Report 2021, No. 5

News Agency on Conservative Europe

Report 2021, No. 5.

Report on conservative and right wing Europe 5th March 2021

GERMANY

1. jungefreiheit.de (translated, original by Fabian Schmidt-Ahmad, 25.02.2021)

Departure of Fabio de Masi

The crack in the left

The Left Party in the German Bundestag loses its financial policy spokesman and deputy parliamentary group leader. Fabio de Masi, who has been a member of parliament since 2017, has announced that he will withdraw from politics and no longer want to run for a mandate. What he reveals in his farewell letter says a lot about a party that claims to know the "real conditions" of society and always suspects the "cultural superstructure" to be in others.

“There is a tendency in various political spectrums and especially in social media to only debate politics about morals and attitudes. I think this is a step backwards, ”criticized de Masi. Anyone who takes a “correct attitude” as a yardstick “is actually trying to prevent the argument with rational arguments”, it continues. "Such a culture of debate has nothing to do 2 with enlightenment, but is an expression of an elitist claim to truth, such as the church served in the Middle Ages."

The “white man” is none other than the worker

It is not the disappointment of a politician being sidelined - as if the Left Party had so many financial experts to show for it - but the expression of a long-simmering conflict among the left. The traditional left saw itself as rooted in the working class, belonging to this milieu. “Parties in the tradition of the labor movement have always been realistic. They knew the reality of life for people who lived from their hands, ”writes de Masi accordingly.

With this milieu, however, the new identitary left cannot do anything. Shrill interest groups let off steam here, which despite all the supposed colourfulness have one thing in common - they all don't feel that way with work. Or in de Masi's cautious words: “Identity is important in life. But it must not lead to the fact that only differences instead of similarities between people are emphasized and only 'woke' academics in inner cities feel addressed. "

But these interest groups have one thing in common. It is their common enemy, the "white man", whose skin must serve as a canvas for all the evils of this world. And who should finance a comfortable life for them as atonement and repentance. But ultimately this “white man” onto whom all the hatred is projected is nothing other than the worker who is exploited by the - now “woken” - capitalist. With the difference that he leaves part of the booty to the identitarian left.

Deal with big tech

Against this background, when de Masi names "the regulation of the financial power of the large digital corporations" his most important concern, he is also describing the reason for his political end. Big Tech has already paid the ransom, and the left is satisfied with the deal. Their international is the jet set, their solidarity goes to the disenfranchised of this world, insofar as functionaries are to be distributed. Your class consciousness is the good conscience and enemy of anyone who attacks it.

In this respect, de Masi and other representatives of the traditional left should be careful and withhold advice: “The art of politics consists in connecting with the reality of life and the language of those people who fear for control over their lives. The political left must not neglect the basic human need for security - in a comprehensive sense. "Lefts have been led to the scaffold by other lefts for less criticism. 3

2. jungefreiheit.de (translated, original by jungefreiheit.de, 25.02.2021)

Raid with 850 officers

Berlin Senator for the Interior Bans Islamist Association

BERLIN. The Berlin Senator for the Interior Andreas Geisel (SPD) banned and dissolved the Islamist association “Jama`atu Berlin” alias “Tauhid Berlin” on Thursday. “This is a further and clear signal to all religious extremists. We are consistently fighting the roots of terror, ”said Geisel. The measure is a further building block in the resolute fight against violent extremism.

The organization, which is the successor to an association that was banned in 2017, supports the acts of the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS) and promotes their views. In addition, she advocates armed jihad, including suicide bombings and the beheading of the French teacher Samuel Paty by an Islamist in autumn 2020, Geisel said during a press conference on Thursday morning.

In the early hours of the morning, around 850 police officers searched apartments in Berlin and Brandenburg in order to secure the association's assets and evidence.

IS governor gets ten and a half years in prison

“Jama`atu Berlin” alias “Tauhid Berlin” therefore comprised a group of women and a group of men. These met in private apartments and parks. They distributed their propaganda to the public via the internet and handouts.

On Wednesday, the Higher Regional Court in Celle sentenced the alleged chief ideologist and governor of IS in Germany , "Abu Walaa", to ten and a half years in prison. He and three co- defendants are said to have radicalized several people and sent them to war zones in the Middle East.

In April 2020, Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) banned the Islamic terrorist organization Hezbollah in Germany. He justified the step at that time with the calls of the Shiite group to annihilate Israel. (ag)

3. tichyseinblick.de (translated, original by Max Roland, 27.02.2021)

MOBILIZATION IN THE SUPER ELECTION YEAR 2021

Antifa and Co .: The disinhibited radical left on the way to terrorism

For years the radical left has been becoming more militant and aggressive. The eternal ignorance and acceptance among political decision-makers gives the movement a boost. In the super election year of 2021, left-wing violence threatens to take on a dimension that has not existed since the German autumn.

When Manuela Schwesig took office as Federal Minister for Family Affairs in 2013, she wanted to change a lot. The department for family, senior citizens, women and youth is also dedicated to combating extremism - in this area the SPD politician dared to break completely with the politics of her predecessor. The funds for combating left-wing radicalism have been canceled without replacement. Instead, the focus was explicitly and one-sidedly shifted to the right. The minister even sacrificed an extremism clause: those receiving funding no longer had to commit to the basic democratic order, because, according to critics, this would hinder the work against right-wing extremism. Left-wing extremism, according to Schwesig, is actually an "exaggerated problem".

A statement that fits the widespread assumption that left-wing extremists are basically harmless, or at least not nearly as bad as their right-wing counterparts. Left-wing radicals basically represent humane and justifiable goals such as justice, while right-wing radicals are evil and sly. "Left-wing extremists set fire to cars, right-wing extremists set fire to foreigners," is a frequently quoted sentence. And since left-wing extremists mainly act against “the right”, that's half as bad. When the American right-wing extremist Richard Spencer was punched in the face in front of the cameras in 2017, there was an open discussion on both sides of the Atlantic about whether this violence would not be completely okay - #PunchaNazi (hit a Nazi) was trending on Twitter and became an oath of disclosure for those, reject political violence not in principle, but based on origin. The German Antifa is also often played down because it is doing such important work “on site” against the allegedly omnipresent brown threat. And the few "individual cases" have nothing to do with the movement as such, after all, the Antifa is not a registered association.

Documentation by the youth magazine Vice shows what this “important work” can look like in concrete terms. "We met a man who deliberately ambushes neo-Nazis and beats them up," headlines the journalists of the left-leaning media company. "You don't have to be two meters 5 tall to hit Nazis, there are weapons for that," explains the hooded violent criminal. For three minutes he talks about his motivation and justification for the attacks on alleged 'Nazis', without delineating this group of people more precisely. “When they are in the hospital, when they no longer have a job, then they cannot do their political work during that time. (...) If you've been pissed off three times, if your car has been torched twice (...) then you don't feel like that shit anymore ”. That was "always the strategy of the anti-fascist movement". In Berlin you don't have to go far, you see posters of the Antifa, On which violence is not only called in clear slogans, drawings show burning police cars. It's all half wild, they don't mean it that way.

Figures show how little people are sensitized to the potential for violence and danger on the left: In 2016, 46% of Germans rated the risk of left-wing extremism as "low"; in 2020, 47% were of the opinion that left-wing extremism was not underestimated. Meanwhile, the number of annual left-wing extremist crimes grew by around 50% from 2014 to 2019, and by another 29% from 2019 to 2020 - and not in secret. Letters of confession are published, freely accessible to all, on websites such as "Indymedia", where left-wing extremists openly boast about their actions. In contrast to the right-wing extremism of the AfD, which is always looked for with a magnifying glass, which is supposed to be hidden in people's heads, left- wing extremism is completely open to recognition. You say what you do and do what you say. The JuSo board member Bengt only recently proved this when he wrote only moderately encrypted: "Shoot JuLis when?". The Federal Association of Left Youth showed solidarity in public, shortly afterwards activists of the same organization stand in front of the Springer high-rise in Berlin with banners on which it also reads: "Shoot the Springer". None of this is a problem for the coalition partners of the left.

