobbik's first basic organization, let me quote from the Founding Declaration of the right-wing party, the right-wing youth community: the party's primary task is to "remove the Communist successor party and its extremist liberal liberals from political power". In comparison, we see the most distasteful perversions of political prostitution, when they are able to team up with Gyurcsány to gain power at all costs. It would be good if Jobbik could finally decide whether it is a boy or a girl, although we see that they can represent everything and the opposite. After the extermination of Jobbik, the party was also politically circumcised under the leadership of Péter Jakab; they became a colorless, odorless, character- losing party - well, the Our Country Movement will never be like this, as we were born out of those who opposed this mantle revolution in Jobbik.

- In Transylvania and more precisely in Szeklerland, I hear from more and more people that they really like the Our Country Movement. If the coronavirus epidemic allows them to visit Szeklerland, even in the framework of a campaign forum, What Does Hungary Want to Address Potential Voters in Szeklerland?

- My heart's desire is that since 2014, the National Assembly, which will no longer be merely the Parliament of Budapest, but the National Assembly, which will be established with the votes of foreigners, will finally become one: so let it be e.g. Transylvanian representative too! The Transylvanian organization of Our Country has already been established, we would be happy to visit these beautiful regions of our country more often again.

- How do you evaluate the work of the DAHR on behalf of the Hungarians in Transylvania, and to what extent could they cooperate with the DAHR in the event of a possible Hungarian government?

- The Hungarian People's Party of Transylvania and the Hungarian Civic Party welcomed the unification and valuable national cooperation of the Our Country Movement. The balance sheet of the last thirty years is catastrophic for the Hungarians of Transylvania: their population has shrunk from 1.7 million to 1.1 million, renationalisation is taking place, their community symbols are being persecuted, the use of the Hungarian language is being blocked and the issue of territorial autonomy has been removed from the agenda. In these three decades, only the DAHR was in a decision-making position. In such circumstances, it is essential that there is a political force in the opposite direction to the continued political monopoly of the DAHR, which successfully appeals to all members of the Hungarian community and leaves no room for the DAHR to approach the Romanian parties. where similar processes led. Momentum was also able to support Romanians against the Hungarian party. 113

Our Country, on the other hand, is looking for opportunities for cooperation with Hungarian parties, we must be able to understand! The 100th anniversary of Trianon gave special responsibility to the Hungarian national parties in all the countries of the Carpathian Basin, and the Hungarian Association of Transylvania. The unification of the two parties, uniting under the name of the Hungarian Parliament, made it possible for the Hungarians to represent themselves more effectively in order to ensure the self-determination of the Hungarians against the Romanian assimilation attempts. The EMNP and the MPP are to be recognized for being able to put the community interest before their own party interests and to be guided by the ability to represent the Hungarians effectively and credibly. For Hungarians in Transylvania, cooperation and political pluralism are valuable at the same time. Although they live in a minority, they also have a population size according to their population.

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SLOVAKIA

1. magyarhirlap.hu (translated, original by Magyar Hírlap/MTI, 28.03.2021)

The Slovak Prime Minister has resigned

Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic announced on Sunday that he is willing to change government posts with Finance Minister Eduard Heger and withdraw his conditions against his coalition partners in order to resolve the government crisis, TASR, a Slovak civil service news agency, reported.

Igor Matovic's announcement was welcomed by the other parties in the four-party Slovak governing coalition, most notably the Liberal Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, led by 114

Richard Sulík, which was the strongest in demanding Matovic's resignation. whose president, Veronika Remisová, described Matovic's announcement as a "gesture worthy of a statesman."

Igor Matovic had already indicated a week ago that he was willing to resign as head of government and hold other office positions in the government if his coalition partners kept their promises made earlier and resigned from their positions. Some of these conditions were met in the meantime. In the Slovak governing coalition, the situation became tense a few weeks ago due to different parties' differing views on epidemic management, which became even more angry after the prime minister decided against liberals to buy Slovakia from the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.

At the same time as his announcement on Sunday, Matovic said he had already presented his proposal to change government positions to the presidency of his party, the Midway Simple People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO). Responding to Matovic’s announcement - Finance Minister, also nominated by OLaNO - Eduard Heger said he “accepts the challenge” and values trust immeasurably.

At Matovic’s announcement, the SaS indicated they would appreciate Igor Matovic’s move, “accept the offer” and are willing to return to government. Veronika Remisová, President of the People's Party, praised Matovic's move and said the decision was a major step towards a fundamental improvement in cooperation within the coalition.

The second largest party in the ruling coalition, which had not previously demanded the departure of the head of government, Boris Kollár, chairman of the center-right We Are Family (Sme rodina) party, also welcomed Igor Matovic's move. He expressed hope that this would end the coalition crisis. He warned that if repeated, his party would leave the coalition. As early as last week, Kollár warned that the coalition crisis should not be dragged on further, because if no agreement is reached by the end of next week, early elections may take place.

A week ago, Igor Matovic made his departure from the post of prime minister even more conditional. Primarily to leave those posts who were the loudest in demanding his departure. Matovic then personally mentioned the names of Richard Sulí, Minister of Economy, Mária Kolíková, Minister of Justice, and Juraj Seliga, Vice-President of the Bratislava Parliament, and Jana Bittó Cigánikova, Parliamentary Health Committee Chair. During the week, Sulík and Kolíková resigned, but Bittó Cigániková and Seliga did not. Matovic's condition that the coalition redistribute ministerial positions strictly on the basis of the post-election power balance was not met either. Referring to this, Matovic asked that SaS and People were given more posts in the cabinet according to their weight.

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2. domov.sme.sk (translated, original by Kristína Braxatorová, 08.04.2021)

Minister Matovic is traveling to Moscow, he will discuss Sputnik

BRATISLAVA. Finance Minister Igor Matovic is going to Moscow. There he will meet Kirill Dmitriev, with whom he negotiated the purchase of the Sputnik V vaccine . Matovič began negotiations as the head of the Slovak government.

"Any punitive and systematic efforts to prevent Sputnik V from being used in Slovakia, I condemn from the bottom of my heart and will do everything to make them ultimately unsuccessful and one million people can finally start vaccinating Sputnik V in Slovakia," the former prime minister at the social network.

Igor Matovič also has support in the Speaker of Parliament. When asked by the SME daily or Matovič informed the coalition partners about the trip in advance, Boris Kollár (We are a family) replied that we "know and fully approve of the trip".

Who will Matovič negotiate with?

Kirill Dmitriev, whom Matovic plans to meet with, is the director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. This is a fund created by the Russian government to co-invest in the Russian economy together with state investment funds of other countries.

Matovič announced his trip to Russia for Sputnik shortly after it turned out that Sputnik, who is in Slovakia, is not the same as the one mentioned in the academic journal Lancet.

On Wednesday, the current Prime Minister Eduard Heger and the question of TV Markíza, whether the whole two million will come to Slovakia, which were promised, replied that he was informed, "but I can't say some things yet."

In the past, Matovič earned criticism from several coalition partners for welcoming the Sputnik vaccine at Košice Airport. "It is absurd how Igor Matovič welcomed the vaccine in Slovakia, he did not do it with any other vaccine, and we do not know if he is equally actively trying to buy other approved vaccines. It is a huge disappointment," wrote the leader for people Veronika Remišová .

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After the introduction of the Russian vaccine, Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok said that Sputnik V wanted to enter the European market without being certified. "It's a legitimate question why this is so. It has only one explanation, it's obvious that it's not just a vaccine, but a tool in hybrid warfare."

Minister for everything, Valášek responds

Several deputies reacted to Matovič's trip to Moscow, including a member of the coalition, Tomáš Valášek .

He states that "for the ex-prime minister, this important agenda is only an affiliate activity and intends to continue to address at least part of the issues he addressed as prime minister. He will be a kind of minister for whatever he wants and the government of Igor Matovic remains the government of Igor Matovic."

On the social network, Valášek wrote that the former Prime Minister and the current Minister of Finance puts People and SaS in an impossible situation and increases the probability of another crisis or government collapse. "From the way they want to put your hand out, but a pretty big deal. The foreign trips of Ministers decided by the Government (yesterday that the program was not so obviously comes additional application for approval path). There indeed may Ivan Korčok, Mary Jack and Veronika Remišová will report to but they will be outvoted. Igor Matovič also flies to Moscow on their behalf, whether they want to or not. "

MEP Vlado Bilčík also has doubts about Matovic's step "I can only hope that this time Minister Matovic plays with open cards and coordinates his steps with the whole government - including the head of Slovak diplomacy. The minister's trip to Moscow at a time when Russia is gathering troops at the border with Ukraine, because it will never be just negotiations on vaccines. "

MP Miroslav Kollár, a member of the For the People party, described Igor Matovič as "dangerous for himself, for the coalition, for the government and especially for Slovakia." Kollár writes on the social network that Matovič's journey has a serious domestic political dimension. "It is not only a slap in the face to the new prime minister, as well as the health minister, but also a serious overstepping of competencies, which must not go unanswered."

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3. domov.sme.sk (translated, original by TASR, 08.04.2021)

There are projects, no results. Pollák called for changes in projects for Roma

Despite the millions invested, living conditions in poor Roma communities are unworthy.

BRATISLAVA. It is not enough to have ambitions and projects, it is not enough to be just an assistant or a co-creator. If the lives of Roma communities are to truly improve, the Roma must be the authors, managers and controllers of strategies and policies aimed at eliminating inequalities between marginalized groups and the majority.

This was stated by Peter Pollák (OĽANO) , Member of the European Parliament and former Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities, in his speech on Thursday's International Roma Day .

There are projects, no results

He notes that, 50 years after the first World Roma Congress in Orpington (part of the London agglomeration), greater ambition, equality and Roma participation have not been achieved despite ambitions.

"Although we already have the strategies and projects we dreamed of at the time, the situation has not improved much. Despite the millions allocated, living conditions in poor Roma communities are unworthy," Pollák warned.

He points out that many Roma live in conditions similar to the African continent. "At a time when developed Europe wants to be a leader in automation or digitization, our children, on the same continent, drink water from a stream," the MEP added.

Complicity of the Roma themselves

He also critically acknowledges the complicity in this situation for the Roma themselves and the fact that they have not been able to unite or formulate common requirements in the course 118 of 50 years. He therefore sees the only way out in cooperation and joint, proactive efforts to seek redress.

"We must look for what unites us, not what divides us. The world expects us to formulate our demands so that our children also have a future, so that the Roma do not have a problem getting a job, so that people live in the least developed regions. with dignity, "he emphasized.

Completing goals

He therefore insists that empty declarations and vague plans be made into a strong demand for the set goals.

"We need to demand results from institutions and national governments. We need to set clear, measurable goals, such as 95 percent of Roma sites having access to water and sanitation in a given period, or retraining and employing half of the unemployed Roma within five years. be able to evaluate, "Pollák emphasized.

At the same time, he pointed out that a necessary condition for achieving this goal is the participation and engagement of young, educated, experienced and prepared Roma who know what the Roma community needs.

On Thursday, the world commemorates 50 years since the beginning of the first World Roma Congress (April 8-12, 1971 in London). The delegates of the Fourth Congress of the International Roma Union, held in 1990, decided that April 8 would be commemorated as International Roma Day.

4. felvidek.ma (translated, original by Miklós Duray, 07.04.2021)

Government crisis in Slovakia: there was, there is, there will be

It is now the Spring of 2021

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The government of Slovakia, which took office in March 2020, has been operating as a crisis government for weeks. The latent tension from the beginning was exploded by the treatment of the coronavirus epidemic, apparently because there is a similar political divide in the Slovak government as in Hungary between the governing parties and the opposition. The explosion was triggered by the import of a Russian vaccine against the coronavirus. At present, the functioning of the parliament has also had to be suspended. The crisis is likely to be resolved by forming a new government led by another prime minister or by holding early parliamentary elections. The latter is possible in early autumn at the earliest. (The article appeared in an abridged version in the March-April issue of the Vienna Diary, 2021, entitled "Government Crisis in Slovakia: Background and Features.")

From the very beginning, the Slovak political elite was unprepared to formulate a forward- looking state policy. A significant part of them, even in the early 1910s, envisioned the future of their nation in the bond of the Kingdom of Hungary, but they were pushed out of the political arena by Czech politics. The other part surrendered to the Czechs until 1938, apart from an interlude in 1928 in which the Slovaks were held accountable by the Czechs for the 1915 Cleveland Treaty, which they themselves renounced in 1918 in Pittsburgh. Then, from 1938, for the sake of their state independence, they briefly disobeyed Hitler’s ally, but from December 1943 to 1967, they again adhered to Czech (Soviet-friendly) politics. Some change occurred when, in 1968, the domestic political crisis in Czechoslovakia could only be resolved by a Slovak politician, Dubček, albeit only for a short time. Although loyalty to the Soviet Union was also marked by a Slovak politician - Gustav Husak. It is peculiar that at that time Czechoslovakia was divided into two parts, similarly as on October 6, 1938, through its commitment to Hitler. It should not be forgotten that the Czechoslovak Federation was formed on January 1, 1969, at the cost of its commitment to the Soviet Union in Brezhnev. But also on the instructions of Husák, a list of the main enemies of the communist system was compiled, in the Slovak version of which, according to age, I took fourth place. Honorable.

This brief overview of the period concerned the interpretability of the sequel, the public interlude of which took place between December 1989 and 1 January 1993. Two parliamentary elections took place in what was then Czechoslovakia. The first so-called system change in 1990, then in 1992.

This ensured continuous governance in Slovakia until the beginning of 1994, when the Slovak political aptitude at that time, in the person of Vladimír Mečiar, overthrew the head of government who was most deserving of the creation of an independent Slovakia. I do not rate it because I could only condemn it, but I can rate Slovak policy. The politician who fought for Slovakia's independent state status was overthrown. This is a situation of split consciousness. The first domestic political crisis in independent Slovakia can thus be linked to the first anniversary of its formation. This was the first government crisis in Slovakia. An interim government was formed until the fall of 1994. The second, although not a clear crisis, 120 emerged in 1998. The winning party in the parliamentary election, which was worthy of state independence, could not form a government.

What followed is specific. Because from 1998 the then united Hungarian party was also a member of the government, but we got where.

We could not enforce any community interest. Neither when the constitution is amended nor when the administrative law is amended. Why? Because there was an economic interest through MOL and OTP that overwrote national policy. Since then, national policy has not been a clear positive assessment among Hungarians.

Nevertheless, the Dzurinda government, formed in 1998, which resented Viktor Viktor Orbán because of the prime minister's peculiar value judgment, although he tolerated Hungarians in his ranks, could not govern Slovakia as a majority political force until the end of his term. It should not be forgotten that in the last minutes of his activity as head of government he described his coalition partner, the Hungarian Coalition Party, as such that such a political formation has nothing to earn in politics. His government failed in 2006.

For the next four years of Slovakia's rule, it operated in the spirit of anti-Hungarianism, to which the economic lobby of the then Hungarian High Representative Party in the Highlands also contributed. He tied the MKP's membership in the government to a claim that caused Robert Fico to move from MOL to major and choose the neo-Nazi Slovak National Party as a partner instead of the MKP - otherwise he would not have been able to form a government. At the root of this is the rupture of the MKP, but also the further unfolding of the political crisis in Slovakia.

Robert Fico’s first government failed in 2010, but as a continuation of this, there was also a government crisis between 2010 and 2012, which could only be resolved by early elections. It was followed by two or four years, again linked to Robert Fico, but it also ended in failure. His party split in two and in 2020 a four-party coalition began to rule, which from the outset proved unsuitable for persistent governance, as one part of what is now weakening declares itself conservative and the other part liberal.

The latter is seemingly getting stronger, but the real problem is that the ministers and secretaries of state no longer tolerate each other in human terms, let alone the head of government, Igor Matovič. We see the disintegration of this government now, in March 2021, on the first anniversary of its formation.

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The government crisis can only be resolved in two ways: with a new government, more precisely with a new head of government, or with early parliamentary elections. For the latter, the coronavirus epidemic does not create a favorable situation.

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ROMANIA

1. plakatmagany.transindex.ro (translated, original by István Székely, 30.03.2021)

THE REASONS FOR THE WEAKNESS OF THE ROMANIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM

Romania has had sixteen governments since joining the European Union in 2007. No early elections have taken place, yet political life is characterized by a high degree of instability. This is of particular concern in terms of the coherence of government action, not to mention that these governments have often changed within their parliamentary composition in terms of party composition. As in the last two hundred years, the most important issue in the region remains institutional-social reform: how can we, as Baron Münchhausen, pull ourselves out of the pre-'89 legacy, how can we adopt the practices already used in Western Europe and develop models and procedures that would accelerate economic and social development.