"CIVIL SOCIETY" INFILTRATED

Report by the Berlin Office for the Protection of the Constitution leads climate activists as left-wing extremists

The protection of the constitution counts at least 47 openly operating anti-fascist groups nationwide as "extremist". In addition, there are numerous other groups, for example from the environment of the so-called “interventionist left” (IL), who are also targeted by the protection of the constitution. Figures from the BKA show that in 2018/2019 over 80% of the arson attacks in Germany came from the left.

The willingness to use violence has reached new levels in recent years. The American secret service expert Brad Johnson pointed out in the summer of 2020 that members of the “Antifa” had even traveled to Syria to be trained in combat by the socialist Kurdish militias there. According to the "Henry Jackson Society", an American think tank, 500 left-wing extremists 6 have left western countries to fight in the ranks of the YPG. The French domestic secret service is said to have similar findings. Nobody can be blamed for seeing direct parallels there to the young people who traveled to Jordanian PLO camps in the early 1970s to be trained to use weapons - and who later went down in the history books with their actions as "RAF". In a risk analysis last year, the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution warned against “professionalising the use of violence”. Left-wing extremists calculated that their opponents were seriously injured. Even targeted killings are conceivable.

Things couldn't go better for Antifa

The growing problem of left-wing extremism has even reached public broadcasters: In November of last year, the ZDF format “Frontal21” published an article that comprehensively examined hate and violence from the left. From death threats against politicians like the FDP member of the Bundestag Judith Skudelny to the almost everyday terror that left-wing extremists are exposed to around the houses, streets, blocks and neighborhoods. A resident in a new development on Rigaer Strasse in Berlin shows how the window of the children's room in his house was riddled with steel balls. Another complains that she is almost more afraid of the indifference of politics. “In the middle of the capital of our country - that can't really be true”.

But it is true - and local politicians are primarily to blame for this. It is no coincidence that in Berlin of all places left-wing pipe bomb makers can work undisturbed for months and detonate until they are arrested by the SEK. And squatted houses like “Rigaer 94” or “Liebig 34”, from which extremism, violence and terror are spread, do not flourish without reason in Berlin of all places: In the federal capital in particular there is a political culture that protects these “projects” . Regarding occupied properties, the Greens and the Left say in a joint resolution: “The loss for our district cannot be replaced. They are part of our identity ”.

This attitude is also reflected beyond the borders of Berlin: The SPD party newspaper “Vorwärts” explains why the Antifa is needed in the “fight against the law”. Green politician Renate Künast called on March 12, 2020 in the Bundestag to finally ensure "reliable funding" for anti-fascist groups. And Martina Renner, member of the Bundestag for “Die Linke”, ended speeches with a thank you to Antifa. The openness towards a collective from which the most serious crimes are repeatedly committed is striking. Lalon Sander, chief of staff at the taz, even openly expresses what many anti-fascist supporters probably secretly think: “For others, 'No violence, never' may sound like a meaningful position today. It's not mine. ”In one article he played down anti-fascist acts of violence and justified them by stating that the motives of“ right-wing violence ”were much worse. For him and many others, it is the source of violence that makes it condemnable, not violence per se.

The violence is visible, everyday and it is accepted. In Berlin, an average of two cars are lit every day, flames threaten to spread to residential buildings, windows burst, and sleeping people are endangered. In Leipzig a police officer is beaten almost to death, in Berlin a police station is set on fire. The left-wing extremists are threatening the owner's lawyer so that the Rigeraer 94 is not evacuated. A pub is demolished in broad daylight, left-wing extremists set fire to Bengalos to “protest” against gentrification - the matter is never reported and will not be included in any statistics. Messages like this are commonplace.

On the left side there is no distancing, nor can there be. Because there is a line from the SPD leadership via the DGB and “civil society” to the autonomous left. And that is the crux of the problem.

ANSWER FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Left-wing extremists responsible for the majority of politically motivated arson attacks With so much acceptance, it is no wonder that violent extremists are increasingly daring to take cover. For 2021, “Indymedia” calls for “attacks on the state, its repressive organs and institutions of the judiciary”. "We want to destroy the prevailing order," they say. "Let us free us from the impotence and attack with our self-chosen means", ends the call of the "autonomous groups". An Antifa attack on an AfD information booth in the Swabian town of Schorndorf, which made the rounds in various media, is stylized on the same website as the start of a campaign: The AfD booth is "as part of the 'Antifascist Action - Against right-wing crisis solutions' campaign visited ”. The motto is: “Sabotage the right-wing election campaign! “The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Interior sees the state and federal elections this year as the cause and goal of the campaign. This open attack on democracy will of course interest very few in established politics because it goes against “the right”. But the eternal looking away and discussing away can no longer be excused by naivety. Violence and attacks on human life are accepted - and certain political directions are declared outlawed. There is an urgent need for action to prevent a new wave of violence. Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Pistorius is taking the right and overdue step with his planned Antifa ban and is of course extremely hostile for it. Yes, Antifa is not a registered organization - but there is undoubtedly a network in the background that plans and organizes violence. And that has to be smashed, regardless of the association register. Before it is too late.

4. paz.de (translated, original by Robert Mühlbauer, 15.02.2021)

Cancel Culture

Resistance at the universities

Left activists yelled down the economist Bernd Lucke in the lecture hall, the former AfD co- founder needed police protection for weeks. A seminar on freedom of expression with Thilo Sarrazin, which a philosophy professor had planned in Siegen, tried to hinder the university administration by refusing to pay. During a discussion about the Islamic headscarf in Frankfurt, organized by the ethnologist Susanne Schröter, the "racism" accusation quickly came up. Later, his fists flew briefly.

The pressure of left-wing political correctness at the universities and regular campaigns against dissenters have now sparked a resistance movement. Last week a "Scientific Freedom Network" went public with prominent support. 70 professors were among the first to sign. "We oppose all efforts to restrict the freedom of research and teaching for ideological reasons," they write. In a manifesto they complain that attempts are being made to "standardize research and teaching in an ideological way and to use them politically".

Pressure to conform is created, which more and more often leads to scientific debates being nipped in the bud, they write. University members would be put under pressure, inviting unpopular guest speakers would become a scandal. In addition, attempts are made to prevent research projects that do not conform to the ideological guidelines. All of this is commonly summarized under the catchphrase "Cancel Culture": It is based primarily on left-wing activists who want to silence liberal or conservative dissenters.

The spokesperson for the network is the historian and migration researcher Sandra Kostner from the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Education, who has already come out several times with critical essays on left-wing identity politics. Other leading organizers include the Mainz historian Andreas Rödder, the philosopher Maria-Sibylla Lotter from the Ruhr University Bochum, the political scientist Ulrike Ackermann from the John Stuart Mill Institute and the lawyer Martin Nettesheim from the University of Tübingen. Sandra Kostner thinks that there is a narrowing of the topics that scientists can work on without any problems. Some topics are career-enhancing, others could make careers difficult or even destroy.

Anyone who critically deals with (women's) quotas, for example, needs courage, she says. The philosopher Lotter named criticism of Islam and migration as "sensitive topics". There was a widespread feeling that certain questions should no longer be openly addressed. Nettesheim emphasized that science had to stay alive. The threat of exclusion was wrong. The lawyer Reinhard Merkel complained, there is an atmosphere in which it is lurked to see 9 whether someone is using the wrong term or whether he is refusing to use the "gender form". A latent threat of moral stigmatization can be felt.

The reactions in some media such as the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung", "Cicero" or "Zeit" to the Scientific Freedom Network were friendly, the press coverage was great. There was initially little echo from politics. The CDU-affiliated student association RCDS welcomed the establishment of the network and warned of a creeping restriction of freedom of expression at the universities. AfD science spokesman Götz Frömming said approvingly: "If many professors themselves feel that the corridor of what one can still think and say at German universities becomes increasingly narrow, it is most worrying. " But there were also other tones: The Green politician Kai Gehring etched: “The debate about so-called Political Correctness and Cancel Culture in science builds up a bogus and does not help in solving real problems. Many people are hiding behind these right-wing conservative ciphers in order to cultivate their own resentments. "The fronts are clearly marked: From the left, the cancel culture is welcomed as progress into a brave new world without prejudice.

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FRANCE

1. agoravox.fr (translated, original by Laurent Herblay (his site), 27.02.2021)

Trade deficit and fiasco of the Hollande-Macron supply policy

Around fifty billion per year in social security contributions and corporate taxes by 2022, three labor law reforms all favorable to companies : we cannot say that Hollande and Macron have played it small arms for strengthen our country's competitiveness. However, as one would expect from the beginnings of this policy, when Macron was still only an advisor at the Elysee Palace , this has no effect on our trade, whose deficit broke records in 2020 .

A costly, sadly predictable fiasco

EuroStat's figures are cruel and revealing: France's trade deficit broke all records in 2020, reaching a whopping 82.5 billion euros, by far the highest in the EU ! More interestingly, our country has a surplus of 25 billion outside the EU, with an abysmal deficit of 107.6 billion in the EU, where we bought for 336.6 billion in 2020 and only sold for 229 billion ! In short, we buy 50% more from the EU than we sell to it! Not only are we still losing from a budgetary point of view, with an increasing annual contribution, that the stimulus plan will worsen, but in addition, we are considerably losing commercially. France is always the loser in an EU where we never defend our interests.

EuroStat statistics reveal another very interesting piece of information about Germany. Our neighbor has a slight trade deficit within the EU and therefore realizes all of its surplus outside the EU, nearly 200 billion ! This is explained by its economic model, which amounts to using the countries of Eastern Europe as a rear base where many spare parts (and a part of the finished products) are relocated to lower the overall cost, before exporting. all around the world with the image of "made in Germany". This is facilitated by the fact that Germany benefits from a very cheap euro compared to its economy, facilitating its exports in the world, while its European partners suffer from a euro that is too expensive for them.This has been underlined several times by the IMF, for whom the euro should be 18% more expensive for Germany, and 7% less expensive for France !

But what is striking is that the very poor foreign trade statistics should lead to a critical analysis of so-called competitiveness policies. Since the Gallois report in 2012 , Hollande and Macron have defended a drop in the price of labor and all the constraints of social law to boost our economy and employment. In five years, our country has experienced a real shock of competitiveness, with no less than 50 billion of tax cuts and contributions for companies per year: the 41 billion of the two plans of the previous five-year period supplemented by the drop in IS decided by Macron. This represents an effort of around 250 billion over the Macron mandate! And the supply policy was also at work withthree labor law reforms: Macron law, El Khomri law, then Macron ordinances . Heavy, improperly called structural reforms have already been carried out.

The increase in the trade deficit demonstrates their complete failure and should raise the question of their exorbitant cost. The outcome was unfortunately predictable. While we are in a single market where the price of labor can be 80% lower in Romania or Bulgaria, and that we exchange very freely with countries where it can be even lower, lowering it by a few percent has no positive impact on the location of companies in France, especially when we continue to open up our markets. In addition, EU countries are engaged in an internal competition that pulls everyone down, except for the few countries close to full employment. To top it off, these efforts depress growth since their financing imposes tax increases or public spending cuts to offset reductions in social security contributions and taxes for companies ...

In short, more than eight years after the turn towards the policy of the offer of a Hollande whose economic adviser was Macron , it is astounding that the records of the trade deficit of our country do not give rise to a much deeper inventory right and severe. It is the entire economic policy of the last two terms that is a fiasco as complete as it is foreseeable . Worse, it was, among other things, financed by the billions of savings on the hospitals that we missed so much ...

2. sudouest.fr (translated, original by sudouest with AFP, 24.02.2021)

RN and LR officials are indignant that a refugee convicted of defending terrorism keeps his status

Marine Le Pen, Jordan Bardella and Eric Ciotti have castigated a recent decision of the Council of State.

The leaders of the National Rally and the Republicans have been indignant for a few days at a decision of the Council of State having considered that a refugee could not lose this status because of a conviction for apologizing for terrorism.

"The Council of State now considers that defending terrorism is not enough to call into question the status of a refugee," lamented number 2 of RN Jordan Bardella on Sudradio.

The president of the Marine Le Pen party regretted on Twitter on Tuesday an "amazing decision", saying that "freedom of expression and asylum are guaranteed in France ... for supporters of terrorism".

The LR deputy of the Maritime Alps Éric Ciotti spoke to him about an “incredible” decision, considering that “such guilty naivety condemns us”.

In a decision made public on February 19, the Council of State had found fault with Ofpra (the office deciding on asylum requests) which had withdrawn his status from a Chechen refugee. Ofpra indeed considered that his presence on the territory "constituted a serious 12 threat to society", the man having been convicted four times, including one, on February 18, 2015 in Nice, "for acts of public apology for an act of terrorism ”.

But the CNDA (national court of asylum) then annulled this decision, stressing that the facts of public apology "did not constitute an act of terrorism" - one of the reasons necessary to initiate the revocation of the status of refugee. What the Council of State confirmed.

3. sudouest.fr (translated, original by sudouest.fr with AFP, 25.02.2021)

For the macronie, a problem named Marine Le Pen

The macronist equation is complex: for most of the pundits of the majority, "it is unthinkable that Marine Le Pen is not in the second round of the presidential election of 2022", unanimous opinion studies in support

The return of the best enemy: faced with the good poll form of Marine Le Pen, the executives of the majority redouble their attacks against the president of the RN and try to impose the idea of macronism as the most solid bulwark against the 'far right.

Too “soft”, Marine Le Pen? The exit of Gérald Darmanin, two weeks ago during a televised debate, made part of La République en Marche jump, so much the reproach formulated by the Minister of the Interior appeared ambiguous and, "somewhere, demonized" the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, regrets a deputy.

Everyone, within the majority, now swears that it was only "irony" on the part of the minister formerly inserted in LR. And since the episode, the macronie has launched a series of frontal attacks against Marine Le Pen, considered “enemy of the Republic” (Christophe Castaner), fought “since the first day” (Stanislas Guerini, number one of LREM), so that it is "taken back to the frontier of politics" (Gabriel Attal, government spokesperson).

The macronist equation is complex: for most pundits of the majority, "it is unthinkable that Marine Le Pen is not in the second round of the presidential election of 2022", unanimous opinion studies in support. Would this be good news, as the boss of the RN is deemed incapable of going beyond "the glass ceiling"? "That the majority build a strategy, it is 13 possible", agrees the deputy director of Ifop, Frédéric Dabi, who recalls however "that one never chooses his adversary".

Emmanuel Macron has also defended himself last week in front of deputies, affirming: "it is not I who installed Marine Le Pen, it is the voters".

But the postulate of a second round against Le Pen, until then deemed favorable, now appears more and more risky, as the voting intentions for the head of the RN are approaching the absolute majority.

The first round "worried"

"The fluidity between the electorate of the RN and that of LREM is almost zero," observes the deputy director of Harris Interactive, Jean-Daniel Levy. It is therefore for Macronie to pose as the first bulwark against lepenism, in particular by trying to contain abstention, by attacking it.

"It does not work, to beat her up: you satisfy yours and you upset others", notes a head of the regional list.

"We must take more seriously", abounds a minister, according to whom it is necessary "to show its inconsistencies". For Patrick Mignola, boss of MoDem deputies, "the genius of Macron during the debate between the two rounds, it was not the argument of values, but to go on the incompetence of Marine Le Pen".

There remains the question of the first round of the presidential election, while, for an LREM deputy, "it is not at all certain that Emmanuel Macron qualifies for the second round". To the point that some in Macronie want a multiplication of suitors. Because a heavyweight of the government is convinced of it: "The dispersion favors the leaving".

4. lengadoc-info.com (translated, original by lengadoc-info.com, 25.02.2021)

Islamo-leftism: a reality despite the denial

Montpellier (Lengadoc Info) - Every Thursday in "I-Media" a program of "TV Libertés", the writer and media expert, Jean-Yves Le Gallou, and the journalist Nicolas Faure pass review all the main phenomena of the news to update the most beautiful nuggets of media disinformation. From little canards to big manipulations , nothing escapes the caudine forks of these two specialists.