We see that in the last thirty years, with the exception of the first election in 1990, there has been no government with broad powers to do so. Apart from integration into NATO and the EU, there were no consensus issues that, as in 2003, would have resulted in a constitutional amendment. In recent decades, narrow majorities have emerged, and not only have opposing parties been able to agree on key issues for the future, but they have focused their efforts mostly on questioning the decisions of other parties.

This situation is often explained by the “Latin temperament”, as Italy is not characterized by long-lived, stable governments either, but it is also possible to interpret the phenomenon as a 122

Balkan remnant with a somewhat pejorative edge. In my opinion, however, the institutional components of instability are at least as decisive, but at the same time they can be traced back to specific political contexts. If I would like to list the institutional reasons for the weakness of the Romanian political system, the ones that can be found not in the political culture, but in certain laws and regulations,

THEN WAS PRIMARILY THE ELECTION SYSTEM

I have to mention. I then have to talk about the issue of political migration, then about the instability of the party system and, finally, although this is indeed an inherited component rooted in the past, about political culture as the component that operates the institutional part of the political system.

First of all, we must state that there is no right or wrong electoral system - a wide variety of systems can be legitimate if they fulfill the basic functions of elections within the framework of democratic power. In addition to legitimacy, the electoral system must meet two opposing needs. One is the principle of representativeness or proportionality, the essence of which is to make the composition of parliament as proportionate as possible to the breakdown of votes cast by party. The other demand is the opposite, as it focuses on maneuverability.

Practice shows that the more proportionate an electoral system is, the less manageable it is, and the greater its manageability, the more representativeness is compromised. In the case of liberal electoral systems, we can talk about many different models. The most extreme example of governance is the regulation of the presidential election in the United States. In this case, all the electricity that can be obtained in one state is given to the candidate who receives a relative majority at the time of the election, without any compensation. In the present case, the size of the constituencies is striking in terms of proportionality, since, in the case of California, which has a budget of EUR 39 million, all the electorate in the State can be taken away with a single additional vote.

SIMILAR TO THIS INDIVIDUAL DISTRICT, a one-round election model, the so-called Westminster system, which we encounter in the case of the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada (New Zealand switched to a mixed system). In these cases, the constituencies are smaller, but here, too, the issue of the mandate is decided in a one-round, non-compensatory election that assumes a relative majority. An example is the case of the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom. Recently, there was an election (2010) in which Liberals, with 23 per cent of the votes cast, reached 8.7 per cent in parliament, as the majority of their candidates were behind the candidates from the two major 123 parties. The Westminster system is unique to Anglo-Saxon countries as it assumes a homogeneous political culture. Coded in the system is the bipartisan nature, which tends to result in a clear electoral outcome in terms of manageability. All this is important because this way the political responsibility is clearly defined.

In continental Europe, where, for historical reasons, society is much more fragmented - and therefore the political structure that represents it is more fragmented - the Westminster system is not an alternative, so a list choice and a combination of a list and individual constituency system has spread here. . Undoubtedly, the list choice provides the greatest representativeness. In this respect, the Dutch electoral system can be considered exemplary, as the whole country forms a constituency, the percentage threshold is one percent, so the composition of the parliament faithfully reflects the will of each politically segregated group (17 parties won the last parliamentary elections in March 2021). !).

In most countries, list electoral systems have components that move election results from proportionality to governance. The most important of these is the election threshold, which varies from country to country, but is usually between 3 and 5 percent. This means that only parties that are supported by a significant number of electoral communities enter parliament. And the parties that get into parliament are compensated by redistributing the seats for those who have passed the electoral threshold to those who have crossed the electoral threshold. For example, if the aggregate results of parties that did not cross the election threshold reach 15 percent, 100 percent of parliamentary seats will be distributed among parties that cross the threshold and receive 85 percent of the vote, which improves governance but reduces representation. proportionality.

In most countries, the above-mentioned two-model electoral system

WE MEET AN ALLOY AT ALL LEVELS, thus, some seats are awarded in proportion to party lists, while for others, the logic of individual constituency with regard to governability is authoritative. The relative proportions of seats allocated in the two respects vary widely, leading in many cases to significant disproportions. In terms of the solutions used, it is worth mentioning the Greek, where there is a list, three percent threshold electoral system, no individual constituency, but the best- performing party automatically receives an additional fifty seats (the parliament has 300 members).

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Based on the listed models, we can say that the electoral systems of continental Europe try to strike a balance between governance and representativeness, and they find different alternatives for each country. In the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the German electoral system was mostly the example to follow. In the case of Hungary, this was also the model, as a result of which, for example, the MSZP won 54% of the parliamentary seats with 33% of the votes cast (1994), or Fidesz won two-thirds of the parliamentary seats with half of the votes in the last three elections.

THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM IN ROMANIA it provides a high degree of representativeness, proportionality, but this is one of the reasons why, after the elections, there are no clear majorities that could move the country out of the enslavement we have experienced over the last thirty years. The reasons for the development of a proportional electoral system in Romania can be traced back to the early 1990s, when the National Salvation Front (FSN) ran in the elections, despite the fact that when it was established, it did not intend to do so. During the change of regime in Romania, the second line of the nomenclature of the Romanian Communist Party took over the baton, so the question of legitimacy inevitably arose, so an electoral system had to be established that allowed opposition parties to enter parliament as well. Therefore, the electoral system is characterized by a high degree of proportionality, which has been achieved with county lists and without an election threshold. In the elections, the FSN reaches 63.53%, the DAHR became the second largest party in the country with 7.2%; five more parties joined the Senate and 27 formations in the House of Representatives, including 11 national minority organizations. The electoral threshold will be raised to three per cent in 1992 and five per cent in the 2000 elections, but overall

THE SYSTEM WAS NOT CHANGED PROPORTIONALLY.

A special component of the Romanian electoral system is the parliamentary representation of national minorities, and based on the practice of thirty years so far, this can be seen as “winning compensation”. The current parliamentary majority can usually count on at least 15 out of 16-18 minority votes, but this is only relevant in the House of Representatives and in joint parliamentary sittings, so support for minorities tends to stabilize a parliamentary majority rather than create it.

President Băsescu tried to change the proportional electoral system in 2008 in the interests of his party, the PD. With his support, his party grew large, but he could not exceed 32-33%, which would not have allowed him to form a majority alone in a proportional electoral system. Therefore, Băsescu creates a political climate in which parties prefer to accept the individual constituency system he proposes, but the opposing parliamentary majority amends the electoral law by correcting its disproportion by judging by additional mandates. The 125 regulation adopted is a unique electoral curiosity in the world, as the introduction of individual constituencies has resulted in increased governability everywhere.

Due to its position, the DAHR's position on the issue of proportionality / manageability is contradictory. It is a small “party”, so it is interested in the most proportional electoral system possible, as it could only win individual districts in Szeklerland (especially in a two-round system), but stability of political life is important and formulates goals that require state reform achieved by parliamentary consensus or the existence of dominant parties.

***

Another component that leads to the instability of the political system is the ambiguity of the “political booty”, i.e. the range of functions that can be filled by appointment on the political path, nominated by parties, and the separation of the administrative career defined by the meritocracy. In my opinion, a greater concern is the ambiguity of this issue than its depth. If we look at the countries of the European Union, we see that, in general, the highest administrative level of the central state apparatus is the Secretary of State for Administration, in Romania the Secretary-General of the Ministry corresponds to this. At lower levels of administration, we meet the administration according to the career model that ensures predictability and stability. In their case, the conditions for progress are clear (these can be linked to different exams, in the job to years), and in general we cannot talk about appointments and promotions based on political logic. An exception may be the age of the grand coalitions in Austria, when the parties practically divide the various positions of public administration among themselves, but this system has also resulted in a consistent, predictable exercise of power.

In the case of Romania, we see that if the parliamentary majority changes (through elections or reorganization of parties) with the change of government, a wave of redeployment will begin in the public administration, with parties finding a way to reward individuals in their own lunar court. several times well-paid positions. Prefectural, sub-prefectural positions can clearly be considered government-dependent status. Nevertheless, the Social Democratic Party first filled the system with those belonging to its own moon yard, and subsequently transformed this status into a civil servant by amending the law. It also shows that parties capable of forming a majority after the elections are finding various solutions to remove politically imported senior officials affiliated to a party and replace them with their own people. Undoubtedly, there is an expectation of the parties in this direction, but it is certain that the current situation, according to which there is a large wave of change and settlement in the public administration after each election, limited only by the ingenuity of the respective political parties, strengthens instability.

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When we list the reasons for the weakness of the political system, we must, of course, mention political culture, as its importance is commensurate with the significance of institutional influences. A political system such as that which exists in Romania, which represents a field that is multi-fragmented from a political point of view, increases the importance of a willingness to compromise. Since 1990, there has not been a party that has won a parliamentary majority alone, all governments are coalition or minority. In this situation, it would be important not only to be less willing to compromise than the parties, but also to adhere to political agreements,

THE PRINCIPLE OF “PACTA SUNT SERVANDA” WHICH IS MORE THAN EXCEPT.

We could also say that politics is just that, we have not seen much else in the last thirty years, but there are also several countries within the European Union where the conditions for political stability are not in place. This is a real problem in Romania because the public construction developed after ’89 does not provide an arrangement, does not generate clear rules of the game that would make the country able to catch up quickly with the core countries of the EU.

The political elite of the ’90s did not create a value-based, effectively functioning state model from a public law perspective, unlike in Western countries where they have long gone beyond this. Institutional conditions are a major obstacle to the emergence of clear, politically empowered political majorities that would rethink the relationship between the branches of power, a decentralized structure of central administration that promotes efficient operation, and accelerate the much-needed modernization of the country. Without it, we will only be able to take advantage of a fraction of the opportunities offered by accession to the European Union, we will not be able to reduce the existing differences in modernity, which will preserve the country's peripheral position within the Union.

2. index.hu (translated, original by NA, 05.04.2021)

Romania is already preparing for the opening in June

According to Prime Minister Florin Cîțu, Romania will relax epidemiological restrictions on June 1 and take the first step towards normalcy. 127

At a press conference on Monday, the prime minister said he would set up an inter-ministerial committee in which representatives of all ministries would be present, and that consideration would be given to inviting representatives of employers ’associations as well as trade unions. This body, chaired by the Prime Minister, will work out the rules for easing.

According to the prime minister, the restrictions on the opening of stores on weekends and evening outings introduced last week have been effective.

They have seen that Easter can be celebrated even in such circumstances, two religious denominations have already succeeded, and I am sure that will be the case in the next period as well.

The Prime Minister referred to the current celebration of Catholics and Protestants and the Easter of Orthodox in early May.

According to the Prime Minister, one can think about easing because the data indicate that the third wave of the epidemic peaked in Romania a week ago.

THE SITUATION HAS BEEN STABILIZED IN BUCHAREST, THE DAILY NUMBER OF INFECTIOUS STARTED IN TEMESVÁR AND TEMES COUNTY

He asked for patience and adherence to the rules in place to keep the current direction.

Florin Cîțu also pointed out that even in the most pessimistic scenario, five million people (35 percent of those to be vaccinated) could be vaccinated by the end of May.

In a good case, however, the number of people vaccinated could reach 6.3 million. He added that this will be made possible by the fact that between 8 and 8.3 million doses of vaccine are scheduled to arrive in April and May. According to him, by the end of July, there will be enough vaccine to vaccinate ten million in Romania.

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The Prime Minister urged politicians, public figures, church leaders to promote the vaccination campaign and make people understand that it is leading the country out of the epidemic.

In Romania, the two-week average of new cases per day has been declining since last Wednesday. According to official data released early in the afternoon on Monday, 3,611 new infections were recorded in the previous 24 hours, which is only 65 percent of the average of the previous two weeks. However, Monday’s statistics are skewed in that it summarizes Sunday’s data, when fewer than a third of the tests were performed than on weekdays last week.

Official data indicate that the peak of the epidemic is not yet felt at all in hospitals. For the first time on Monday, the number of coronavirus patients treated in hospital rose to over 14,000 (14,165), and the number of patients treated in intensive care units exceeds 1,400 (1,478). The epidemic has killed 120 people in the past 24 hours, according to data released on Monday. The number of deaths is slightly below the two-week average of daily deaths (133).

3. index.hu (translated, original by Wolfy, 29.03.2021)

More than twenty Romanian cities protested against the austerity

There were protests in 24 municipalities in Romania against tightening epidemiological restrictions on Sunday night, with more than a hundred participants in seven places, the Mediafax news agency said on Monday, citing a summary by the authorities.

The gendarmerie imposed 219 fines on the organizers and some participants in the total amount of 100 thousand lei (7.4 million forints) for non-compliance with the curfew, assembly restrictions and medical regulations. Authorities also fined 120,000 lei and closed three luxury nightclubs in Bucharest, where, despite previous fines, large-scale parties were regularly held in disregard of epidemiological bans.

In Romania, a government decision came into force on Sunday night to increase the duration of the night curfew by two hours and reduce the opening hours of shops in settlements where 129 the rate of spread of coronavirus infections has accelerated. The government decision bans, among other things, the operation of clubs, bars, discos and arcades.

In less than a month, the number of deaths in Romania has almost doubled. Another 120 coronavirus patients died on Monday, authorities said. Although the average number of officially registered new cases did not reach 5,500 (compared to 8,500 last November), epidemiologists conclude from the rapidly growing number of victims and serious cases that the situation is more serious in many respects than in the previous year. during the peak of the second wave.

4. mandiner.hu (translated, original by mandiner.hu, 02.04.2021)

Former Romanian Foreign Minister on the Budapest meeting: The left says ’fascist and Putinist’

“A conservative alliance was formed by leading politicians from Poland, Hungary and Italy,” wrote Teodor Baconschi about yesterday’s Orbán-Morawiecki-Salvini meeting.

Former Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi, the European left, was sharply criticized for calling the participants in Thursday's Budapest talks, namely Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Hungarian President Matteo Salvini, the Italian President, the Italian left.

“A conservative alliance was founded by leading politicians from Poland, Hungary and Italy. Their public stated goal is that European integration respects Christian values, the family and tradition. The left, of course, set out to introduce this new political group as a Putin-friendly alliance, with the usual reflex based on intellectual dishonesty. The left is either a fascist or a Putinist. Tertium non datur (no third option), ”he said in a post on his Facebook page, he was a right-wing politician leading Bucharest diplomacy between 2009 and 2012.

“It is in our interest to defend European life that respects our Judeo-Christian roots with democratic and cultural arguments in a civilization based on human dignity and freedom. I hope that, together with several other Member States in the new region, we can be sources of 130 economic dynamism that benefits the whole of Europe. At the same time, we must jointly defend the values of the founding fathers of the European Union, who dreamed of rebuilding the old continent after the war in the spirit of Christian democracy, ”Baconschi told the Hungarian Nation last year.

Asked what were the common points or what could be the issues in European and international politics along which the Hungarian-Romanian relations could be improved, the former Foreign Minister said, among other things: that both countries have an interest in the European project and the Euro-Atlantic strengthening dialogue, developing Central Europe, promoting integration and stability in the Western Balkans.

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SLOVENIA

1. demokrata.hu (translated, original by demokrata.hu, 30.03.2021)

JANEZ JANSA CALLS FOR RESIGNATION OF LIBERAL MEP

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa has called on Dutch Liberal MEP Sophie in 't Veld to resign as head of the European Parliament's (EP) Democracy Monitoring Group because it did not allow a video to be screened in a parliamentary debate on the Slovenian media situation, the local press wrote on Tuesday.

In a letter sent by his chief of staff, Peter Suhel, to in ‘t Veld, Jansa wrote that the Liberal MP irreparably damaged democracy and tarnished the reputation and credibility of the Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Group.

The Slovenian government takes freedom of speech and the media very seriously and therefore does not accept censorship - read the letter, which was also sent to Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People's Party (EPP) by his chief of staff.

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In Slovenia, memories of newspaper articles having to be approved by communist authorities are still too vivid, he stressed, adding that in ‘t Veld’s censorship is a dangerous reminder of that time.

“However, I am glad you did this in front of the European public,” Jansa wrote to the Dutch Liberal MP.