Program summary

00:00 Introduction

00:58 Image of the week After the assassination of the director of the asylum center of the Reception Center for Asylum Seekers in Pau by a migrant, the media were surprisingly discreet.

02:56 Islamo-leftism: a reality despite the denial Frédérique Vidal recently announced that she wanted to launch an investigation into the influence and consequences of "Islamo-leftism" in universities. This decision caused a political-media scandal. However, Islamo-leftism is indeed a reality.

18:10 Press review

30:48 Génération Identitaire: the lies in the face of the mobilization Last Saturday, Génération Identitaire organized a demonstration in Paris against the dissolution wanted by Gerald Darmanin. And the media were obviously embarrassed to see that everything had gone well. To the point that some journalists invented a Nazi salute to attack the mobilization.

According to the Wikipedia site , disinformation is a set of communication techniques aimed at deceiving people or public opinion in order to protect interests (private or not) or to influence public opinion. False or distorted information is both "deliberately promoted and accidentally shared". It is sometimes used in the context of public relations. The meaning of this word appeared in the last quarter of the XX th century and close to propaganda terms, hoax and rumor has fluctuated according to the authors. Anglophones also speak of " hoax ", a term that is also found in certain French-speaking sources.

See I-Media number 336 15

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ITALY

1. index.hu (translated, original by KD, 26.02.2021)

Viktor Orbán calls for cooperation with the Italian Brothers

The only thing that matters is whether we are ready to continue the fight, the Hungarian prime minister wrote in a letter to Giorgia Meloni, party chairman of the Italian Brothers (FdI) who opposed in the Italian parliament, published by the right-wing Italian party on Thursday night.

In his message, Viktor Orbán pointed out that as a politician he had spent sixteen years in opposition, during which he learned that "victory is never decisive and defeat is never fatal."

The letter came to the Italian Brethren after it was not the only parliamentary force to play a role in the new Roman government led by economist Mario Draghi.

Viktor Orbán emphasized that in the political contests we need reliable companions with a common worldview and similar responses to the challenges of our time.

The Hungarian Prime Minister called for the strengthening of co-operation and friendly relations between Fidesz and the Italian Brothers with a policy built on common sense and Christian and conservative values.

Giorgia Meloni paid a personal visit to Viktor Orbán during the 2018 parliamentary election campaign in Italy, and the president of Fidesz spoke at the FdI meeting in Rome in September 2019, MTI recalls.

Last September, Giorgia Meloni was elected president of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party.

The FdI is the third most popular Italian party in the polls, behind the right-wing League led by Matteo Salvini and the Left Democratic Party (PD).

2. index.hu (translated, original by István Bereznay, 25.02.2021)

Matteo Salvini is tired of being locked up

It is an exaggerated and “disrespectful” decision for the Italian government to extend restrictions on the coronavirus epidemic until April 6, Matteo Salvini said on Thursday, according to ANSA.

The Italian politician said in response that Health Minister Roberta Speranza announced on Wednesday that all restrictions would be extended until 6 April.

The head of the ministry emphasized:

NO REDUCTION IS POSSIBLE DUE TO THE STRONG SPREAD OF VIRAL MUTATIONS WHICH, ACCORDING TO THE CALCULATIONS, ARE REACHING TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF MARCH.

He added that due to another wave of epidemics from the provinces of northern Italy, the saturation of intensive care units had already exceeded the critical threshold in five of the twenty regions.

Matteo Salvini, however, feels it is an exaggeration for the new Italian government to take action.

„I’m not even willing to consider spending the coming weeks or months in fear and confinement, ”he noted. 17

Salvini, moreover, said it was “disrespectful” to require Italians to spend Easter in quarantine and confinement.

The politician also added that if the epidemic is more widespread in certain regions or at the local level, it would be better to introduce stricter restrictions there or maintain the existing ones.

„All Italian mayors, regardless of party affiliation, call for a relaxation of economic and social restrictions that do not pose a significant risk.” - Salvini said.

3. tempi.it (translated, original by tempi.it, 24.02.2021)

The insults to Meloni of a left in crisis

What Gozzini said of the FDI leader, everyone thinks on the left, but they don't admit it. Orsina's analysis

Indignation is the wrong lens with which to look at obvious cases of discrimination. This is what the political scientist Giovanni Orsina acutely writes today on the first page of the Press , commenting on the case of the insults of Professor Giovanni Gozzini to the leader of Fdi Giorgia Meloni ( Thought fragile of progressives ). The fact is known: during an online debate, the professor of the University of Siena addressed unrepeatable insults to the honorable member. Subsequently, the rector of the Luigi Frati University proposed to the disciplinary commission of the University to suspend Gozzini for three months.

Orsina comments on the episode by clarifying first of all that it is a reprehensible fact, but that it is not a sexist attack, but a "political attack aggravated by sexist tones". It is therefore, first of all, to understand well what we are talking about and, in this case, we are witnessing, for the umpteenth time, the usual episode in which a political opponent is portrayed as an "enemy", is monsterrified, is taken away from him. dignity because he is not even recognized as "humanity" (the same insults addressed to Meloni were in fact all "animalistic").

What do they think on the left of Meloni 18

It is a story that is repeated frequently and of which "not only the right is a victim," notes Orsina.

"It is true, however, that in recent decades, thanks to the preponderance of progressive orientations in the intellectual class, the left has assiduously cultivated the myth of moral superiority, and consequently the conviction that those who do not take their side are affected by an irremediable ethical deficit . […] Progressive culture wants to be rational, fair, respectful, inclusive. His claim to moral superiority passes through the negation of his claim to moral superiority. It is also for this reason, it seems to me, that Gozzini has caused scandal: because he has torn a veil. If not in form, he said what many in the progressive neighborhoods think of Meloni and those who vote for it. They think it but they don't want to admit that they think it, and they certainly don't want it to be said that way,

The suspension of Gozzini

Then there is a second point in Orsina's reasoning which concerns the suspension from Gozzini's teaching. Is this a correct measure?

“We have to ask ourselves whether it is right, and how dangerous it is as a precedent, for an employer to sanction a worker for an opinion expressed outside the workplace. I imagine the objections: a university is not a workplace like any other but an educational institution, and an insult is not an opinion. Well-founded but not indisputable objections. A university is an educational institution, but it is not an elementary school. The university is the most advanced of the training institutes, where one must be able to think clearly, one must be able to push oneself towards the limits, and one must be able to clash intellectually even with hardness. If within its walls there can be no lack of rules - I do not intend to legitimize the insult and profanity! -, it is doubtful that for those who teach those rules they should also apply outside the University. As for the relationship between opinion and insult: the boundary between a lawful and an illegal statement is established by the laws, discussed by public opinion, approved with a democratic procedure, applied by the courts. Are we sure that it is wise to let the disciplinary commission of a university fix it? ».

In both cases, the political scientist concludes, the case shows the «fragility of progressive thought. Fragile because the sense of moral superiority barely covers its profound political crisis. It is fragile because, in order to combat sexism and discrimination, it ends up accepting and indeed urging ideological discipline in the workplace. A dangerous outcome, against which the left fought, with excellent reasons, throughout the twentieth century ».

4. ilgiornale.it (translated, original by Gabriele Laganá, 27.02.2021)

The 5S go "green" The "desperate" move to avoid meltdown

Also in the field is the hypothesis that the M5s, in the near future, may join the group of the Greens in the European Parliament. Tension for the summit in Marina di Bibbona jumped due to the leak of news

From anti-caste battles to delicate environmental issues. The political turning point for the M5s , in a crisis of consensus according to the polls and of identity based on the criticisms launched by several parliamentarians who have left the group, could be upon us.

According to reports from Italia Oggi, Beppe Grillo now seems determined to go ahead at all costs in the creation of a 'green' movement capable of repositioning itself at the center of the Italian political chessboard. However, our gaze also goes to that Europe that was so much criticized in the past. Because the pentastellati, with an environmentalist soul, could also take a further step: in the near future, ask for membership of the Greens group in the European Parliament.

Perhaps this too would have been discussed in the summit scheduled in Marina di Bibbona , in the Livorno area, in which Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte would have taken part, in addition to the 5-star staff, from Luigi Di Maio to Roberto Fico , passing through the ruling political leader Vito Crimi and other big pentastellati. An acceleration that would have been desired by the same pentastellato guarantor increasingly worried about internal divisions. But the grillino summit would have jumped due to the anger of the co-founder of the Movement, which some well-informed describe on a rampage over the leak.

"What we cannot talk about must be silent" , wrote Grillo on Twitter. The quote from the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein is not accidental but is described as an irritation over the leak of a meeting that was to remain secret. The summit could be postponed for a few days, just long enough to "calm" the waters. It was officially announced by the Rousseau association that Davide Casaleggio will be busy over the weekend with the two new stages of the digital tour "La Base meets Rousseau" and that "he has no other commitments". No secret summits in Marina di Bibbona, therefore. At the same time, however, there are also stomach ache among the parliamentarians for yet another "fireplace" among a few convened without the knowledge of the groups.

Instead, the possibility that Grillo entrusts the Movement in the hands of former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is far from vanished. Indeed, according to sources close to the Genoese comedian, "they strengthen him even more in his decision" . If there are those who row against, underline the loyalists of the 5s guarantor, we are obviously on the right path.

But perhaps not all evil comes to harm. Because the same economic, legal and political newspaper highlights that a strategic move could also be hidden behind the possible postponement of the M5s summit: a few more days before officially taking decisions could be useful to ease the tension and try to recover the grillini " rebels " and those who are tempted to say goodbye. Time is precious. But patience is too.

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SPAIN

1. larazon.es (translated, original by Carmen Morodo, 27.02.2021)

The PSOE assumes the demands of Podemos and dynamites the renewal of the CGPJ

The socialists endorse the demands of the purples. The negotiation derails with harsh reproaches

After a week of talks, the blockade of the renewal of the General Council of the Judicial Power (CGPJ) has returned to the starting point. The PP Steering Committee met yesterday morning to study the status of negotiations with the Government on the renewal of constitutional bodies, and confirmed that the problem is Podemos.

However, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, appeared yesterday to hold only the PP responsible for blocking the renewal. The "vetoes" belong to the main opposition party, and the responsibility, too . From the first moment, the popular ones established as a red line that they would not accept the participation of the purple in the negotiation. Not only 21 as interlocutors, but also by introducing members of their orbit in the Council. The two "cursed" names are those of Victoria Rosell, who is currently the delegate of the Government against Gender Violence, and that of José Ricardo de Prada, judge of the Criminal Chamber of the National Court.

The PP insists, however, that the ball is in the government's roof. And he says that the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, must decide whether to put the coalition before the independence of the institutions.

«Either Sánchez has deceived the PP or the PP has been deceived. One of the two parties lies ”, is what is heard within the CGPJ, which has been bogged down by the failure of a negotiation that even led to the paralysis of pending appointments this Thursday.

Podemos has managed to dynamite the dialogue . This is indisputable. And the gestures of the chief executive did not leave room for doubt yesterday: not a little slap on the wrist towards his partner in government. The politicization comes from the PP and the demands, too. When, however, they say that in the negotiation the PSOE agreed to withdraw the names that the purple ones wanted to impose until the agreement on the Council of Spanish Radio Television (RTVE) was announced.

At the moment, other institutions such as the Constitutional Court, the Ombudsman, the Court of Accounts and the Spanish Agency for Data Protection remain bogged down.

The popular blame Sánchez for being subjected to the whip of Podemos. And the PSOE blames the PP for being intimidated by the pressure of Vox. The result is that what had been presented as the expectation of a beginning of rapprochement between the Government and the main opposition party, in an attempt by both parties to give air to bipartisanship, has ended up clashing with the same mantras as socialists and popular They have been flying since the beginning of the Legislature.

The popular say that there is still room to sit down and talk and unblock the situation, if their conditions are accepted. While from the Government they point to the legal reform that Podemos wants to promote to change the majorities and that in the new Council among the investiture majority.

Moncloa associates the derailment of the negotiation with the ideological ups and downs of the PP, its obsession with Vox and its internal tensions. 22

In the end, what promised to be the end of a blockade, which has ended up weighing down the patience of CGPJ, has ended with a harsh crossing of reproaches and disqualifications. With Podemos, as a referee from the sidelines.

On the PP weighs its institutional responsibility, but also the reading that Vox and Ciudadanos, its competitors in the center-right bloc, can make of the agreement with the Government. In theory, there is much left for a next electoral appointment, but the red line set by the popular leadership, the exclusion of Podemos in the negotiation and in representation, makes it very difficult to find a way out of the situation after the statements that the two parts aired last Thursday night.

In the main opposition party, the step forward taken by the leadership, after the Catalan elections, was interpreted as a bid to make a gesture that confirmed that the leadership of the opposition is only theirs, and that they are the only acronyms with capacity. to influence institutional and governance decisions.

But, in the end, with Podemos included in the trade, the result is that the image that remained was that of a change of cards in which it was impossible to prevent the story that had as its main headline that the purples continued to take positions in the institutions, for the sake of its parliamentary representation, but this time in the distribution of the Judicial Power.

2. libertaddigital.com (translated, original by Esmeralda Ruiz, 25.02.2021)

First failure of the 'Illa strategy': ERC despises him despite his attempt to silence Vox in Parliament

Junqueras says he has nothing to talk about with Illa despite the socialist's plan to please separatism.

Salvador Illa this Thursday after the meeting of the executive of the PSC | EFE "Nobody has won more seats than ERC and nobody is in a position to form a government that does not go through ERC", in this way, the ERC leader, Oriol Junqueras , buried any gap of 23 understanding with the PSC candidate, Salvador Illa , despite the fact that the former socialist minister has not stopped trying. " I have not spoken with Illa, I have never done so ," Junqueras concluded in an interview this Wednesday on Catalunya Radio.

Despite the fact that the socialist continues to maintain that he will present himself for the inauguration, the truth is that Illa only maintains contact with the commons and his attempts to approach separatism have been increasing in recent hours. From his words in an interview in La Vanguardia stating that " ERC has to choose: me or a right wing with xenophobic people " to the document that this Thursday has sent to the groups in which Illa raises a sanitary cordon against Vox in order to wake up the sympathy between the disruptive formations. The same ones that he has been vetoed in writing.

'Strategy relating to the presence of the extreme right in the Parliament of Catalonia', as this three-page document is called, in which, along several points, the way in which the PSC considers that it would be necessary to isolate the 11 deputies from Santiago Abascal's formation at its premiere in the Catalan chamber. Taking the example of the Basque Country where all groups - except PP and Citizens - voted in favor of limiting the speaking turns of Vox deputies, the PSC has outlined a much more exclusive proposal .

Neither ERC, nor Junts, nor the CUP have responded to their invitation to join this 'anti Vox' plan and, to further contempt, they have met on their own to develop an alternative protocol to stop what the disruptors call "hate speech "of Vox in Parliament. Since Wednesday they have held some meetings and the independentists, in their eagerness to marginalize the Vox deputies, have decided to continue working towards more concrete proposals "outside the negotiations to form a government and fleeing from partisan interests." ERC sources have accused the PSC of having acted alone to score the goal.

Vox, off the table

Among the most controversial points of the plan aired by the PSC highlights the way in which they intend to prevent Vox from having representation on the Parliament Table . The organ of the chamber where the independence movement is strongest and where most of the breakthrough proposals are cooked . In the document that they seek to assess with the groups, the Socialists emphasize that the articles that regulate the procedure for electing the members of the Table "do not establish a proportional distribution based on the electoral results, but are chosen in three successive votes" .

The first will be for the president of the table, the second for the vice-presidencies and the third, the people who will occupy the secretariats. It is in this vote, where the PSC asks to " 24 coordinate the vote " among all the groups in such a way "that the election of a deputy" of Vox as a member of the Table is avoided. Party, that of Vox, which by the way they avoid naming referring throughout the whole document as "extreme right".

Same system for the election of Parliament's committees. Not so for those of secret or reserved matters where the regulation of the chamber does not allow to exclude any party. They also urge "not to sign any initiative jointly with the group or with any of its deputies" whatever the nature and even if it may be detrimental to the interests of Catalans in matters, such as economic or social.