In Friday's debate in the EP's Committee on Home Affairs, Civil Liberties and Justice (LIBE) on the situation of media freedom in Slovenia, Jansa wanted to share a mobile compilation she had created with MEPs, including attacks on journalists and attempted killings in Slovenia. since the beginning of its independence. However, this was not possible due to technical and time constraints in in ‘t Veld leading the videoconference.

Responding to censorship, Jansa said in a Twitter post over the weekend: Slovenia has nothing to do with Brussels.

“Slovenes have been paying the price of freedom and democracy for 35 years, so overpaid bureaucrats born for prosperity cannot fool us about freedom and democracy,” he wrote.

Slovenes will never agree to be “censored by self-appointed ombudsmen,” he said.

“We did not allow Slobodan Milosevic, nor do we allow Sophie in‘ t Veld or Dacian Ciolos, a Liberal MEP, ”he underlined.

In ‘t Veld firmly denied Jansa’s accusations of censorship, stressing that the group’s door is always open.

He also regretted that they gave the impression that the parliament was an enemy of Slovenia. This is very far from the truth, he said, noting that the group will do everything in its power to prevent Slovenia from avoiding the scenario seen in Hungary and Poland.

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2. magyarhirlap.hu (translated, original by Mariann Őry, 31.03.2021)

Slovenia has fought for democracy

Balliberal elites want to eradicate our roots, they want to destroy everything that is sacred to us - warned journalist Joze Biscak

In addition to Hungarian conservative journalists, the Slovenian Association of Patriotic Journalists (SZDN) recently spoke out in an open letter against Hungarian conservative journalists. The president of the organization, Joze Biscak - who is also the editor-in-chief of the center-right weekly Demokracija - also spoke to our media about the media situation in Slovenia and the European People's Party.

- The European Parliament has recently put the situation of press freedom in Slovenia, Poland and Hungary on the agenda. Leftist - liberal MPs criticized all three countries. How do you see the situation in Slovenia?

- I was surprised by the accusations. Freedom of the media means that anyone can publish media, distribute, express their opinions without being restricted. The Slovenian authorities did not prevent any media from appearing or broadcasting. The media in Slovenia are free, they report everything, no one has been threatened. If anyone threatened the media, most recently it was Marjan Sarec’s left-wing government that, three years ago, called on state- owned companies not to advertise in the conservative media, which he said spreads hatred. However, the government of Janez Jansa did not interfere in any way in the affairs of the media.

- Then why are they saying in Brussels that the Slovenian media should not be allowed?

- Our media scene is very unbalanced. Roughly eighty-five percent are in the hands of magnates and oligarchs who are more or less openly left-wing. These media control all the important organizations that are tied to the press, alongside essentially all non-governmental organizations, NGOs, supported by George Soros, who I think is at least one of the biggest political pests. In addition, all major international journalistic organizations are under left- wing influence. If we add up all this, the message arrives in Brussels that there is something big wrong here, even though it is not.

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It has never been the case that a journalist has been fired in Slovenia for disagreeing with the Jansa government, but it has happened many times that media-owning magnates have fired their journalists, leaving them without any security. The left-wing media then listen aside from collegiality. There have been no cases where a journalist has been quoted in court or abused, threatened by the authorities for criticizing the government. As editor-in-chief of Demokracija, on the other hand, I have repeatedly faced court proceedings on the basis of complaints from NGOs or left-wing journalists on several occasions.

- If you think about the attacks in Brussels, do you not feel frustrated with the European Union?

- I am not saying that I am disappointed, but it must be made clear that Slovenia has joined the EU in the belief that membership means access to markets in economic terms, as free trade brings prosperity and progress. Unfortunately, however, the union has become a breeding ground for a globalist, bureaucratic elite that wants to dictate to sovereign countries which governments and which ideologies are good or bad.

In an EP debate last week, Dutch Liberal MP Sophie in ’t Veld did not allow Prime Minister Janez Jansa to present a video on what the real, data-driven situation is for the Slovenian media. Who is the autocrat then? Certainly not Janez Jansa, but Sophie in ’t Veld, who wanted to use the debate to substantiate her own views. I am proud that the Prime Minister has left the debate. Let no well-paid bureaucrat spoil us with freedom and democracy, especially those who have never experienced what a real dictatorship is like. We have fought for our democracy and we owe nothing to people like Sophie in ’t Veld. Neither for him nor for the Union.

- The European People's Party did not stand united with the Slovenian Democratic Party. Is it possible that the SDS will also follow Fidesz?

“I don’t think in the short term, but if some People’s Party politicians continue their attacks, I won’t rule anything out. I fear the People’s Party is moving away from the values it once represented and is getting closer to liberal democracy.

- In Brussels, there is constant talk of the rule of law, of fundamental values. What are these values for you?

- The left is inventing more and more so-called values, which Brussels then imposes on conservative countries and their legitimate, democratically elected governments. Europe's core values include the preservation of the traditional family, the nation, national culture and identity, Christianity, traditions and freedom. Balliberal elites want to eradicate our roots, they 134 want to cut ties with Europe's glorious past, they want to destroy everything, on which we grew up, which is sacred to us. They carry out rainbow experiments, support illegal migration and a culture of death. Thank God, there are people in Europe like Janez Jansa and Viktor Orbán who are true to the values of the nation that elects them.

3. origo.hu (translated, original by origo.hu, 01.04.2021)

A national shortfall has taken effect in Slovenia

In Slovenia, a national closure came into effect on Thursday: an abandonment ban was introduced and schools had to switch to online education again, the local press wrote. In Croatia, 2,422 new infections were identified in the last day.

During the 11-day full closure period, public transport was restricted and a weekend, festive schedule was introduced.

MOST SHOPS HAD TO CLOSE, COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS HAD TO SWITCH TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS.

THERE WILL BE REDUCTIONS ON EASTER SUNDAY ONLY.

That day, they will lift the ban on leaving the home and allow family reunions for up to five adults with their children.

THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED INFECTIONS INCREASED BY 1335 TO THOUSANDS THURSDAYS IN THE COUNTRY.

Seven patients have died in the past one day, bringing the death toll to 4,054. Of the coronavirus patients, 518 are in hospital and 108 in the intensive care unit.

In Croatia, 2,422 new infections were identified in the last day

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Since the outbreak, the number of people infected in Croatia has reached 274,054. In the past 24 hours, twenty people died from the complications of Covid-19 caused by the infection, bringing the death toll to 5,967. 1390 PATIENTS ARE CARED IN HOSPITALS, 155 OF THEM ARE IN A VENTILATION MACHINE.

Health Minister Vili Beros said at a government meeting on Thursday that the number of patients treated in the intensive care unit had doubled compared to the previous month and the number of patients treated in the hospital had increased by 60 per cent. All indications are that there is still work to be done to curb the epidemic said Vili Beros.

The government has eased entry conditions since April 1.

NOW YOU CAN TRAVEL TO CROATIA WITH AN ANTIGEN FAST TEST AND - INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OF THE VACCINE - A VACCINATION CERTIFICATE.

Until now, with a few exceptions, it was only possible to cross the border with a PCR test not older than 48 hours.

4. gov.si/en (original by gov.si/en, 07.04.2021)

Prime Minister Janez Janša: It is only a matter of time before we triumph over COVID-19

Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke today at the virtual conference entitled "Changing Paradigms in a Pandemic World: How to regain trust?

The virtual conference was held under the auspices of the World Forum for Ethics and Business. It was attended, among others, by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General 136 of the World Health Organization; Petra de Sutter, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Civil Service, Belgium; Kjell Magne Bondevik, Former Prime Minister of Norway; Jo Churchill, Minister for Public Health, Primary Care & Prevention, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom; Dr Christian Garbe, Managing Director, FIZ Biotech.

In his opening address, Prime Minister Janez Janša said that we often hear that hard times bring out the best and the worst in people. "The COVID-19 pandemic is a great example of this. We have witnessed the selfless commitment of healthcare professionals worldwide and the rise of the black market for personal protective equipment, and in recent months even the black market for vaccines," the Prime Minister said. Similar things have occurred at the state level. "For example, although EU Member States do not have enough vaccines for their citizens, but they have nevertheless exported almost 77 million doses to more than 30 countries. The European Union is also the lead donor to the COVAX programme, which has delivered 31 million vaccine doses to 54 countries. As such, it would be most welcome and indeed beneficial for the global community if the EU’s allies joined in selfless action and reciprocity," the Prime Minister stressed.

"It is unwise to assume that once the West has been vaccinated, we will be safe from this pandemic. If the rest of the world does not receive the vaccine, the virus will mutate and reappear in the West. Until the entire world has been vaccinated, the humanity will not defeat the virus," Prime Minister Janez Janša pointed out. He reminded us that it took us almost 200 years to eradicate smallpox. "Yet, I am optimistic that this will not be the case with COVID- 19. Within a year of the outbreak, scientists and pharmaceutical companies have produced vaccines that would normally take about a decade," the Prime Minister said and added that we have the knowledge and are building the capacities to fight the virus. "We are also gaining experience for the next possible epidemic. And we have learned that the more we stand in solidarity, the sooner we will ultimately defeat this disease," the Prime Minister said.

According to the Prime Minister, the effectiveness of our fight against the pandemic will therefore depend on political leadership, namely whether politicians recognise and solve the vaccine moral dilemma. "If they act selfishly, their respective states may benefit in the short run, but lose out on long term. But if we all show solidarity, this will bring long‑term benefits which will come at a short‑term cost. All politicians have a responsibility to their countries and the people who elected them," Prime Minister Janez Janša said. He added that there is no simple and straightforward answer to this puzzle or dilemma. "The current situation illustrates Max Weber's ethical dilemma of ethics of conviction vs. ethics of responsibility. According to Weber, political virtue resides in the wilful combination of both in a unified soul. Hence the most prudent way forward is that state leaders, practically speaking, strengthen their agreements within the COVAX programme, include the entire world in this distribution mechanism, extend its partnership to private entities and ensure some benefits for vaccine 137 investors, producers and developers," the Prime Minister, said and added that there will be no progress without such an approach.

"As state politicians we do not run from our obligations and responsibilities, but the results of our actions will only be seen in the following months," Prime Minister Janez Janša said, adding that over the past year he has been in touch with numerous volunteers and non‑governmental organisations, so he knows they are contributing their share in the fight against the pandemic.

Lastly, the Slovenian Prime Minister said it was only a matter of time before we triumph over COVID‑19. "But a more important question on the horizon is, will we come out of the pandemic better or worse people and societies. The answer to this question is being shaped as I speak, and will be clear in the near future. When it comes to human solidarity and global governance, every day of the pandemic counts. World leaders are the ones who need to display a moral compass. Maybe now more than ever, as this is the only way to lead states and societies to a better and more prosperous future," Prime Minister Janez Janša concluded.

According to the organiser, over 2 million people from 100 countries watched the virtual conference.

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CROATIA

1. dnevnik.hr (translated, original by MV, 07.04.2021)

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Prime Minister Plenković on the case of a tragically deceased girl: "Responsibility should be sought from the person who dealt with the case"

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković took part in the current morning in Parliament. After that, he answered questions from reporters.

During the morning, members of parliament resolved the issues of Minister and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković . The Croatian Parliament started a new session this morning , which will last until mid-July.

He said about the re-arrest of Dragan Kovacevic: " USKOK and DORH should tell the Croatian public everything about this case . I would not add anything, they must explain it to the public. I am also interested."

About the AstraZeneca vaccine

He commented on the AstraZeneca vaccine : "I have convened everyone involved in this topic, a video conference of European health ministers has been convened. The most important thing is that there are no different practices because it destroys the reputation of the vaccine. After that, there were problems in the research and then in the production process. It all affected some people. "

"Then there were difficulties with delivery, then recommendations for people under 65, so some countries are suspended. This great cacophony of some people has led to the fact that some fellow citizens do not want to receive the vaccine, and this is not a pleasant situation," Plenković added.

Regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine, he states that Croatia should have received 1.7 million doses by March 31 .

"With that alone, 800,000 people would be vaccinated. By June 30, we will have about 2.6 million doses. If people do not want to receive the vaccine, we will have a problem again. If we had ordered 100 percent from each pharmaceutical company and Croatia had paid 25 million doses, then all the questions would be about whose money is being spent on a vaccine that is not needed, "Plenković said.

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For now, no decision on fighter jets

When asked by journalists about fighter planes, Plenković said that Greece also buys fighter planes.

"It is a process that is going on. France has enough planes. As for the deadlines, I said in January that it is not the time. All offers are valid. We will take some more time to decide on that ," Plenković said.

Separation of social welfare

When asked by journalists about the announcement of President Zoran Milanovic in which he asked for the allocation of social welfare to a special ministry, he said: "It was a terrible case in Slavonski Brod in the past. Do you think that would not have happened if the ministries were separated?"

"When you have no arguments, people come out with banal theses. Why couldn't Aladrovic lead the department? In this case, where the girl was returned to the biological family, it is obvious that the return was a bad decision, someone must be responsible for that kind of professional decision. Accountability should be sought from the person who dealt with the case, " he said.

"How would the minister know that? It has nothing to do with what is in his department. It simplifies things. Precise responsibility needs to be established. A lot has changed since the Pag case. We have been working to strengthen the social welfare system," he said. Plenković.

"Unfortunately, there are problems, there are dysfunctional families, there are horrible actions of biological parents, and they will all be held accountable in legal proceedings. I am appalled and I cannot describe how sorry I am for that," he added.

"We worked to raise social workers who were in a subordinate position. We raised their salaries and sense of security, now they have protection, they did not have it before," Plenković said.

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2. balk.hu (translated, original by Rókus Kalapis, 26.03.2021)

OVERRIEVED: Croatia ordered many vaccines but received few, only 17% arrived

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković held a press conference on a virtual meeting of the Council of Europe, focusing on the disproportionate distribution of the vaccine. In his introduction, Plenković explained that the focus was primarily on compensating those member states that had mostly ordered vaccines from AstraZeneca.

Only 17% came

Plenković expressed the view that at the meeting he had given a very clear explanation of the Zagreb position that Croatia had received only 17 percent of the quantity promised by AstraZeneca and was therefore in a situation where there was a shortage of vaccines in the country.

This is because the EU received only 30 million of the 120 million doses ordered. So, if we look at the whole of the EU, 90 million doses are missing - said the Croatian prime minister, who said that no concrete agreement could be reached in the virtual meeting, because this form of negotiation is not, in the simplest terms, suitable for quick decision-making.

In his view, if the members of the Council had met in person, there would have been a chance of reaching a consensus.

The key to understanding the issue is that those who have no problem do not understand what the problem is. As a reminder, 405 million people live in EU countries where there are no problems and only 40 where there are problems - Plenković added.

They made it to the wrong manufacturer

Journalists suggested that perhaps every vaccine offered should have been ordered, which the Croatian prime minister explained: at first, AstraZeneca seemed to be the first to develop the vaccine and be the first to make the product.

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Croatia has ordered 2.7 million doses of vaccines from AstraZeneca, according to expert advice. The profession at the time estimated the number of people wanting to be vaccinated at about 2.4 million. But the Croats overestimated themselves.

Our logic was that okay, then come on, order two and a half times as many vaccines as we have, so everyone is sure to get it. If he stays out of it, we can give it to those in need, so we ordered as much as possible. So far, we have ordered 8.7 million doses of vaccine, and once it all arrives, we will have a large surplus of vaccine - said Plenković, who left the sloppy party at the end.

Just imagine what would have happened if Astra had no manufacturing problems and we had ordered - let’s say - 15 million doses of vaccine. I’m sure then I would have been asked why we’re wasting taxpayers ’money.

The Croatian prime minister went on to say that in his view, they would eventually find a way to remedy the problems around the orders and everything would be in the best order.

He vaccinated himself with the Astra

Plenković - who had previously suffered from the disease - vaccinated himself with AstraZeneca and is feeling well - this was revealed in his press conference.

Speaking about the suspected side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the panic that erupted over it, the Croatian prime minister said that in his opinion, anything that contradicted the position of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) would damage the vaccine's reputation.

According to Plenković, the situation in Croatia - that about 30% of the population rejects the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca - is clearly a consequence of global media activity (hit journalists!) And not the specific side effects, which were otherwise very few in Croatia.

The Croatian prime minister expressed the view that the suspension of AstraZeneca's vaccine was not justified.

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If doctors have a different opinion, we will accept it, but we are not obliged to follow the example of other Member States, which may have some other non-health objections. I took this vaccine two days ago and it looks like “I’m okay” Plenkovic said.