Skip them in the debate

The PSC's veto of Vox also extends to the development of parliamentary debates. In their text they affirm that "the parliamentary groups that subscribe to this strategy will always speak in open debates as a result of the initiatives formulated by the extreme right in order to establish their position." As for the allusions, the Catalan Socialists ask to avoid as far as possible addressing a specific Vox deputy "so as not to extend the intervention time they have, thanks to a turn for allusions."

In his Twitter account, the leader of Vox in Catalonia, Ignacio Garriga , denounced the veto: "They do not want us to talk about separatism, political waste, illegal immigration, indoctrination in schools. But we have not come to like them, we have come to represent the majority of Catalans ", he wrote. For now, the PPC has been the first to refuse to join this PSC proposal. "Once the hypocrisy of the PSOE has been denounced, we will not participate in any sanitary cordon to anyone. The limit is set by the Party Law," Alejandro Fernández wrote on social networks.

3. elindependiente.com (translated, original by The Independent, 16.02.2021)

Abascal warns Casado: there will be Vox sorpasso throughout Spain

The president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, is convinced that his party will end up electorally surpassing the PP in all of Spain, as has happened in the autonomous elections of Catalonia this Sunday, in which he considers that citizens have awarded "authenticity" and "Clarity" in speech.

In an interview on Telecinco , collected by Europa Press, Abascal has celebrated the result obtained by his party in Catalonia and has attributed it to a "historical abandonment of the State" that was reached after years of "transfers" of the PSOE and PSOE governments. PP to nationalism. Later, the Executive of Mariano Rajoy applied "reluctantly" a 155 "soft" while Ciudadanos, winner of the 2017 elections, "left the square."

Beyond the fierce struggle between the PSC, ERC and JxCat for control of the Parliament, the Catalan elections have dealt a severe blow to the aspirations of the center-right […]

In his opinion, all these factors have had to do "with the great demobilization" in the elections this Sunday, where the turnout has remained at 53.52 percent because many voters "have felt permanently betrayed."

In this situation, he considers that citizens have rewarded the "authenticity" and "clarity" of Vox. "There are parties that have wanted to mark distances with Vox and what they have achieved has been electoral distance," he has boasted about PP and Ciudadanos, who have together added less support than those of Vox.

At this point, Abascal has revealed that he has no relationship with the leader of the 'popular', Pablo Casado, since the debate on the motion of no confidence in Congress last October. "I think it is a political error of the PP, but we are not responsible," he said.

Abascal recalled that Casado in recent days has insisted on his attacks on his party, comparing him with Bildu or with former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, while saying that the PSOE is "a great party."

And although he has insisted that this situation will not have political consequences in Madrid, Andalusia or Murcia; He explained that to reestablish relations the PP would have to "rectify" and Pablo Casado "pick up the phone."

First national force in Catalonia

However, it has vindicated the role of Vox as the "first national force" in Catalonia and its role as leader of the opposition to separatism. In his opinion, the Generalitat of Catalonia will reproduce a pact similar to the "popular front" that governs the Congress of Deputies and the Moncloa Palace. 26

Therefore, he has ruled out any possibility that Vox could support the PSC to avoid a separatist government. “Vox has nothing to choose from, it will support its candidate and in no case will it support those who have already agreed in Madrid and will do so in Catalonia. Vox will be in total and frontal opposition in the Parliament of Catalonia ”, he has guaranteed.

4. lagacetadesalamanca.es (translated, original by LG, 27.02.2021)

Strong rise of Vox at the expense of the PP that sinks after the Catalan elections

Pablo Casado would lose 3.3% regarding the intention to vote in December and would have a worse result than in the 2019 elections | Abascal threatens the second place of the popular, only 1.5 points | PSOE, UP and Cs, in percentages similar to those of 20-N

The Catalan elections have caused a collapse of the electoral expectations of the Popular Party in the whole of Spain and have raised the intention to vote to Vox, according to a DYM poll for LA GACETA DE SALAMANCA. The survey carried out from 19 to 23 of this month maintains the distance between the center-right bloc and that of socialists and communes of around 7 points, since neither the PSOE, nor Unidas Podemos or Ciudadanos register significant movements with respect to the last general elections. PP, Cs and Vox would add around 168 seats, while PSOE and UP would stay at 152.

The great novelty compared to the barometer of last December lies in a fall of 2.9 points in the party of Pablo Casado, which goes from an intention to vote of 22.9% to 19.6%, while the formation led by Santiago Abascal would grow 0.7%, from 17.4% to 18.1%. If elections were held right now, the PP would have fewer ballots than in November 2019 (-1.4%) and would not take advantage of the wear and tear of Pedro Sánchez, whose expectations are now almost three points lower than in the last electoral appointment, according to the LA GACETA survey.

The survey paints a political panorama at the national level in which Vox caresses the 'sorpasso' to the PP, from which it is only separated by 1.5% of the intention to vote.

For Casado, the trend of this academic year is particularly worrying, since his training has plummeted from the 24.5% of support estimated in October to the current 19.6%.

Quite the opposite of what happens to Abascal, whose acronym has grown unstoppably since September: it has increased its followers 4.4 points from 13.7% to 18.1% in five months.

The PSOE is not in its best moment but since October it has been recovering ground and is already 1.8% above its worst record, recorded in November with 23.6%.

The same happens to the acronym for Pablo Iglesias, which fell from 12.5% in 2019 to its lowest point in November (9.8%) but since then they have been rising to the current 12.5% .

In the case of Ciudadanos, the figure of Inés Arrimadas manages to maintain the rate, despite the crash in Catalonia, and with 7.5% it is still slightly above the 6.9% of the votes obtained on 20-N.

The DYM survey for LA GACETA was based on 1,002 online interviews carried out throughout Spain, with simple random sampling criteria and for a confidence level of 95.5% (two sigmas) and on the most unfavorable hypothesis (p = q = 50), the margin of error for the data in the total sample is ± 3.2%

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PORTUGAL

1. 24.sapo.pt (translated, original by Madre Media/Lusa, 04.03.2021)

Council of Ministers dedicated to forests has ended. "Prevent not to have to remedy", asked Marcelo This Thursday's Council of Ministers is dedicated to forests and chaired by Marcelo 28

António Costa invites Marcelo to lunch in São Bento after Thursday's Council of Ministers The Council of Ministers dedicated to forests was presided over today by the President of the Republic, where the National Action Program for the Integrated Management Plan for Rural Fires was discussed. The Head of State was a special guest of the last Council of Ministers of his first term.

In this Council of Ministers, the participation of the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, takes place after an invitation by the Prime Minister, António Costa, with the objective of "highlighting the good relations between the two sovereign bodies and the spirit of institutional cooperation that exists between both. " It was up to the Head of State to speak to journalists first, stating that a "national strategy aimed at fighting more than forest fires" was presented at today's meeting.

"In terms of - which was the great theme of this Council - strategy in the field not only of forest fires, but also of spatial planning, of forest planning, it is essential for the country that there is strategic solidarity", said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, with António Costa at your side, in Monsanto, Lisbon.

The President of the Republic defended that this "is a matter of national interest, which involves everyone, regardless of their positions in the Government or in the opposition, which involves all Portuguese, regardless of where they live, in the metropolitan country, in the urban or in the rural country, all over the country ".

According to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in today's meeting "the pandemic of covid-19 and the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union were addressed as" previous points ".

Regarding forests, he said that "several diplomas were approved, but above all, what was a national strategy was debated and appreciated, much more than preventing forest fires, and intervening in what is decisive for whether or not there is forest fires ".

The head of state referred to the "long-term strategy that started in 2017, 2018, which aims at 2030, but continues beyond 2030".

The President of the Republic recalled that, over time, "the scourge of forest fires periodically struck thousands of Portuguese" and evoked in particular the "2017 tragedy", in which more than one hundred people died as a result of the fires in Portugal.

On the day 20 years after the collapse of the Hintze Ribeiro Bridge, over the Douro River, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also recalled the "Entre-os-Rios tragedy", which caused the death of 59 people.

"There is nothing to prevent it from having to be remedied," he said then.