Finally, we must add that Andrej Plenković gave the impression of a satisfied person at his press conference, in contrast to the last two weeks, when he was more than once, tired, skinny in front of the cameras, now answering questions calmly and cheerfully.

You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to suspect: you’ve gotten good news in the meantime, you just can’t make it public yet.

3. magyarhirlap.hu (translated, original by SK, 08.04.2021)

The cultural heritage of an eight hundred-year-old common past

Among the most beautiful volumes is the catalog of the Croatian-Hungarian joint historical exhibition Ars et Virtus

Ars et Virtus was chosen as one of the most beautiful books. Croatia-Hungary. The catalog of the major exhibition entitled 800 years of common cultural heritage. The exhibition can also be visited virtually in the Hungarian National Museum.

Last September, Miklós Kásler, Minister of Human Resources, opened the Ars et Virtus in Zagreb. Croatia-Hungary. 800 years of common cultural heritage, the aim of which is to present the Croatian-Hungarian cultural and cultural relations, thus strengthening the experience of belonging to the two nations. The exhibition is a collaboration between the Hungarian National Museum (MNM) and the Galerija Klovićevi Dvori in Zagreb, as well as Croatian and Hungarian public collections, historians and art historians.

The Hungarian Cultural Institute in Zagreb also helped with the historic project, the idea for which arose at the end of 2018, and after 2019 negotiations, joint thinking and the development of a professional concept, a large-scale exhibition plan for 2020 unfolded. 143

According to the MNM's report, several curators from both countries worked on the implementation, and nine Hungarian public collections lent their works of art to it, as well as, for example, the Vienna Museum of Fine Arts.

Among the more than three hundred works of art in the exhibition were the oldest red and white checkered coat of arms of Croatia from 1647, the mantle of St. Ladislaus preserved in the Zagreb Cathedral and the skull relic of St. Stephen. A special sensation was Vlaho Bukovac’s monumental painting, Dubravka, which is owned by the Museum of Fine Arts and has been on display in Croatia for the first time in a hundred years. Miklós Zrínyi's saber and helmet came straight to Zagreb from the Kunsthistorisches in Vienna. Ars et Virtus was an outstanding success despite the pandemic.

A volume of studies in Croatian and English was also prepared for the exhibition, which was selected as one of the eighteen most beautiful publications in the competition entitled The Beautiful Croatian Book announced by the National and University Library of Zagreb. An exclusive album by Croatian designers, richly illustrated with photos, will also represent Croatian book art at the Frankfurt and Leipzig International Book Fairs.

The Ministry of Human Resources (Emmi) told our newspaper yesterday that it is planned that the exhibition will be on display in Budapest from October this year, and that the Hungarian version of the catalog will also be published at the opening. Until then, we can virtually enjoy the material presenting the wonderful treasures, as the excerpt of the exhibition can be viewed online on the website of the Hungarian National Museum.

The MNM's virtual exhibition of sixty objects and eight blocks in three languages (Hungarian, English and Croatian) guides the visitor through the past of the two countries, partly chronologically and partly thematically. As the introduction of the exhibition writes, the defining event of the common history was the coronation of Kálmán Könyves in 1102, with which the Hungarian-Croatian personal union was established.

The influences of the Renaissance form a separate unit in the exhibition, similar to the common cult of the Hungarian holy kings, illustrated by the liturgical objects of the Zagreb Cathedral. In addition, a separate block deals with members of the Zrínyi family, but also with 19th-century architectural relations. From the age of dualism, when Hungary and Croatian- Slavonia formed a state union, Rijeka was singled out by the curators, as it gave the thriving port city a kind of special blend of the culture and mentality of the nationalities.

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4. index.hu (translated, original by Ferenc Kovács, 01.04.2021)

New rules allow you to enter Croatia from today

All passengers arriving in Croatia from the European Union, regardless of their nationality, who are not currently on the so-called green list, can travel to the country under the following conditions, the Croatian Tourist Board in Hungary said in a statement to our editorial office:

Demonstration of a negative PCR test or an EU-approved rapid antigen test not older than 48 hours from the date of sampling. In the case of a rapid antigen test and a stay in Croatia of more than 10 days, it must be tested again within ten days of the test result being issued. Presentation of a certificate of vaccination against Covid certifying that the entrant has received the second dose in the case of two-dose vaccines and at least 14 days in the case of single-dose vaccines.

Demonstration of a rapid PCR antigen rapid test within 180 days of entry, but not older than 11 days, confirming that the entrant has been infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus or a medical certificate issued by the entrant stating that the entrant has been infected with Covid-19. disease.

Voluntary quarantine on entry into the Republic of Croatia, with the possibility of PCR or rapid antigen testing; if testing is not possible, the duration of quarantine is 10 days.

The decision exempts children under the age of seven traveling with a parent from the presentation of a negative test result and voluntary quarantine if the parent can prove a negative PCR or antigen test, the presence of a vaccine or Covid-19 disease.

It is recommended for everyone to pre-register at entercroatia.mup.hr. The decision is effective from 1 April and is valid until 15 April.

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BULGARIA

1. index.hu (translated, original by ÁZ, 04.04.2021)

Exit poll: The prime minister's party has won in Bulgaria, but can expect tough negotiations

In Bulgaria, reports based on a poll of voters say the leading ruling party, the right-wing Citizens for European Development in Bulgaria (GERB), is in first place in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, but with a weaker result than before.

According to the exit poll, the party received about 25 percent of the vote, well below its 33.5 percent result four years ago. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is facing tough talks to form another governing coalition, Reuters reported.

Borisov has played a dominant role in the country for ten years, but now he has few natural allies between the parties. Coalition talks lasting several weeks can be expected, but a repeat of the elections cannot be ruled out either. This would be a big problem because without the approval of the legislation, the country will not have access to the European Union's economic recovery fund.

Borisov, 61, has declined in popularity due to corruption allegations against his government.

2. mandiner.hu (translated, original by mandiner.hu, 07.04.2021)

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Singer, television celebrity can form government in Bulgaria after the failure of the center-right

According to the Bulgarian Prime Minister, the formation of a government is very unlikely, despite the election victory of the center-right Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB).

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov acknowledged on Wednesday that it is highly unlikely that he will be able to gain parliamentary support for the formation of a government, despite the victory of his center-right Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB). Borisov also offered his support to Slavi Trifonov, the leader of the party in second place in the vote. The prime minister said he was trying to form a government because of his duty to his constituents, but acknowledged that he did not have enough support for it because

several parties that entered parliament were all excluded from cooperating with GERB. Borisov, however, said he was trying to form a coalition government, although, as he put it, it was unlikely to succeed. GERB won 26 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, six percentage points and 20 seats less than it did in 2017.

By joining the second and third, a government can be formed

"Then it's Slavin's turn," the outgoing prime minister said at the start of the ministerial meeting.

Borisov said Wednesday he was ready to support Trifonov in forming a government to avoid early elections, which could prevent Bulgaria from accessing EU recovery funds to offset the effects of the coronavirus epidemic, make it harder to fight the epidemic and restart the economy.

Since 2009, the Bulgarian center-right has ruled

Winning each of five elections since 2009, Borisov asked Trifonov to “dedicate himself to the complex and difficult task of forming a government”.

Popular singer and television presenter Trifonov’s party, Van Ilyen Nép, which emerged from last summer’s anti-government protests, won 18 per cent of the vote in the election.

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The party has no specific program, Trifonov has been most successful with its populist message against corruption. The leader of the Van Such People identifies with corruption the GERB and the Socialist Party, which have defined Bulgarian political life over the past decade.

The Bulgarian parliament will have six parties

The Socialist Party, which took third place in the vote, nevertheless indicated its willingness to support the politician who had become a singer.

Based on the results of Sunday's election, the Bulgarian Turkish and Muslim Party, the Movement for Rights and Freedom (10.49 per cent), Democratic Bulgaria (9.45 per cent) and Talpra entered the parliament! Mafia, cover up! called the Civil Platform (4.72 percent).

3. bgonair.bg (translated, original by Iskra Angelova, 04.04.2021)

Siderov: There will probably be new elections after these, the parliament will be very confused

Traditionally, most politicians have already cast their ballots. And traditionally, we journalists ask them, as soon as they release the ballot, what they voted for.

For the first time without media in Bankya, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov exercised his right to vote. He chose the paper bulletin in front of the machine.

"This day has come, we all wanted it to come, so that what the people want can be done, we can do it. I wish some fair elections, so that as the people ordered us, so that we can then have claims," said the prime minister.

BSP leader Cornelia Ninova trusted the voting device.

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"The moment is crucial for Bulgaria. Go out and vote. Don't let anyone else decide on the present and the future of your families and your children. I voted for change and stability," Ninova said.

For a better future and for a change, other prominent politicians went to the polls early in the morning.

"I voted for what we have been pursuing as a policy for a long time - for a continuing increase in income, the traditional Bulgarian family, " said IMRO Chairman Krassimir Karakachanov.

The leaders of the smaller parties went to the polls in hopes of change, but also with skepticism that a government would be formed after the vote.

"There will probably be new elections after these , because these elections will not solve anything with our policy. Parliament will be very confused. It will probably not be possible to form a government. So we may have to see each other again here in front of the polling station. ", commented the chairman of" Attack "Volen Siderov.

4. portfolio.hu (translated, original by MTI, 01.04.2021)

Coronavirus: Bulgaria relaxes restrictions

Bulgaria eased epidemiological restrictions on Thursday despite a record increase in the number of coronavirus infections in the country.

On March 22, restaurants, theaters, cinemas, museums, gyms and sports facilities were closed again due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The restaurants are open again from Thursday, only on the terraces. Cultural institutions and sports facilities may operate with a maximum occupancy of 30 per cent of the auditorium. Visits to galleries, libraries and circus performances were again allowed, subject, of course, to epidemiological precautions.

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The restrictions were lifted before the parliamentary elections on April 4, despite another peak in the daily number of people infected by 5,176 on Wednesday. And on Thursday, 4,207 more were reported infected.

In the Balkan country of 6.9 million people, the number of new infections per 100,000 has risen to 732 in the last two weeks. The biggest epidemic is in the capital, Sofia. Health Minister Kostadin Angelov stressed on Thursday that the country is at the peak of the third wave of the epidemic. He justified the opening on the grounds that hospitals have free capacity to treat the infected. The minister added that he expects the vaccination campaign to be speeded up as well. As he said, 473,000 doses of vaccine have been used so far.

The minister announced on Tuesday that nurseries and kindergartens will open from April 5 and school classes will resume from 12. Large shopping malls will remain closed for the time being. Until the end of April, it is forbidden to hold mass events indoors, Angelov added. In Bulgaria, 342,633 infected people have been identified since the outbreak, 13,197 of whom have died from the disease. The country is in a state of emergency until the end of April.

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LITHUANIA

1. index.hu (translated, original by István Bereznay, 22.03.2021)

They were vaccinated live with AstraZeneca

Lithuanian political leadership vaccinated live with a coronavirus vaccine from the British- Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca on Monday, MTi writes.

President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte received the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine at clinics in Vilnius on Monday. 150

WITH THIS, POLITICAL LEADERS WANT TO STRENGTHEN CONFIDENCE IN THE VACCINATION, THE USE OF WHICH HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES.

Nauseda and Simonyte called on the Lithuanian population to follow suit and immunize themselves against the coronavirus.

During the day, in addition to them, House Speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen and Chief Medical Officer Arunas Dulkys will also receive the AstraZeneca vaccination.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have also looked at the vaccine, and both organizations have concluded that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the potential risks, and that the vaccine is effective and safe.

In Lithuania, with a population of almost three million, 209,340 people have been identified since the outbreak, of whom 3,486 have died from the disease.

2. schengenvisainfo.com (original by schengenvisainfo.com, 30.03.2021)

Lithuania Refuses to Recognise Russian Vaccine on Travel Certificates

Lithuania has announced that the country does not plan on recognising travel certificates of persons vaccinated with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.

According to the Lithuanian Permanent Representation to EU Simonas Šatūnas, Lithuania refuses to include any vaccines that the European Union’s drug regulator does not recognise in the vaccine certificates’ scheme.

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Commenting on the decision, Šatūnas explained that Lithuania strongly believes that only the vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) should be part of the Digital Green Certificate.

The Digital Green Certificate aims to establish a system that allows recording the vaccination status, previous COVID-19 infections as well as test results in order to ease travel through the EU area.

Only last Sunday, the Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton pointed out that the Commission intends to launch the vaccination certificate programme by the middle of June, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The Russian vaccine is still experiencing a rolling review at the EMA, but it has not been approved yet. The vaccine created by the Gamaleya National Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology of Russia has caused confusion after its creators continuously stated that the data was sent to the EMA for a rolling review. However, EMA denied the claims by saying that they were only offering scientific advice to the Russian developers.

Šatūnas insisted that instead of depending on a vaccine that has not been approved yet, the EU should increase the production of the vaccine produced within the EU area.

By recognising only the vaccines authorised by EMA, the EU institutions such as the drugs regulator and the disease monitoring agency can gain credibility and support the European pharmaceutical industry, Šatūnas added.

Previously in February, the Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė commented on the Russian Sputnik V vaccine through a tweet in her account.

“They say, Sputnik V is good, but Putin doesn’t care to use it as a cure for the Russian people – he offers it to the world as another hybrid weapon to divide and rule. This is neither news nor good for mankind,” the Prime Minister said.

Commenting on the statement made by the Lithuanian PM, the Russian Embassy replied on Twitter, saying that “despite the wave of disinformation and such biased statements at all the stages of the vaccine development and use, Sputnik’s V efficacy, which has been recognised internationally, speaks for itself.”

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The Lancet, a medical journal, published the data of the third phase of the Sputnik V clinical test, and they proved that the vaccine is one of the safest and most sufficient in the world. Immunity after the vaccination was found out to be 1,3 to 1,5 per cent higher than after the disease.

3. respublika.lt (translated, original by Vitas Tomkus, 07.04.2021)

Vitas Tomkus: HOMELAND, YOU HAVE A CONTRACT OF OUR HEARTS!

I was tired of constantly whining and decided to write only about Good and Truth.

First I listened to the voice of my heart, as V.Landsbergis (old) advises, then to the wise words of D.Grybauskaitė (still young) and asked the advice of the Conservatives (forever gang): stop looking back and look forward with optimism only! Let the Freedom Party not be offended, but the truth is the most important: looking closely in the mirror, I was clearly convinced that the Conservatives were right - the front is much nicer than the rear. Sure, not like he was in his youth anymore, but ... Hangs really proudly. And solidly! I can walk boldly like Putin - half-prepared and reclining.

I grew such a big belly during quarantine ...

I realize that you shouldn't brag too much about that, but that you really need it. Let the authorities no longer worry about me and know that I am ready for long-term quarantine and am stockpiling food even for a few years ahead. It is important not to allow sports for a long time and to crawl between municipalities, because then the calories with all my reserves will quickly dissolve. And again I will be unprepared for war, famine and plague.

That the war is no longer behind the mountains (Carpathians) - it has long been clear to everyone. Thank you to the CPSU and to all the Governments for warning us in time, and everyone who could and wanted has already emigrated and hid abroad. This is our future ring 153 of the Lithuanian Nation, a reserve gene pool that will be able to restore Lithuania's power and strength here at any time. If our retired people are not prematurely hit by war, plague, famine, LGBT or vaccinations. Because it is very important to save the territory, at least - Samogitia, so that the returned Lithuanians, Suvalkas, Aukštaitians and Dzuks would have something to shelter with at first, and then to breed and multiply in the name of that former GDL greatness.

And that we, the remaining Lithuanians, will defend the territory of our ancestors until then - I guarantee. (Almost.) I'm an old soldier. Always determined to stand shoulder to shoulder with our most famous cadets: Linkevičius, Kubilius, Juknevičienė, Pavilionis, Auštrevičius, Gabriel, and to fight for the Homeland with a weapon in hand. Whatever - Russia, Belarus, Venezuela, Ukraine and, you will not believe it, even beyond the corner of the EU - Lithuania, we will fight to the last round. But even then it is not the end of the war, because I know one type of skis, which has a lot of accumulated cartridges (3-6 euros each), I think up to 10 euros per unit we will really negotiate, because they have more than mind!

I solemnly swear! For the Homeland - any! - I'm really determined to lay my head. And not one: Gabrielius, Auštrevičius, Pavilionis, Juknevičienė, Kubilius, Linkevičius ... Our Lithuania would not really suffer because of this. Even, I suspect, would be strengthened and much easier for her, because these are the Most Precious sons and daughter of our country Rasytė. If not for their sacrifice and dedication, there might not even be a war in the world. It was only because of their daily determination and perseverance that we did not descend to the level of Switzerland with Mount Shatria.

Foreign legionnaires should be sent to the battle for the homeland to begin.

We have enough resources. The place of Cichanouskaya could lead a legion of Belarusian emigrants. (Attacks in the direction of Minsk.) We would send Navaln's right hand, a Jewish Volkov, with a corps of similar "Russian" oppositionists ... No, not there. Not to Moscow. And Valinskas, I think, could lead the Poles from Švenčionys district, because somehow he knows how to deal with them quickly. steps to do ... It would be a pity to be a clown, because we would be left without bulbs.

And what about our select warriors? Will we send them to the front lines of the front, or will we keep them around the Seimas like daggers and prevent them from spilling out?

Personally, it seems to me that they are very suitable for war: energetic, united, aggressive. I threw members of the Freedom Party into confrontation with Russian paratroopers. Not 154 because they’re used to banging each other’s mouths during Moscow parades. I really want to see our Raskevičius with a chamomile hit the paratrooper through the nose and try to find out: “Why are you, bunny, attacking my homeland? Take me in her place and do with me whatever you want. Just not from the front, because I will put you to death in my arms! "And if Raskevičius does not dare to go against the enemy one by one, I think it will be possible to use an even more terrible tool: we will put out their commander - no, not Simonko, because he is too small (it will be difficult for snipers to hit). flattened to the ears and with a shiny crown on the head. Seeing such a monster will not withstand any Russian nerves. Spill like liberals under the bushes.

Unfortunately, there is no point in sending liberals to the front. Liberals love freedom. And the Russians like to be taken captive. Themselves, you see, the characters don’t match. Also, liberals are entrepreneurial. Taken captive, they can run a business with the Moscow leadership and exchange Neringa in exchange for freedom. We will not confuse the betrayal of the homeland to them because, as excellent demagogues, they will still get away with it: they will say that Neringa was annexed to the Kaliningrad region because of conservatives, so that they could better see when and how the Russians attack us from Klaipeda.

Remains - conservatives. Berets have - will be able to be paratroopers. Especially since it pays to jump. Not from the plane, but about the patriarch. Whoever pays is dancing like that. And if you study, then you also transport: as you understand, the Curve will be responsible for transport. For ammunition, his mother, who will have to be supervised by an assistant minister, so as not to steal "golden spoons", which will be awarded to the most deserving conservatives after the battle. Landsberg's family is out of order: two "golden" spoons each. (One is a backup.)

True, I hardly forgot to use the "workers" with the "peasants" for military purposes. Everything is clear with the "peasants" - the guerrilla! eye. Viktor will have to help with the reconstruction of the Druzhba pipeline. It will be like a labor battalion. Responsible for the Nord Stream 3 branch. Quite a few Ukrainians are pumping billions from the Russians alone, Uspaskich is similarly lacking as Guogai has slipped away.

Painted youngster will also be where to use. Border guards pull out of sight! Already trained, he knows when and where to cover the border so that the saboteurs would not violate the Lithuanian state border. What remains to be thought about is how to better adapt Lithuanian leaders to the war?

Everything is clear with the Speaker of the Seimas. Father, a KGB officer, will soon find common ground with his own. And here it will be harder with the prime minister. It will not 155 be easy to use. Of course, cavalry has not been used by anyone for a long time, and everyone wants to go to war!

Unfortunately, even under conditions of war, someone has to rule the rest of the state. And I am in charge of those who keep the "list of KGB agents". I think we will entrust the Prime Minister with this special mission: to save the secret Kaggis. , will have to be accompanied everywhere and always by the Minister of National Defense, a former historian of the KGB archives, Anušauskas. (One chews - the other swallows to be faster.) Because if he fails to do so, anyone who takes over the agency will be able to easily manage the whole elite - judges, prosecutors, politicians, and drive Lithuania in any direction: he wants - to the East,

Looks like I've already lined up everyone to fight the newcomers? You say I forgot Gitan? And what about "tall and beautiful" here? Does he get in the way? I think unobtrusive and the occupiers. Will be able to continue to build a Welfare State for themselves. Although I am sorry for the old Lithuanians as well. That's not how bad it was.

Let’s reject unnecessary emotions and rely only on facts: the least corrupt country! No more serious official or politician has been identified in three decades, although we have created more SSDs, FNTTs, STTs, etc. than others. The French are judging their presidents one after another, the US is organizing one tramp after another, Russia is not arresting its governor, even Israel is hanging Benjamin by the time, and our government is transparent like that Baltic drop of pure amber on the palm of your hand.

It remains to be determined to whom exactly that palm belongs? Only will I not cross the Red Line and be circumcised again, and as a ram sacrificed, for I would have to renew the old cycle: "Who rules the world?"

4. respublika.lt (translated, original by respublika.lt, 29.03.2021)

The Freedom Party has retreated. Only for long?

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On Thursday, the Seimas Freedom Faction withdrew its initiated bill on hate speech. Withdrawal argument: more attention needs to be paid to the debate. According to the member of the Freedom Party, the Minister of Justice Evelina Dobrovolska, in order to move forward, you need to take a step back.

Does this mean that the Seimas rulers are already scared? Probably. Unfortunately, just not myself. The outrage of an increasingly active and increasingly loud-speaking society. Frightened by the impending "Great Family Defense March." sessions in the fall.

But has it receded for long? Very questionable. Because with the final withdrawal, the Liberals run the risk that no one will vote for them in the next Seimas elections. Even for Oceanide. So the retreat is only temporary. Just a regrouping of forces. Because disregard for the moral attitudes prevailing in society is all too obvious. Not even hidden.

Need examples? A member of the Freedom Faction of the Seimas, the former rector of Vilnius University, recently publicly stated that citizens who do not support the Istanbul Convention are just "gleaming flat farmers". Including bishops, archbishops and the pope, because tomorrow, like the day after yesterday, as a year later, some people will not support the ratification of the Istanbul Convention for nothing. pigs?

The essence of the suspended draft law on hate speech is that administrative fines would be imposed on citizens who mock or despise other people on the basis of nationality, race, gender, religion. Or other group addictions. If those in charge of such amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses were blessed, the former could themselves be punished by administrative fines. For mockery of religion. Not from one, but from millions of people. Because only a cynical mocker of religions can decide to ratify the Istanbul Convention. Do try to legalize same-sex partnerships. Contrary to all the religions of the world, at least somewhat more massively. Christianity, Buddhism, Shintoism, Islam, etc.

Will they succeed? Let’s try not to fail. Let them not know in what dimension the "cosmonauts" of Lithuanian politics see that citizens, feeling the trampling of their dignity and values, are not a silent herd. It turns out that it is not so easy to break thinking people. And even transform systemic media into obedient, completely uncritical ones. zombies!

They were scared. Lowers the sails. Our victory? No, let’s not rush to rejoice yet. They just backed away waiting for a better opportunity. To make a cartoon out of a healthy society. Fail. Just be vigilant. That there would be no such opportunity.

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ESTONIA

1. postimees.ee (translated, original by Carl-Robert Puhm, 24.03.2021)

In Martin Helme's letter to Orbán: parties with similar views in Europe should join forces

EKRE President Martin Helme handed over a letter to the Hungarian Ambassador to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán welcoming the idea of creating a network of like-minded parties in Europe.

"First of all, let me thank you for the hard work you have done in the fight to preserve traditional values, nation states and sovereignty. The Estonian Conservative People's Party acted in the government with a commitment to making the Estonian government a good friend and ally of Hungary. Your meeting with Mart Helme, who was the Minister of the Interior at that time and the chairman of our party, confirmed this commitment to you personally, "Martin Helme wrote.

He added: "It is extremely important that the values on which Fidesz and our party are based are vigorously defended and promoted. It is equally important that like-minded parties in Europe join forces and oppose liberalism, globalism and the increasingly obvious tyranny used by left-wing radicals to suppress our freedoms and values. "

"I therefore very enthusiastically welcome your goal of creating a network of like-minded parties in Europe so that we can more effectively protect the natural family, natural nation states and natural freedoms in the political landscape. In essence, there is a struggle to restore normalcy. I assure you that the Estonian Conservative People's Party will always remain your reliable friend and ally in this fight, "Helme concluded. 158

2. news.err.ee (original by ERR, 24.03.2021)

Martin Helme: Rome is on fire and the emperors are fiddling

The previous government's Minister of Finance and current Riigikogu second deputy chairman Martin Helme (EKRE - Helme is also party chair), says the new government hasn't been competent in limiting the coronavirus. It also makes him wonder that Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is using the same measures she criticized during the last government.

Martin Helme told ETV current affairs show "Esimene stuudio" that Kaja Kallas' Facebook post Tuesday which threatened the canceling of public summer events and shows demonstrates incompetence in handling the coronavirus crisis.

Helme told "Esimene stuudio" that he opposes government's attitude in not placing themselves in the same boat as the public, but instead threatening it.

Helme added that there is not much more that can be done in any case because most measures have been implemented. However, border controls should be stepped up so the populace wouldn't be able to travel abroad, to places where new aggressive variants derive, speed tests should be encouraged to identify the infected people in a group, and wider vaccination of the population should be organized, Helme said.

In addition, public transport between nations (e.g. the three Baltic States) should be cut down, and closing kindergartens totally should be considered.

"There are not many places where we could put society on ice," Helme added. "But tourism trips to Africa are still going on. This is not normal."

Helme said that worries over vaccinations rose at the end of summer.

Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik (Center), at the time social affairs minister but in the same role as regards the pandemic, had given the impression early on that everything was fine, Helme said. 159

Regarding criticism about the vaccination, Helme said that the government took an immediate position that it won't do anything unilaterally. In Helme's opinion, the state should have taken actions outside EU procurement agreement.

Helme said that the biggest problem with the current government is that they have inherited a mentality that there isn't a major problem, whereas now they are communicating that there is exactly that.

He also had criticism regarding experts.

"They have a lot of arguments, arguing these publicly, forcing the government to make certain decisions, going to the media without discussing a topic with the government etc," Helme said.

He also said that the government members' own messages via social media are controversial.

"Messages aren't agreed on, everyone has their own versions. But this what politicians do."

Speaking about the coronavirus deniers, anti-maskers and anti-vaccine activists, Helme admitted that he had already talked to one of his MPs, Kalle Grünthal, who recently refused to wear a mask (early on in the pandemic, Grünthal had tacked in the opposite direction to make a similar point, by donning a full NBC-type suit, visor and gloves for one public appearance - ed.). However, Helme says he thinks that there is no point in spending a lot of time on such people as his own MP, Grünthal.

"You won't get anywhere with those who don't believe in the virus and claim that the hospitals are empty," Helme said.

At the same time, Helme considered it dangerous if dissidents are not tolerated adequately.

"It is not a free society if you are told that you cannot express your skepticism," he said, following Saturday's widespread vehicle protest which reportedly brought traffic in several Estonian towns, including Tallinn, to a standstill.

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Helme added that according to studies, not many people are against the restrictions as they are.

"70 percent of people support the current restrictions, while half think there should be more restrictions. We are not in danger of having a large bulk of people who refuse to acknowledge reality," Helme said.

He added that he also has some sympathy for the anti-restrictions people in Saturday's protest.

"They have understood that the coronavirus is an excuse to carry out many things in society. The heavy fist of state power is made even heavier in the guise of the coronavirus. The virus is a problem. But it must be understood that there are people who want to change the operation of society. Both these thingsare problems," Helme said.

Helme pledged that EKRE will not delay or debate the supplementary budget, currently at the parliament, because the party has understood that it is necessary and that a supplementary budget needs to be issued - just as the Center/EKRE/Isamaa coalition had issued one this time last year. However, Helme said he was surprised that the Reform Party, in oppositiona year ago, gave the-then administration criticism for not keeping the budget in balance and taking out loans.

"Dear 'Reformers', Kaja Kallas and [finance minister] Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, where is your pearl of wisdom that the budget must be kept in balance and you can't loan any money, now?" he asked rhetorically. "Now, they are implementing exactly the same measures that we developed a year ago. We certainly support the implementation of this plan, but I do not understand the line."

Martin Helme: Politics not normalized as long as Kaja Kallas is a player

Helme said that he feels sorry for Estonia as a whole because instead of controlling the COVID-19 situation, the government sits dealing with what he called peripheral issues, such as the hate speech bill.

"Rome is on fire and the emperors are playing violin somewhere on the roof. I am sorry for Estonia," Helme said.

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At the same time, he did not criticize the principle of politicians communicating directly with their voters via Facebook (a medium he uses himself - ed.).

"Of course this is fine. I have a direct channel to the public; it doesn't come with the classic role of mediator, so no doubt it's frustrating for all the [mainstream news media] editors," he said.

At the same time, Helme stressed that communication should be professional.

In the case of this summer/fall's presidential elections, EKRE is ready to consider different options, Helme said, taking into account what is possible, what is not and what the party wants to achieve.

"However, we also have a plan for our party to nominate a candidate. I would see [former Riigikogu speaker] Henn Põlluaas in that position. I have also calculated a route Henn Põlluaas could take in becoming president," Helme added.

Estonian presidents are not directly elected by the people, a provision partly aimed at heading off overly populist candidates, when it was installed upon the restoration of indepenence.

Political parties nominate their own presidential candidates - sometimes more then one party picks the same individual - and a process of Riigikogu ballots ensues. If these prove inconclusive, the matter goes to the regional electoral colleges and, if a deadlock still remains, a Riigiikogu council of elders has the final casting ballot. This was the route Kersti Kaljulaid took to Kadriorg in 2016.

3. news.err.ee (original by ERR, 06.04.2021)

EKRE chairman: Vaccination is key to exiting restrictions

Chairman of opposition party EKRE Martin Helme said vaccination is the key to removing coronavirus restrictions because it will help to suppress the infection rate. 162

"The government has hinted that there is a plan for opening the school system by region. I think that if they manage to do that well and it doesn't cause chaos, it's definitely a good idea," Helme said.

However, implementing different regional restrictions on businesses could be contra- productive. "When you close the spas in Tallinn and Ida-Viru County, then everybody will go to Saare County, Haapsalu or Tartu and the situation will get worse," Helme said.

"The most important question is how vaccination is progressing. This is the real solution to exiting [the restrictions]," he said.

Talking about the different coronavirus indicators, Helme said the infection rate - R - is the most important.

"Another important number which is not mentioned a lot, but is very important and becoming even more important, is the number of people with antibodies or who are immune to the virus. Here, we already have around 100,000 people who have suffered from the virus and the people who have been vaccinated, there are over 200,000 of them. The total number of these people creates the number of people not infecting anybody or becoming infected themselves," Helme said.

"All other numbers come from the coefficient. When there are more and more immune people every day, then the coefficient will come down from there and the workload of hospitals is smaller," he added.

Helme also considers border control important. "The worst thing that the government has done is that they haven't dealt with the cases that come in from abroad and the insincere rhetoric that Estonia is dangerous for everybody else but other countries are not dangerous for us. But actually, the biggest danger comes from abroad, the new variants, which spread fast," he added.

"No matter how high the infection rate is here if we let Ukrainians enter the country or people travel to warm countries, then we're bringing the virus in," Helme said.

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The current rate of R, which is 0.82-0.85, is encouraging he said, but it needs to continue to stay low.

"What can happen is that people see that the coefficient has decreased and now the restrictions can be ignored. In fact, before making any decisions, we should be able the get the absolute numbers down. We have to wait patiently for a couple of weeks," Helme said.

On Tuesday, March 30, the government decided to extend the restrictions established until April 11 until at least April 25. In two weeks, the numbers discussed again and new decisions will be made.

4. index.hu (translated, original by Farkas A., 30.03.2021)

Estonia extends quarantine until the end of April

Estonia will extend the quarantine ordered due to the coronavirus epidemic until April 25, Estonian Administration Minister Jaak Aab said on Tuesday.

“We maintain the current restrictions. There will be no more, but there will be no relaxation until April 25, ”the minister said in a statement to Estonian public service radio.

Due to the sudden jump in the number of those infected, the Tallinn government originally ordered quarantine in March with effect from 11 April. As part of measures to halt the spread of the epidemic, restaurants and shops selling non-essential items will be closed and schools will be re-switched to distance learning. Cultural, leisure and entertainment facilities are also closed.