According to the President of the Republic, today "the Portuguese understand how important this long-term strategy is to be in place" for fighting and preventing fires.

Five years ago, António Costa also invited the then President of the Republic, Cavaco Silva, at the end of his term, to preside over a meeting of the Council of Ministers, which took place six days before Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa succeeded him as head of government. State.

Today's meeting of the Council of Ministers lasted about four hours. In the end, the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister each spoke to the media, after which they did not answer questions.

In his statement, the head of state thanked the prime minister "for inviting this presidency of the Council of Ministers, just before the end of the mandate still in progress", considering that António Costa started with Cavaco Silva "a good tradition, for a out of courtesy and for the sake of institutional solidarity ".

"In the case of the big topic discussed today, but also of the other points treated as previous points, a solidarity that is institutional, but also strategic," he added.

The delivery of a bonsai

Then, "as a symbol of the continuity of this fight" for the reorganization and enhancement of the forest, António Costa handed over to the head of state a shrub [bonsai], "an example of a national quercus that is already centuries old".

"It is an example of what we have to have: A forest that lasts beyond our own existence, both in terms of the political functions we exercise and in our own life. Not wanting to become a pessimist, but I am afraid so," he added. , in a humorous note.

The prime minister warned today that the biggest risk the country is taking is to demobilize in the determination to carry out a deep transformation in the forest, after some years of "success" in reducing fires.

This position was taken by António Costa at the end of a Council of Ministers dedicated to the theme of forests, which took place in Monsanto, Lisbon, and which was chaired by the head of State, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

In his speech, with the President of the Republic at his side, the Prime Minister referred that, after the 2006 civil protection reform, which was followed by "good results over a decade, in 2017 the country later paid with a a brutal price in human lives for all the reforms of the forest that remained to be done ".

"The greatest risk that the country can take is whenever there is success in reducing the number of fires, or in the dramatic effects, to demobilize in the determination to make the bottom transformation", stressed António Costa.

The Prime Minister pointed out that, since 2017, until today, there has been "a reduction in half of the number of fires and the burnt area".

"But this success cannot make us forget the essential: The most important, which has to do with the reconstruction of the landscape, with the deep reform of the forest, is a permanent fight and must remain permanent over the next decades" , creased.

In the brief speech he gave at the end of the Council of Ministers, the executive leader defended the thesis that, in the field of forest, action on structural elements is required and referred briefly to the diplomas approved today.

"The most important thing that has been approved today is the set of instruments related to spatial planning, landscape planning, interventions related to the integrated management of rural areas and the development of preventive civil protection skills, with the qualification of 31 those who are called upon to intervene in fighting fires and strengthening the air resources entrusted to the Air Force ", he pointed out.

Before the journalists, in a statement without the right to ask questions, António Costa evoked the creation of the Monsanto forest by the engineer Duarte Pacheco in the 1930s of the last century.

"This is a resilient forest, a green lung of Lisbon and not a threat to the security of the city," he declared, before alluding to the phenomenon of climate change, saying that "time runs against" nature.

"Climate change will systematically exacerbate the fire risks that exist in Portugal. Therefore, we must move faster in transforming the forest than climate change", he defended.

António Costa also said that, even if the Paris Agreement to combat climate change is fulfilled, there will only be a one degree increase in the average temperature of the planet, "this, even so, will mean that the risk of forest fire will increase six times. in Portugal".

"For each degree that increases the temperature on the land, the risk of forest fire in Portugal increases six times. This is very illustrative of the challenge we have," he added.

What was approved, discussed and debated this morning?

See here the Communiqué of the Council of Ministers in full (also available on the Government's website .)

Reinforcing the measures already implemented and in progress, the Council of Ministers defined actions in three areas: integrated management system for rural fires; ordering of agricultural and forestry space; and strengthening civil protection.

With regard to the integrated management system for rural fires (SGIFR), the following diplomas were approved:

Proposed law requesting the Assembly of the Republic legislative authorization to establish means of protection for the fulfillment of the duties of preventing the occurrence of rural fires, 32 mechanisms of accountability for the non-fulfillment of these duties, and safety measures in situations of high danger or danger rural fire, under the decree-law that creates the SGIFR and establishes its operating rules;

Resolution that approves, in general, the National Action Program of the National Plan for Integrated Management of Rural Fires (PNGIFR). This action program, which will be submitted to public consultation, concretizes the strategic guidelines and specific objectives of PNGIFR, identifying 28 programs and 97 projects that will impact the scope of the PNGIFR vision: «Portugal protected from serious rural fires». Increased efficiency and effectiveness of the measures foreseen for risk management are strengthened, with a reduction of damages and burnt areas and with the consequent increase in the valorization of the territory and appetite for investment;

Resolution that creates three pilot projects with the objective of promoting organization, resources and the process chain within the scope of the National Plan for Integrated Management of Rural Fires. The results of these pilot projects will make it possible to assess the adequacy of the system for adopting the most appropriate measures to enhance the effectiveness of work processes and, consequently, the achievement of PNGIFR goals. In the field of land and agricultural planning, the following were approved:

The amendment of the Legal Regime for Territorial Management Instruments, which aims to ensure the conclusion of the adoption of the rules for classification and qualification of the soil in municipal or intermunicipal plans. The diploma introduces several adjustments to this regime, more than five years after its approval, for example with regard to the preventive measures adopted to guarantee the elaboration, alteration or revision of special programs or in terms of soil reclassification, when it is intended areas of business location close to urban land;

the Investment Plan for Forest Territories under Management by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, aiming to frame the different measures and actions to be developed in the next four years, measures based on strategic axes aimed at the management, recovery and enhancement of forest territories ;

the restoration and enhancement projects of natural habitats, with structural fire prevention, in the Natural Parks of the North Coast, Alvão, Serra da Estrela, Sintra-Cascais and the Guadiana Valley. This resolution supports the 4th generation of projects with a focus on the active conservation of protected areas, combining investment aimed at restoring and enhancing natural habitats with structural fire prevention, while also ensuring the provision of 33 the means and equipment necessary that effect. The funds dedicated to these projects increase from 21 to 26 million euros, with a total of 19 protected areas now covered;

the «Project for the promotion of co-management in protected areas at a national level», through which it is intended to boost, over three years, the adoption, development and execution of the co-management model, providing each of the 32 protected areas with scope national financing that allows technical and operational support, dedicated to the implementation of the activities considered priority in the scope of the promotion of co- management;

Resolution that approves measures for vulnerable territories that aim to promote agricultural activity, the dynamism of rural territories and the creation of value in innovation and food security. This set of actions assumes particular importance in low-density territories, allowing the repositioning of the interior of Portugal as a space for a new attractiveness, betting on its potential to accommodate innovative and competitive business investment, as well as responding to the strategic challenge of governance to counter the decline demographic in these territories;

creation of the «National Forestry Prize». Bianual, worth 50 thousand euros, this prize aims to boost and disseminate the knowledge produced in the forest area, the techniques and good practices of forest management and good information; promoting the resilience of the territories and the sustainable valuation of their assets, mobilizing society and developing collaborative processes; and strengthening civic awareness about the value of forest territories. With a view to strengthening civil protection, the following diplomas were approved:

National Strategy for Preventive Civil Protection 2030, which will be submitted to public consultation. The diploma defines five strategic objectives (to strengthen governance in risk management; to improve knowledge about risks; to implement strategies for risk reduction; to improve preparedness in the event of risk; and to involve citizens in the knowledge of risks), which translate into projects and activities to be implemented by the Central and Local Administration;

Resolution establishing a set of measures aimed at reformulating the model of education and training in civil protection, with a view to fostering the knowledge and technical training of the elements of the fire brigades, of the other civil protection agents and of the entities that compose the civil protection system. It is foreseen to integrate the training offer provided by the National Fire Department with that of higher education institutions, collaborative 34 laboratories and relevant research units in this area, encouraging the development of partnerships and common educational projects and the strengthening of professional training; Constitution of the Strategic Civil Protection Reserve, in order to guarantee a reserve of material and support equipment that allows a quick, adequate and effective response both to assistance to affected populations, in Portugal or abroad, or to the operational support of the forces response from the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority;

Decree-law that changes the organics of the Agency for the Integrated Management of Rural Fires, the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, and the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority, aiming at strengthening the operational response capacity, expanding the universe recruiting and consolidating the career regime for Special Civil Protection Force personnel;

Resolution approving the acquisition of state owned and permanent air assets, including 6 light helicopters, 6 medium bomber helicopters and 2 heavy amphibious bomber planes, and the lease of aerial assets for the Special Rural Fire Fighting Device for the period of 2023 to 2026. In this way, the stabilization of the aerial means related to the aerial means of combating rural fires is ensured, which will be based on a combination of own and leased means.