INDOOR EVENTS ARE PROHIBITED.

In the case of outdoor gathering, the 2 + 2 rule must be followed, ie no more than two people can be close to each other, keeping a distance of at least two meters from the other participants. 164

Estonia, with a population of 1.3 million, has been battling another wave of the epidemic since the spring. More than 105,000 people have been registered since the pandemic broke out, 896 of whom have died from the disease. According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Estonia has one of the highest infection rates among European countries.

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LATVIA

1. skaties.lv (translated, original by Leta, 29.03.2021)

Zīle: In the revised application, Latvia could apply for a larger amount of support to the funds of the EU Recovery Plan

It is expected that Latvia will apply for a larger amount of support in the revised application for the European Union (EU) Recovery and Sustainability Mechanism Plan, Roberts Zīle (NA), Member of the European Parliament, told TV3.

The politician once criticized the Ministry of Finance (MoF) for claiming only 70% of the available money in its application, or about 1.65 out of less than 2 billion euros.

Zīle knew that in the revised project Latvia would apply for approximately 1.8 billion euros.

The MEP noted that a lot of work still needs to be done to develop Latvia's revised application, which needs to be coordinated with European bodies in order to wait for the first disbursement of funds by the summer.

165

LETA has already reported that up to 2 billion euros of funding will be available in the form of grants from the EU Recovery Fund to Latvia by 2026.

At the beginning of February, Latvia sent an application to the European Commission (EC) for approval on the guaranteed part of the financing available in the EU Recovery Fund in the amount of 1.65 billion euros. According to the information provided by the Ministry of Finance, Latvia has an opportunity to apply for the variable part of the EU funding, which is currently estimated at approximately 300 million euros. In addition, loans will be available to Latvia in the indicative amount of 2.5 billion euros.

There was criticism from the EC about the submitted plan, and Latvian politicians acknowledged that it would have to be revised and improved. The Ministry of Finance previously acknowledged to LETA that negotiations with the EC will take place until the end of March, but the Latvian economic recovery plan discussed with the EC in the government could reach the end of April.

The ministry predicted that the most important apple in the negotiations with the EC would not be so much about the investment section as the section on Latvia's planned reforms.

2. eng.belta.by (original by Belta, 07.04.2021)

Belarus interested in good neighborly relations with Latvia

MINSK, 7 April (BelTA) – Belarus is interested in advancing good neighborly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation with Latvia in a broad range of matters.

Anna Starovoitova, a member of the International Affairs Commission of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, made the statement during an online meeting of members of the Belarusian parliament's working group on cooperation with the Latvian parliament with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to Belarus Einars Semanis, BelTA has learned.

166

The MP said: “We believe it is important to invigorate cooperation between the Belarusian parliament and the Latvian one. It will contribute to the development of the bilateral mutually beneficial dialogue in the spirit of good neighborly relations. I am convinced that future interaction between our countries at all levels will continue actively after pandemic-related restrictions are lifted. In turn, it will foster the all-round expansion of cooperation in the interests of our nations. For my part, I would like to note that the Belarusian parliament is open to the dialogue and is ready to interact in any format.”

In her words, it has been nearly 30 years since Belarus-Latvia diplomatic relations were established. “We were and are connected by tight cultural and economic relations. Last year demonstrated that the world is rapidly changing and it seems to us it is necessary to adequately adapt to new conditions, wisely use the available resources, and carefully treat the contacts that have been established, interact in the interests of our nations.

In addition to multiple risks new opportunities are opening up, which one should exploit wisely,” the MP noted. “But I would like to note that prior to 2020 the interparliamentary bilateral dialogue was invigorated, contacts were maintained at the level of heads of government and between the ministries of foreign affairs. But, unfortunately, after the presidential election in Belarus in August 2020 Latvia froze contacts with Belarusian officials and took a number of unfriendly steps.”

Anna Starovoitova stressed that the Belarusian nation has everything it needs to establish stability in the society on its own on the basis of the balance of interests of the entire population. “We sincerely count on a measured, constructive stance and confirm readiness for future fruitful cooperation for the benefit of our nations and the international community,” she stated. “Despite tensions in the political dimension Belarus and Latvia actively cooperate in economic affairs.

In 2020 Belarus-Latvia trade totaled $393.6 million. Promising avenues of cooperation include woodworking, pharmaceutics, food production, and tourism. Belarusian producers are interested in selling electric buses, agricultural machines, lifts, construction materials, cables, and other products to satisfy Latvia's needs. There is a considerable potential for the development of bilateral cooperation in the sphere of services, particularly in the information and communications technologies industry, which demonstrates steady growth in the two countries.”

In turn, Einars Semanis said: “I have to admit that time is very complicated in all relations. But diplomatic communication channels should remain open. I think today's meeting is a testimony and a confirmation of that. I'd like to express hope that our relations can develop in 167 the future. Our nation truly desires good neighborly relations and wishes Belarus to be an independent, sovereign, stable, economically developed and democratic country. It has always been and is our main stance,” the ambassador stated.

3. civil.ge (original by civil.ge, 07.04.2021)

Georgian Defense Minister Visits Latvia

Recently-appointed Georgian Minister of Defense Juansher Burchuladze on April 7 arrived in Latvia on his first working visit, where he held meetings with Latvian President Egils Levits, Defense Minister Artis Pabriks, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs and Saeima Speaker Ināra Mūrniece.

During the meeting with Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks, the two talked about defense cooperation between the countries, also the situation in Georgia’s occupied regions, threats from Russia and global security challenges. Minister Burchuladze highlighted Latvia’s “significant contribution” to the European Union Monitoring Mission, the Defense Ministry’s press service reported.

Minister Burchuladze outlined to his Latvian counterpart the reforms in the Georgian military, including for achieving compatibility with NATO, also successful initiatives through the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package and the country’s role in international missions.

The Georgian Defense Minister was also hosted by Saeima Speaker Ināra Mūrniece at the Latvian legislature, where they discussed Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic membership aspirations, including cooperation with the European Union.

According to the Defense Ministry’s press service, the two talked about Black Sea security, and the role of NATO in this regard. Minister Burchuladze highlighted that joining the Alliance is Georgia’s top defense and foreign policy priority.

With the Georgian delegation, comprised of First Deputy Defense Minister Lela Chikovani and Deputy Commander of the Defense Forces Brigadier General Irakli Chichinadze, 168

Minister Burchuladze also visited the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group, located in the Ādaži camp, and the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence.

4. la.lv (translated, original by Leta, 08.04.2021)

At a record number of Covid-19 tests, 740 cases were detected

On Wednesday, performing the largest number of Covid-19 tests per day so far, a total of 740 cases of Covid-19 were detected in Latvia and information on 17 deaths was received, according to information compiled by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

During the day, 24,155 Covid-19 tests were performed in Latvia and 3.1% of them were positive, while the day before this indicator was 2.8%.

In total, the number of Covid-19 cases registered in Latvia so far has reached 105,916. The calculations of the Agency LETA show that 6440 cases of Covid-19 have been registered in the last two weeks, while the rest are considered to be infected.

The two-week cumulative incidence of Covid-19 per 100,000 population increased from 330.6 cases to 337.6 cases last day.

A significant number of Covid-19 deaths have also been reported in the past day. It was previously more than 17 on March 10, when 21 deaths were reported.

Of the Covid-19 patients who died last day, two were aged 50 to 59 years, three were aged 60 to 69 years, four were aged 70 to 79 years, six were aged 80 to 89 years and two were aged 90 to 89 years. up to 99 years.

So far, a total of 1963 people who had contracted Covid-19 have died in Latvia, which is 1.85% of all confirmed cases of Covid-19.

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LUXEMBOURG

1. wort.lu (translated, original by Morgan Kuntzmann, 01.04.2021)

Luxembourg goes its own way and opens the terraces

From Wednesday, bars and restaurants can open their terraces from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The opening of the outdoor catering was accepted by a large majority on Thursday - nevertheless the restaurateurs protested on Friday.

Only the two MEPs from Déi Lénk voted on Thursday against the opening of outdoor restaurants from April 7th . David Wagner (Déi Lénk) had to vote for his party colleague, Marc Baum, by proxy. The latter is currently in quarantine because it tested positive for the corona virus.

David Wagner complained that the government first had to take back the other restrictions on freedom before opening restaurant terraces. “First we have to dismantle the corona restrictions. France also has a curfew, which comes into force at 6 p.m. Their numbers have never been better than ours here in Luxembourg. Now they are going into lockdown again, ”says Wagner.

Glimmer of hope

The rapporteur Mars di Bartolomeo (LSAP) said in his speech that a symbol of hope is important to show perspectives in the ongoing fight against the virus and to “pass the marathon”.

Prime Minister Xavier Bettel (DP) , who represented Health Minister Paulette Lenert (LSAP), discussed the numbers of corona infections. The situation is currently stable, but at a very high level. “The increase in cases that Luxembourg has experienced in the last few days is 170 linear and not exponential and thus allows the terraces to be carefully reopened.” The decisive factor for the easing is the number of hospitalizations.

The opposition motion calling for Corinne Cahen (DP) to resign as family minister was rejected with the votes of the majority parties.

Opposition calls for Corinne Cahen's resignation

Nevertheless, Bettel reminded that further restrictions could come in the next few weeks if the number of infections continues to rise. For Bettel, the opening of the terraces enables meetings in public to take place in a corona-compliant manner: "It is better for a maximum of two households to meet on a restaurant terrace than for several households outdoors, as we could see in the good weather of the last few days."

The exact regulations: A maximum of two people can sit together at one table if they come from different households. The limit does not apply to guests from one household. To do this, a minimum distance of one and a half meters must be maintained between the tables or they must be separated by a plexiglass. Restaurants and pubs are allowed to open their outdoor areas from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Restaurateurs protest on April 2nd

Claude Wiseler (CSV) criticized the government's lack of a phased plan. Wiseler also responded to the skepticism that exists in the Horeca sector towards the partial opening. Restaurateurs and innkeepers want to protest on the Place d'Armes on Friday to demand a complete reopening. Wiseler demanded a clear statement from the government that the income from the partial opening will not be offset against government aid. As a further point of criticism, the opposition politician listed the government's “lack of precision in the legislative work”. David Wagner took up this point and criticized the inaccuracy and incoherence of the article on the terrace opening.“The innkeepers can expect penalties if they don't obey the law. However, you are not allowed to control the guests and can only ask. That doesn't work. "

Since it became clear that most Members of an opening of the terraces were, and the real problem represented the prolongation of the existing corona measures, the article was to terrace opening matched separately and overwhelmingly accepted. The corona restrictions were extended to April 24 with the votes of the majority parties (31), the opposition (29) voted unanimously against it.

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Leave for family reasons

The Congé pour raisons familiales also received a fourth extension. The measure is valid until July 17th. The date was set in such a way that the summer holidays in neighboring countries, which begin later, are also included. Rapporteur Georges Engel (LSAP) emphasized that it cannot be assumed with certainty that the schools will not have to close again until the end of the school year.

France closes its schools Carole Hartmann (DP), however, pointed out that the measure due to the lockdown in France was topical: “The schools will be in France for the next three weeks. The cross-border commuters will therefore have to take their leave immediately. ” As a reminder: Parents of children who are under 13 years of age or of children who are being treated in hospital can apply for this special leave. The extension of the measure was unanimously approved.

2. tageblatt.lu (translated, original by Christian Muller, 08.04.2021)

Inflation / In Luxembourg, prices rose significantly faster again in March

After the rate of price increase only increased very slowly last year, with the corona-related collapse in demand, prices are now rising significantly faster again. This is shown by new figures from the Statec statistical institute.

In Luxembourg, the inflation rate in March at 1.98 percent was as Statec last Wednesday in a Pressemeldun g announced. This is the highest level since May 2019. In the previous year, 2020, the price increase rate was only 0.8 percent. The price was practically stable.

In the euro area, too, the inflation rate has recently increased again. Currently, prices are expected to rise by 1.3 percent in March (compared to the previous year), as figures from Eurostat show. In the previous year, the rate of price increases in the currency area was even negative for a few months (August to December). That means: the prices were on average slightly cheaper than a year before.

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Meanwhile, prices for oil products rose particularly strongly in Luxembourg in March. They have increased by an impressive 13 percent compared to the previous year. In April of last year , the oil price fell sharply on the international markets. Then he picked up again.

However, it was not only energy products that became more expensive in this country in March. Food prices are also 1.4 percent higher than a year ago. The prices for fruit in particular rose (an increase of 3.66 percent) and for bread (an increase of 2.33 percent). Alcoholic beverages also cost 2.76 percent more today than they did 12 months ago. Maintenance work around the house costs 2.82 percent more, everything to do with horticulture costs 6.25 percent. The price of IT material also rose by 2.25 percent in the course of the year. Compared to the previous year, only a few products have become cheaper. These include package tours (minus 2.42 percent), telephone costs (minus 3.03 percent) and electrical household appliances (minus 1.65 percent).

Higher prices were expected

Nobody was actually surprised by the faster rise in prices. Statec had already announced in November 2020 that it would expect prices to rise more rapidly again from 2021. At the time, Statec saw several reasons that contribute to the trend of rising prices: for example oil prices, which (compared to the low point in 2020) will rise again next year. At the same time, the new CO 2 tax will also make products such as petrol, diesel, heating oil and gas more expensive from January. In addition, free public transport no longer has any effect on statistics (more than a year after its introduction). For the full year 2021, the statisticians currently expect an inflation rate of 1.7 percent.

For private consumers, however, inflation does not only mean that the prices of goods and services are becoming more expensive. In general, it is about inflation: goods are becoming more expensive and savings are shrinking - capital that is invested with lower interest rates than the inflation rate loses purchasing power . To compensate for the loss of purchasing power, there is an index system in Luxembourg . As far as this compensation is concerned, however, some figures are currently being left out of the bill, namely the price increases resulting from the new CO 2 tax . When a new index tranche can be expected to be paid out, Statec does not write in Wednesday's press release.

3. magyarhirlap.hu (translated, original by Mariann Őry, 24.03.2021)

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Frank Engel fails due to corruption

Together with the Gyurcsánys, Soros University was defended by the billionaire's reliable ally, who demanded the withdrawal of EU funds due to Hungary, citing the rule of law.

Frank Engel, a Luxembourg People's Party politician, resigned from his presidency last week. The pro-Gyurcsány party politician was one of the loudest critics of the Hungarian government and George Soros was a reliable ally in the European Parliament.

A scandal has shaken the Christian Socialist People's Party (CSV) in Luxembourg in recent days. Party president Frank Engel resigned his post last Friday after two days earlier his own party members reported suspicions of corruption and bogus employment in the prosecution.

According to a compilation by RTL in Luxembourg, Engel received a significant amount in seven months in 2019 through a party-affiliated non-profit organization, the “Circle of Friends” (ASBL CSV-Frëndeskrees), to recruit members and supporters under the contract. However, this job really only existed on paper, the members of the CSV were not aware of the contract, and they did not think that Engel would have been entitled to the forty thousand euros anyway. Martine Hansen, party faction leader, said Engel put CSV in an impossible position. According to Luxemburger Wort, the entire transaction came to light during the bookkeeping, and the Hansens were confident that the president had not done any actual work for the organization.

In his statements, the party president said he had no reason to apologize, he knows exactly how he dealt with the seven months in question, and everything happened legally. Engel put it this way, the only mistake he made was not informing his members.

The Luxembourg Times recalled that Engel became president of Luxembourg’s largest opposition party in close competition in January 2019 and wanted to run for office again at the April Congress this year. The paper recalled not the first scandal of the politician right now. He had previously been attacked by his party because, without consultation with his fellow members, he had secured a draft wealth and inheritance tax on which CSV did not yet have a clear position. Engel’s troubles, also compounded by international politics: in 2017, Azerbaijan asked Interpol for his arrest for participating in a referendum in Nagorno- Karabakh as an election observer, and said Baku had entered the area illegally.

Frank Engel represented CSV in the European Parliament until 2019, which is not, incidentally, the party of Jean-Claude Juncker, then President of the European Commission. 174

He was one of the loudest critics of Fidesz and the Hungarian government in the European People's Party, and in the Fundamental Rights Committee (LIBE) he also regularly demanded that EU funds be withdrawn from Hungary under pressure. “If we nod them hard enough in the head, they’ll do what we want,” he once said at a LIBE meeting, according to the M1 report. In the 2018 plenary debate on the rule of law in Hungary, he accused the government of launching a campaign against George Soros. Engel, by the way, was on the leaked list where a consulting firm called Kumquat Consult gathered the billionaire’s most trusted allies in the EP. He also accused the government of pursuing a conservative policy, all about religion, the right structure of the family, the nation.

In 2017, Engel participated in the event of the Democratic Coalition Party Foundation in Budapest, which was held under the auspices of Soros University. In his speech, he praised Ferenc Gyurcsány's party and criticized Fidesz. He also gave an interview to M1, talking about the need not only for a quota but also for the automatic allocation of migrants.

Another political blackmail in Brussels

The European Parliament is putting pressure on the European Commission not to wait for a ruling by the EU court, but to apply the rule of law mechanism, which threatens to deprive EU funds, Politico wrote in its newsletter yesterday morning. A motion for a resolution on this, which is supported by the European People's Party, the Liberal Renew, the Social Democratic S&D, the Greens and the far-left GUE / NGL Group, will be voted on today in Parliament's plenary session in Brussels. The draft decision also states that if the committee does not act by the summer, Parliament will go to the EU Court of Justice. As for Vera Jourova, the liberal vice-chair of the committee, there is an intention: she recently spoke in a newspaper interview that they could avoid court in order to punish Hungary and Poland. The Hungarian government sharply criticized the new threat.

Trócsányi: The People's Party can merge into the left

Faced with external challenges, it is less and less able to remain true to its values and less and less able to

4. wort.lu (translated, original by Michéle Gantenbein, 01.04.2021)

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The opposition called for the liberal family minister to resign. The background is the infection process in the senior structures.

The infection process and the many deaths in the nursing homes continue to cause a lot of excitement and put the government under pressure to provide the public with answers about how the sources of infection came about and what exactly happened. An independent scientific study is now supposed to provide answers. With the votes of the majority parties, Parliament passed a motion tabled by the Chairman of the Health Commission, Mars Di Bartolomeo (LSAP) .

Bettel protects Cahen with misrepresentation

But this motion did not go far enough for the opposition. ADR, Déi Lénk and the pirates had united behind the motion of CSV MP Michel Wolter , who, in addition to the independent scientific investigation , demanded an external audit of the sanitary measures in the structures and the procedures in the family ministry. He also called for the creation of a Comité de pilotage , in which Parliament is also represented.

But the majority parties did not agree with this - above all the DP. And so, after the rejection of their motion, the opposition demanded the resignation of Family Minister Corinne Cahen (DP) in a further joint motion . She is not the right person in the right place, said Michel Wolter, who brought in the motion. DP parliamentary group leader Gilles Baum defended Cahen with verve and described the opposition's approach as "indecent". You are conducting the worst party politics on the back of the older population. Also faction leader Josée Lorsché (Déi Gréng) and LSAP party leader Georges angel strengthened Corinne Cahen back, saying their trust in her.

Fernand Kartheiser (ADR) described the resignation as a "normal" democratic process. The minister made mistakes and must take responsibility for them. "We are calling for the resignation because the majority parties are not prepared to play the card of transparency," said Kartheiser. “We're not enjoying this here,” said David Wagner. But in view of the events and the way in which they were dealt with, one could not help but demand the resignation of the minister.

The CSV parliamentary group raises serious allegations against the government and especially against Family Minister Corinne Cahen (DP).

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Retirement homes: CSV accuses government of covering up facts

At the end of a heated debate that degenerated into mutual personal accusations , some of which had nothing to do with the actual topic, the resignation was rejected with the votes of the majority parties.

The vote was preceded by a rather emotional debate in which the author of the majority motion, Mars Di Bartolomeo, tried to show that the majority parties were interested in an independent investigation of the events in the nursing homes. In the responsible Chamber Commission in the morning they had come close to find a cross-party position. But that failed because of the details, said Di Bartolomeo.

In the eyes of the opposition, however, the two motions differ in fundamental ways. In their view, the majority party’s motion is incomplete. Furthermore, the opposition politicians are annoyed that the family and health ministries should participate in the investigation. In this way, the independence of the investigation is not guaranteed, so the opposition representatives. If the two motions hardly differ in the eyes of the majority parties, there is nothing against supporting the opposition motion, said Fred Keup (ADR) to the majority representatives who did not agree with this argument.

Also Family Minister Corinne Cahen took the word and created a 20-minute speech, a chronicle of what it had taken as a family minister since the beginning of the pandemic, together with the Ministry of Health and institutions for the protection of residents and implemented. You deliberately did not inform the public about all clusters - there were 53 of them - "not to cover up anything, but because a cluster represents a very stressful situation for the houses, the staff and the relatives," said Cahen.

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MALTA

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1. timesofmalta.com (original by Colm Regan, 08.04.2021)

What are Malta’s priorities?

'Malta is currently not a normal country going about its regular business'

Malta faces many significant challenges that would tax the best of leadership even in normal times and circumstances.

A brief list of such challenges might include the need for considered and informed debate on environmental destruction, infrastructure development on land and sea, migration and how to approach it, the future of tourism, agriculture and education.

This is by no means a full list.

Each individual challenge is deserving of research, public and expert input and national deliberation. Answers to such challenges are not simple or obvious – they are clearly complex and always contested.

Malta is a country constricted, hogtied and almost immobilised by the dominant agenda of criminality and corruption They involve multiple interests and agendas which need appropriate management and often mediation.

Given its history, geography and culture, Malta’s future direction cries out for careful thought, skill, creativity and vision. Personally, I have no doubt whatsoever that these exist in profusion in Malta if the opportunity and context permit.

Each challenge is deserving of a full-blown national conversation, but these are not normal times and Malta is currently not a normal country going about its regular business.

Instead, it is a country constricted, hogtied and almost immobilised by the dominant agenda of criminality and corruption among its business, political and administrative elite.

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It is a country staring down a tunnel mesmerised by the oncoming lights and what they might portend.

As the name of Malta is yet again associated with high level and widespread sleaze, dodgy dealing and criminality, there is growing unease and dismay nationally and internationally.

All of this is accompanied by a soundtrack of ongoing tribal political chanting which specialises in banality and political and cultural illiteracy.

As a direct result, Malta’s social, environmental, political, legal and economic urgencies are cast aside in a flurry of corruption ‘management’ and ‘distraction’ tactics.

So much of the time, energy and focus of government, business and administration are taken up with simply dodging this week’s set of scandals in order to survive until next week.

We have all become experts in ‘reading’ and ‘parsing’ today’s speeches, policy twists, and assertions.

We have learned to read between, beneath and above the lines, wondering who is actually dictating strategy, response and agenda.

In the meantime, ministers of state, government administrators, professionals and businesspeople go about their work of plundering the country and its people.

We have learned to read between, beneath and above the lines

It is as if the country is experiencing an advanced form of democratic paralysis. This is clearly no way to run a country especially in the throes of a pandemic let alone planning for its future well-being and human development.

Nor is it a fruitful or positive way in which to channel the energy and focus of the public.

It also actively undermines Malta’s professed commitment to the rule of law, to having a living democracy and to the country’s standing in the world.

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Simultaneously, it feeds public cynicism, disbelief and disregard for others and for the idea of public service.

It offers nothing positive to Malta’s younger generation and it most certainly contributes nothing to the country’s urgent need to address its priority challenges.

It simply must continue to be challenged - there is no other choice.

2. occrp.org (original by Martin Young, 29.03.2021)

Trail of Murdered Journalist’s Reporting Leads from Malta to China

Also published by our partners Reuters (Global, in English), Times of Malta (Malta, in English) and Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany, in German).

Daphne Caruana Galizia’s work uncovering corruption in Malta delved into visa-for-sale schemes, energy deals, and Caribbean offshore companies set up for Maltese politicians. Now, an investigation has found that all these stories come together — in China.

Key Findings

Macbridge, a mysterious company named as part of a kickback scheme investigated by Daphne Caruana Galizia, is linked to a Chinese consultant who negotiated a major energy deal in Malta.

Macbridge was set up by the mother-in-law of the consultant, Chen Cheng, a senior executive at the Chinese branch of the multinational consulting firm Accenture.

Both Chen and his mother-in-law are also connected to companies and businessmen that facilitate the sale of Maltese residency visas in China.

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Chen asked another relative to set up a company that received a one-million-euro payment from 17 Black, a firm famously owned by Maltese tycoon Yorgen Fenech, who has been charged with the murder of Caruana Galizia.

For a tiny country, the Mediterranean island nation of Malta has spawned a huge number of corruption scandals — and Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia covered most of them on her crusading blog, Running Commentary.

She was one of the first to report on 17 Black, a mysterious Dubai company that she believed was linked to senior Maltese officials. She also dug into dubious circumstances surrounding a 2014 agreement to sell a major stake in Malta’s only electricity company to a Chinese state- owned firm, and a suspicious subsequent investment in a Montenegro wind farm. And in 2016, she seized on a Chinese media report claiming that Malta would be selling residency visas to wealthy Chinese citizens — with no questions asked about the source of applicants’ funds.

The Daphne Project

This story was produced in collaboration with Reuters, The Times of Malta and Suddeutsche Zeitung, as partners in The Daphne Project, a collaborative cross-border initiative to continue the work of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

But Caruana Galizia didn’t live to see the end of these stories, even as her work caused them to emerge as hot-button political issues in Malta, leading to multiple corruption cases and even criminal charges against members of the country’s political elite.

In October 2017, just a few hours after publishing a final blog post — “There are crooks everywhere you look now,” it warned — Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb. Her assassination triggered a scandal that exposed corruption at the heart of Malta’s government, toppled its prime minister, and sent shock waves throughout the European Union.

Three people have since been imprisoned in connection with the murder. In a Valletta court this month, one of them, a hired hitman, said Caruana Galizia had been killed because she was about to publish “some details” on an unspecified topic. The alleged mastermind of the bombing, the Maltese tycoon Yorgen Fenech, is in jail awaiting trial.

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Now journalists from OCCRP and partners have followed a trail of clues unearthed by Caruana Galizia from Malta to China, where they discovered two figures who tie together these stories she had been following — the 17 Black corruption scandal, the dubious energy deals, and the residency visa-for-sale program.

“What has become clear through these scandals is that they always end up leading back to the involvement of the same sets of people,” her son Matthew Caruana Galizia told OCCRP after reviewing the findings of the new investigation.

“It’s a clear indication of how, in a very short time span, a few individuals were able to take over the entire state apparatus of an EU country and turn it into a pirate ship for their own personal benefit.”

After Caruana Galizia was killed, journalists around the world raced to look into the topics she had been covering, including 17 Black. She’d posted repeatedly about the company and suggested it was tied to top politicians, but never managed to prove the claim.

In 2018, Reuters and the Times of Malta revealed that 17 Black was owned by Fenech, a flashy local businessman with an alleged taste for cocaine and racehorses. He was close to some of Malta’s most powerful political figures — including Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his chief of staff, Keith Schembri — and helmed a conglomerate that was part of a consortium that in 2013 won a major concession to build a 450-million-euro power station.

Fenech was apparently using 17 Black to funnel bribes to politicians. The story cited a critical piece of evidence: a leaked 2015 email sent by Maltese accounting firm Nexia BT, saying that 17 Black was expected to send up to $2 million to shell companies set up in Panama by two senior Maltese politicians: Schembri and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi.

But what wasn’t widely reported was that another mysterious company was also named in the email as a source of funds for Mizzi and Schembri’s companies. It was referred to in the press only as “Macbridge.”

The 2015 email sent by Nexia BT to Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca on the set-up of shell companies for Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi.

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Caruana Galizia had also been quietly digging into the company, after learning of the same email in 2016 and hearing from a source that Macbridge and 17 Black were “crucial to unravelling the web,” according to her son and records of her work seen by reporters.

But Macbridge proved harder to trace than 17 Black and Maltese officials have refused to answer questions about the company’s existence. When then-Finance Minister Edward Scicluna was asked by a reporter last year who owned Macbridge, he retorted: “Look, if you want to be sensational, continue.” Journalists believed it to be a United Arab Emirates company, like 17 Black, but no trace of it was ever found there.

That’s because the company’s roots are actually halfway across the world, in Hong Kong, OCCRP and its reporting partners have discovered. The company is registered there as “Macbridge International Development Co Ltd,” along with a Chinese name that combines the characters for “Malta” and “China.”

Reporters also found that in mid-2016, 17 Black sent 1 million euros to another Hong Kong company, Dow’s Media Co Ltd, that shares a very similar set-up and structure to Macbridge.

Dow’s Media was incorporated in October 2014, just weeks after Macbridge, using the same Hong Kong-based formations agent and the same registered addresses in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Both companies were dissolved within a week of each other in January 2019.

Investigators in Malta sought details about both companies from Hong Kong and China in 2018 as part of an investigation into “possible corruption and money laundering.”

Macbridge and Dow’s Media are set up in ways that make it difficult to determine who actually owns them, controlled through shell companies in the Seychelles and the Marshall Islands, respectively.

But reporters found they are both directed by proxies with family ties to one man: a Chinese consultant at the center of major deals involving Malta’s government-backed energy utility, Enemalta.

The Chen Cheng Connection

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Caruana Galizia had been writing extensively about this man, Chen Cheng, a managing director of the Chinese energy division of global consulting firm Accenture. Chen emerged as a key player in negotiations for a 2014 deal for China’s state-owned Shanghai Electric Power to buy a third of Enemalta.

The deal was worth 320 million euros, the largest ever foreign investment in the country, but drew criticism in Malta — and on Caruana Galizia’s blog — for granting the Chinese company overly favorable terms.

Accenture advised Shanghai Electric Power on the deal, and Chen touted it in Chinese media as a landmark Belt-and-Road project endorsed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Caruana Galizia reported that a source told her Chen was “particularly close to Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi,” who oversaw negotiations on the Maltese side. (A subsequent inquiry unearthed emails between Chen, Mizzi, and others about a plan to set up an agency in China that same year to promote investment in Malta.)

She also revealed a key detail about Chen: When the accounting firm Nexia BT helped Schembri and Mizzi register secret companies in Panama, it also created a company for Chen in the British Virgin Islands.

But what Daphne didn’t know was that Chen was also connected to the offshore companies at the heart of the kickbacks scandal she was untangling — and the residency visa schemes she’d long harbored suspicions about.

Macbridge and Dow’s Media were both set up in Hong Kong around the same time Chen was working on the Enemalta deal, by two of his family members: Tang Zhaomin, his 65-year-old mother-in-law, and Wang Rui, his mother-in-law’s cousin.

Reporters tracked Wang to the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, where she and Tang own a company that operates local branches of the fast food chain KFC.

She said in a phone interview that Chen had asked her to open Dow’s Media, because its connection to a Chinese state-owned enterprise made it “inconvenient” for him to do so himself. She said she knew nothing about its business activities or its receipt of 1 million euros from 17 Black.

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Tang could not be reached for comment. However, the new evidence linking the company she directs, Macbridge, to her family member, Chen, suggests that the Chinese businessman played a role in channeling money to the secret Panama companies of Schembri and Mizzi.

Money from what? It’s unclear, but following the successful Shanghai Electric Power investment in Enemalta, Chen became a key promoter of a subsequent 2015 Enemalta investment in the Mozura wind farm project in Montenegro.

According to an internal Enemalta investigation, Accenture advised on this investment in December 2014, with Chen pitching the idea to Enemalta in a PowerPoint presentation.

The investigation raised serious concerns about the deal, in which Fenech also played a role.

His 17 Black secretly helped fund the December 2015 purchase by Enemalta of a controlling stake in the project for 2.9 million euros, via a loan to a Seychelles intermediary called Cifidex Limited. That company, which Chen had brought into the deal, subsequently sold its shares in the project to Enemalta for 10.3 million euros just two weeks later, reaping a huge profit.

Cifidex then repaid the loan to 17 Black along with 4.6 million euros in profit from the deal. 17 Black, in turn, sent 1 million euros to Dow’s Media around the same time, from May to July 2016.

Although OCCRP has not uncovered definitive proof that this was the same money, the new evidence suggests that Chen was not only involved in facilitating secret money flows for top Maltese politicians, but also benefited himself from the 17 Black pipeline.

A spokesperson for Enemalta said by email that the internal report on the Montenegro- Mozura deal “was passed on to the Police to assist in any investigations. Any further comments at this stage would be imprudent.”

Questioned on Chen’s alleged activities surrounding the energy deals and offshore companies, and about his apparent conflicts of interest, Accenture said in a statement: “We are taking this matter very seriously and are carefully reviewing these allegations as they relate to one of our people. We adhere to the highest ethical standards in every market in which we operate and 185 have zero tolerance for any deviation from those standards.” Chen himself did not respond to requests for comment.

Mizzi said by email that he had “no information” about Macbridge or anybody connected to it, adding that he has “consistently rejected the assertion that there is a connection, direct or otherwise,” between his company and Macbridge.

“I also reject the suggestion that I had business plans with Macbridge, or a personal interest in any public project,” he said. “I know Chen Cheng as a consultant assisting [Shanghai Electric Power] in multiple initiatives, and my interactions with him were in that official context.”

Schembri did not respond to a request for comment. In recent days, Maltese prosecutors have charged him, his father, and nine business associates, including Nexia BT employees, with fraud and money laundering over an unrelated case.

A ‘Nose for a Story’ Leads to Shanghai

Chen and his mother-in-law aren’t just involved in offshore companies and energy deals. Reporters found they also have ties to one of Malta’s biggest businesses: selling citizenship and residency visas to wealthy foreigners, who can use the island as a backdoor into the European Union.

These ties run through a Shanghai businessman who effectively controls the sale of Maltese residency visas in China — through the same company Caruana Galizia highlighted in her 2016 blog post.

At the time, she had little more to go on than a single media report and a photograph showing a signing ceremony for the launch of the Malta Residence and Visa Programme in China, presided over by Konrad Mizzi’s wife, Sai Mizzi Liang. But “instinct, experience and the nose for a story” told her there was more to the situation.

“The next step that needs to be taken here — please, other journalists get on board with this one — is to find some way of checking out the shareholding and involvements of that company in China, which is going to be very difficult but necessary,” she wrote.

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Caruana Galizia was right that it’s difficult to track down companies in China. Although the country does have a business registry system, the information within is often unstructured or incomplete, and it can only be navigated by someone fluent in Chinese.

But after months of research, reporters found that Shanghai Overseas Exit-Entry Services Co Ltd, which holds the official concession to sell Maltese residency visas in China, is run by a businessman named Mao Haibin, also known as Kevin Mao.

Chinese records show that Mao has ties to both Chen and his mother-in-law — the woman who directs Macbridge.

Mao and Chen were partners in at least two companies, including Shanghai Visabao Network Technology Co Ltd, which operates in several major Chinese cities and helps Chinese citizens procure visas abroad.

Chen’s mother-in-law is a manager and shareholder at a Shanghai advertising agency controlled by Mao, which in turn was a major sponsor of Malta Residence and Visa Programme events in China.

Mao, who did not respond to requests for comment, has multiple other business interests related to facilitating Chinese investment abroad — and in Malta specifically.

Over the past few years, he has played a major role in Malta’s efforts to attract wealthy Chinese nationals to its visa-sale program. He appeared at multiple events in Shanghai to promote the program, alongside senior Maltese officials like John Aquilina, Malta’s ambassador to China and Aldo Cutajar, Malta’s former consul general to Shanghai.

Some of these events featured lavish banquets attended by top Maltese diplomats, with plenty of warm testimonies to Malta’s status as a “key node” in China’s “Maritime Silk Road.”

But Malta’s citizenship-for-sale industry has been plagued by controversy. In August 2020, Aldo Cutajar was arrested by Maltese authorities and charged with illegally profiting from visa sales in China, and laundering the proceeds. During a search of his home, they found more than 540,000 euros in cash and four Rolex watches. The following month, Schembri was also arrested for allegedly taking kickbacks from selling Maltese passports to wealthy Russians. 187

Mao has several other visa and real estate ventures that target wealthy Chinese citizens looking to invest overseas, some of which overlap with his work to sell Maltese residency permits. These include Shanghai Bangyi, a visa and immigration services company, and Grandstone Investment, which offers wealth management services for Chinese nationals looking to move money abroad. Its website provides a portal for direct applications to the Malta Residence and Visa Programme.

He even co-owns a Maltese company, Asiatica Corporate Services Ltd, together with Mizzi’s personal lawyer, Aron Mifsud Bonnici, who also played a role in negotiating Enemalta’s wind farm investment.

Responding to questions, Mifsud Bonnici said he knew Mao “in his capacity as CEO of Shanghai Overseas Exit Entry Services,” and said he had processed visa applications, via official immigration schemes, in his role as a lawyer.

Mifsud Bonnici said Asiatica was opened to provide corporate services to visa applicants, but never generated any business. “Hence it never operated and is now pending liquidation,” he said. He said he knew Chen as an adviser to Shanghai Electric Power, and met him “some time into my tenure as Enemalta board secretary.”

In 2019, Mao’s younger brother, Mao Haichun, co-founded two Maltese companies with Roderick Cutajar, the former head of the Malta Residence Visa Agency, which oversees residency visa sales around the world. One of their joint ventures sells residency in Malta and other European countries to Chinese and international buyers; the other is a related real estate company.

Roderick Cutajar told reporters that the visa firm, immVest, is not linked to Mao Haibin’s Shanghai Overseas Entry Exit Service Ltd. “My relationship is strictly with immVest International,” he said. “Furthermore, rest assured that I have no relationship, personal or business, with either Aldo Cutajar, Chen Cheng or Macbridge.”

In a speech posted on Chinese video blogs in January this year, Roderick Cutajar waxed lyrical about Malta’s bid to continue attracting Chinese capital — and new citizens. He claimed to have visited China over 40 times and said business was booming.

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Meanwhile, a world away from China, Caruana Galizia’s family is still grieving her loss, and seeking justice.

Matthew Caruana Galizia said his mother would have been gratified by the new information about the nest of companies she had been investigating.

“The new revelations confirm what she knew and had tried to make others see – that the criminal entanglement of political and business interests is a major defining problem of our time. Corruption costs lives, just as it cost my mother hers,” he said.

“I think that if she were alive to see this, she would feel a sense of relief that her work is being vindicated and that she isn’t alone in her fight.”

3. timesofmalta.com (original by Kristina Abela, 08.04.2021)

Malta now has highest life expectancy in EU

But average length of life falls from 82.9 to 82.6

Malta’s life expectancy at birth dipped slightly in 2020, the year of the virus pandemic, but bigger declines in other member states means the island now tops the EU table.

The figures were issued by Eurostat, which defines life expectancy at birth as the average number of years that a newborn child would live if subjected to the current mortality conditions throughout the rest of their life.

In relative terms, Malta’s life expectancy last year rose four places from 2019, despite the final months being the country’s deadliest in years due to the novel coronavirus.

While the average length of life fell from 82.9 in 2019 to 82.6 last year, this decline was smaller in comparison to others within the EU bloc, accounting for Malta’s rise to the top. 189

Women here are expected to live more than four years longer than men. The life expectancy for females is 84.6 but that for males reads 80.4.

Spain, Italy, Sweden and France, the top four European Union member states for life expectancy in 2019, appear to have been hit harder by the COVID-19 pandemic, all recording drops of more than 0.7 years.

This trend was reflected in the vast majority of EU member states, which all recorded a decline in life expectancy except for Cyprus, Latvia, Finland and Denmark.

Malta also ranked fourth highest in life expectancy across the whole of Europe in 2020, rising five places from the year before. That means the countries boasting the longest average life spans on the continent are all non-EU member states, with Norway leading at 83.3 years, followed by Switzerland (83.2) and Iceland (83.1).

Norway, Finland and Denmark actually increased life expectancy by 0.3, 0.1 and 0.1 years, respectively. Liechtenstein, Spain and Bulgaria, on the other hand, were the most severely hit last year, recording dips of 2.4, 1.6 and 1.5 years, respectively.

4. lovinmalta.com (original by Sam Vassallo, 05.04.2021)

LGBT Hate Crime Reports Aren’t Taken Seriously In Malta, Gay Rights Lobby Warns

Malta Gay Rights Movement has warned that hate crime reports against LGBT+ people aren’t given the seriousness they merit by police.

Speaking to Lovin Malta, the LGBT+ organisation said it had filed “countless” reports over the last two years, but did not receive any information or feedback from authorities.

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“We have accompanied several people to the police station. Our employee filed a report against a person behind a Facebook page who was targeting him,” a spokesperson explained.

“In December, we reported a well-known TV personality who physically attacked a trans person and the witnesses have not even been spoken to,” they added.

Despite filing reports, the group said they were left in the dark when it comes to action. In 2019, MGRM also accompanied a person who filed a police report against an establishment in Paceville, where a gay couple was asked to leave after sharing a kiss.

“Again nothing happened and the little action that was taken took too long,” they said.

This comes as no surprise when a survey found that half of LGBT+ participants said they felt unsafe in Paceville, with some saying they were barred from entering clubs and experienced rampant harassment.

The group mentioned other notable cases, such as several attacks on transgender women Angela Coleiro and Terry Muscat and a video of Raquel Richard where she was told: “people like her should be raped”.

“Whether or not action is taken is not known. We receive zero information from the police, and the people involved have had no information on any proceedings.”

MGRM said it also alerted the Minister for Home Affairs of people at Armed Forces of Malta who “regularly participate” in pages and groups that openly oppose immigration and homophobic discourse.

“Again, no feedback or replies”,” it lamented.

LGBT+ people in Malta had the lowest reported rates of threat and violence in the European Union, according to a recent survey. In fact, just two cases of harassment were reported in the first half of 2020.

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However, it hardly paints an accurate picture when the same data found that just 13% of victims of physical and sexual assault reported to the police. Research also found that COVID-19 had a spiralling impact on the community, with local groups like MGRM reporting an increase of people feeling unsafe during lockdown, with others were unable to afford rent.

Despite these concerning developments, Malta still ranks the best for LGBT+ people out of 49 European countries, with an overall score of 89%, ahead of Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway and France.

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CYPRUS

1. tichyseinblick.de (translated, original by Matthias Nikolaidis, 29.03.2021)

Cypriot government spokesman warns of "demographic changes"

After Greece, Cyprus is now sounding the alarm about irregular immigration. The government of the island republic points to a high proportion of asylum seekers and demands the support of the EU. The question is in what form it should be achieved.

The interior ministers of the five Mediterranean countries Italy, Spain, Malta, Cyprus and Greece - MED5- at the front of mass migration to Europe will meet in Athens, Greece on Saturday, March 20, 2021 to discuss the policies of the European Union during the bloc is working towards a new migration pact.

Almost unnoticed by the international public, another Mediterranean island has become the target of irregular migrants from Asia and Africa. The Cypriot government spokesman Viktor 192

Papadopoulos said according to the Greek daily Kathimerini : "Cyprus is a country that currently has very large inflows in relation to its population, with the risk of demographic changes." The island's possibilities - in fact only the southern, Greek ruled Partly - to accept irregular migrants are exhausted. The intruders come not only over the sea, but also over the green border from the Turkish-occupied north - a border that then seems to be more porous than one would have thought. Of course, Erdogan's influence also extends here.

Cypriot government agencies now like to speak of four percent of asylum seekers in relation to the total population, which activists deny, as it is based on accumulated numbers. But doesn't immigration accumulate over the years? Maybe not in Cyprus. But in the end, the same should apply here as in the case of Greece, namely that the irregular migrants stranded there ultimately find some way into the European asylum and (often unfortunately) social systems. They accumulate and aggregate in certain, particularly exposed places on the continent.

Cyprus is also latently in the pillory

On the Greek North Aegean Islands, by the way, at weddings there were certainly more than ten percent of asylum seekers (now around seven percent). Cyprus is likely to remain at a somewhat lower level at the moment. But the smaller societies in Europe are particularly sensitive to immigration, presumably because they still have a sense of their own completeness and interdependence. Just think of Denmark or Austria. With a population of 850,000, Cyprus is in a much smaller league. Is that why the EU needs assistance, as government representatives are now saying? Certainly, but first and foremost when it comes to border protection. Because Cyprus too sees itself - like Greece - latently in the pillory because it does not want to tolerate the entry of irregular boat migrants. There is still no common EU migration policy. What is sought, however, is one that not only all member states agree to, but also a majority of citizens in the Union. The fact that there is a problem is shown again and again by the disordered procedures and migration flows in the EU - for example when it comes to secondary migration between Greece and Germany.

In 2019, the island republic accepted around 15,000 asylum applications; in 2020 this number halved. However, Cyprus only has about a hundredth of the population of Germany. If you multiply the number of applications by a hundred, you get an impression of the dimensions of immigration for the residents of Cyprus.

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2. en.armradio.am (original by Siranush Ghazanchyan, 08.04.2021)

Cyprus religious leaders condemn use of Armenian Monastery of St Magar for a techno party

The Religious Leaders of Cyprus in a joint statement condemn the use of the grounds of the Armenian Monastery of St Magar for a live techno party on March 20th 2021, which was uploaded on YouTube on 7 April 2021. Sourp Magar Monastery is located in Halefka in the Pentadaktylos mountain range in Cyprus, In-Cyprus reports.

In the statement the Religious Leaders of Cyprus condemn this unfortunate act and any misuse, disrespect and desecration of places of worship and cemeteries in Cyprus, irrespective of intention, religion, dogma and denomination.

The Religious Leaders reiterate their request that all places of worship and cemeteries, in use or not, are protected against vandalism, misuse and desecration.

“Disrespecting places of worship and cemeteries creates pain, nurtures mistrust and becomes an obstacle to peaceful coexistence,” the statement says.

According to the statement the live techno party was organized by an event-planning group, that apparently organizes and broadcasts electronic music events at entertainment venues, including historical and cultural locations. The event was recorded and uploaded on YouTube on 7 April 2021.

Sourp Magar is an Armenian Monastery is an 11th century Monastery founded by the Coptic Orthodox Church in memory of Saint Makarios the hermit of Alexandria.

The Monastery was transferred to the Armenian Community in Cyprus during the15th century and has belonged to and has been intrinsically linked to the community ever since.

St Magar Monastery has been left uncared for since 1974 and is in dire need of immediate protection, renovations and full restoration.

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It is the most important place of worship and pilgrimage for the Armenian community of Cyprus and the only Armenian Monastery in Cyprus.

Cyprus has been occupied since the 1974 illegal Turkish invasion.

3. financialmirror.com (original by Financial Mirror, 08.04.2021)

Cyprus requests Frontex support as migrant flows rise

Nicosia has called for more help from the EU after irregular migrant flows recorded an increase in March, while 19,000 asylum applications are still pending, said Interior Minister Nicos Nouris.

The minister held a meeting on Wednesday with the Regional Director of Frontex Grigoris Apostolou, whom he briefed on the migration challenges Cyprus faces.

He underlined that Cyprus ranks first for asylum applications in proportion to its population, compared to the other EU Member States.

Nouris argued there is a huge problem with immigration flows encouraged by Turkey through the occupied north of Cyprus.

There has been a rapid increase in arrivals recently, reaching 1,216 in March alone.

Nouris said that, despite speeding up the examination of asylum applications, the requests of almost 19,000 people are still pending.

So, he asked Frontex to strengthen the Returns Office to maximise its efficiency, a government statement said.

The regional director of Frontex said the organisation’s cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus was enhanced with progress achieved on asylum procedures.

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Apostolou said that Frontex is willing to further support and finance migrant returns and will make an effort to provide Cyprus with special experts to address the increased needs the island faces.

It was agreed to arrange technical meetings between the competent bodies to speed up procedures for a more efficient migrant return system.

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, promotes, coordinates and develops EU border management.

4. ekathimerini.com (original by ekathimerini.com, 26.03.2021)

Cyprus reports ‘alarming’ rise of variant cases

Cyprus’ Health Ministry says the spread of the UK variant of the coronavirus throughout the east Mediterranean island nation has marked an “alarming” increase, making up 95.5% of all new infections from Feb. 16 through Mar. 6.

The Ministry said statistics show that cases of the UK variant have more than doubled from the two-week period covering Feb. 1-Feb. 15.

It said various studies completed within several European countries have indicated that the UK variant is 50% more contagious. In Cyprus, it’s also appearing in younger Covid-19 patients which has resulted in more hospitalizations of younger people.

Between Mar. 10-Mar. 23, 5,093 new Covid-19 cases have been diagnosed. The 14-day cumulative diagnosis rate is 573.5 per 100,000 population.

As of Mar. 23, a total of 42,028 Covid-19 cases have been diagnosed on the island nation of around 900,000 people, of which 248 died due to Covid-19.

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