2. expresso.pt (translated, original by Lusa, 01.03.2021)

André Ventura proposes law in Portugal to punish violators with chemical castration

The single deputy of Chega delivered this Monday in Parliament a bill that amends the Penal Code, hardening the penalties for the crime of rape, with imprisonment for up to 12 years. This Monday's deputy from Chega delivered a bill to Parliament that amends the Penal Code, increasing the prison sentence for the crime of rape for up to 12 years and introducing chemical castration for repeat offenders.

According to the document, André Ventura intends to make the rape a public crime (currently, a complaint is needed by the victim), as is the case with the proposals of the Liberal Initiative and of the non-registered deputy Cristina Rodrigues (ex-PAN). 35

Currently, the violation is punishable by one to six years in prison, if there is no violence or serious threats or the victim is unconscious, and with three to 10 years in prison if those aggravating conduct is proven.

Chega advocates toughening penalties for between three and 10 years and between six and 12 years, respectively.

The crime of rape includes "embarrassing another person to suffer or to practice, with or with others, copulation, anal intercourse or oral intercourse" and "to suffer vaginal or anal introduction of body parts or objects".

"Anyone who relapses in the acts described in the previous numbers or has practiced them in a context of special perversity or censorship, is punished with the accessory penalty of chemical castration", proposes Chega.

The extreme right-wing parliamentary party clarifies that chemical castration is "the temporary form of castration, supported by the induction of hormonal drugs and libido- inhibiting drugs, applied in a duly authorized and accredited medical establishment".

3. expresso.pt (translated, original by Lusa, 27.02.2021)

Chega says he will react “very vehemently” on the street to the attempt to outlaw the party

"I want to make it clear here today that Chega will respond very vehemently, very vehemently, with a presence on the street in relation to this situation and that we will respond with all our strength to one of the greatest attacks on democracy since the 25th of April" , said André Ventura

The president of Chega, André Ventura, said this Saturday that the party will respond "very vehemently" and with "presence on the street", already in March, to the attempt to illegalize the structure promoted by the ex-presidential candidate Ana Gomes.

André Ventura spoke on the sidelines of a meeting with party militants in Santa Cruz, a municipality on the east side of Madeira.

"We have nothing to hide, we are perfectly at ease," he said.

The Chega leader reacted in this way to the statements by the ex-socialist MEP and ex- presidential candidate Ana Gomes, on Friday, in Jornal 2 da RPT2, indicating that the European police Europol was available to support the Portuguese authorities, in case request, in a possible investigation of the party.

"I would like to vehemently repudiate the statements of Dr. Ana Gomes regarding the possible illegalization of Chega and an eventual international police collaboration that will be underway to outlaw Chega or to investigate Chega," he said, stressing that this is an "offensive unparalleled in the history of democracy ".

André Ventura said that the party's response will be given on the street during the month of March.

"I do not want to give you, at this moment, more details in relation to what we are preparing, but we are going to do a great, great concentration on the street, on a date to be revealed soon, against this vile, ignoble, unbelievable and undemocratic attempt to outlaw an party that was accepted in the Constitutional Court, that went to votes, that has representation in the national parliament, that has representation in the regional parliament of the Azores ", he said.

And he reinforced: "We intend to say to the political power in Portugal, to the judicial power, to the public power that half a million people are not illegal, one of the biggest Portuguese 37 parties is not illegal, that a party that is doing so much is not illegal. for the struggle of good people ".

André Ventura underlined that Chega is already one of the "biggest parties" in Portugal and recalled that he was the third most voted candidate in the January presidential elections, with around 500 thousand votes.

"I thought that clandestinity was in the history books in Portugal, but apparently it is not. It is in our daily reality and, therefore, we will respond very vehemently to it, with all our strength, with everything we can yet. this March, "he warned.

On February 4, the Diário de Notícias (DN) reported that Ana Gomes had asked the Attorney General's Office (PGR) to reconsider the legalization of Chega as a political force, claiming that this party violates the Constitution of the Republic, and to investigate the source of its funding.

In the same news, the DN said that the former Socialist MEP sent her participation "to the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Parliament, the director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, to the UN Secretary-General and to the directors of Europol and Eurojust ".

"If Chega is made illegal, if Chega's leaders are taken underground, the problem is not Chega, nor André Ventura, nor his leaders, it is that tomorrow it will be you and others, journalists and other parties", said André Ventura.

The president of Chega traveled to Madeira as part of the internal election process, scheduled for March 6, in which he is re-elected to the leadership of the party.

"Madeira will be one of the most important stages of the political battles that we are going to fight", he said, stressing that he intends to gain "strength" in the autonomous region already in this year's municipal elections and, thus, "condition the exercise of power in most of the municipalities ".

In the presidential elections in January, André Ventura took second place in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, obtaining 9.95% of the votes, just after Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, with 72.16%. 38

4. theportugalnews.com (original by TPN/Lusa, 01.03.2021)

Chega party wants phone and 'internet' bills paid for teleworking state workers

Chega delivered to Parliament a draft resolution in which it recommends the Government to set "the example" and pay the telephone and 'internet' expenses to state workers who are teleworking.

In a draft resolution that was delivered today to the Assembly of the Republic, and to which the Lusa agency had access, Chega recommends that the Government "pay the telephone and 'internet' expenses of State workers, when telecommuting, with retroactive payments for 2020 ". In the explanatory memorandum of the initiative (which does not have the force of law), the only deputy of Chega points out that "the Government has recently clarified that companies have to bear the costs of telephone and 'internet' for their workers when they teleworking ".

"Now, since the State has made teleworking mandatory since 2020 [due to the covid-19 pandemic], it has not borne such burdens, which have thus severely burdened its own workers, clearly not having applied to them what it imposes on private companies. ", criticizes André Ventura. "The State as an employer should set an example and, consequently, urgently, recognise the right to pay such charges in relation to its own workers, and the same should be processed retroactively to the year 2020" , asks André Ventura, arguing that "it is of complete justice and absolute coherence to demand from the State the same as that which it demands from private employers".

For Chega, there are no "reasons why public sector workers do not receive the expenses they have been incurring in the service of the State when, clearly, it is the State that must provide its workers, as an employer, with that which indispensable to their professional activity ". The leader of Chega also notes that "several representative structures of public sector professionals have insistently taken care of this problem, for example, the professionals of the Tax Inspection, among others, without the Government having commented on the same".

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AUSTRIA

1. volksblatt.at (translated, original by volksblatt.at, 03.03.2021)

The Tyrolean district of Schwaz is to be vaccinated

The Tyrolean district of Schwaz, which is particularly badly affected by the South African coronavirus variant, is to be vaccinated with the vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer. For this purpose, 100,000 vaccine doses from the manufacturer from the EU contingent will be brought forward, the campaign will start next week. With the start of the vaccination (planned March 11th), there is also a compulsory test when leaving Schwaz. The current mandatory exit test for the whole of North Tyrol will be extended until then.

The vaccination should be offered to everyone in the Schwaz district from the age of 16. The project will be accompanied nationally and internationally by scientists and bring new knowledge about the effectiveness of the vaccine in the South African mutation, announced the federal government and Tyrolean state government on Wednesday. The project came about in cooperation with the EU Commission, the vaccine manufacturer, the federal government and the state of Tyrol. The 100,000 cans will not be made available additionally, but will be brought forward from the EU quota and will have no effect on deliveries to the other federal states, as was assured to the APA.

The plan is to make the district a quasi research region, declared Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens), Tyrolean Governor Günther Platter (ÖVP) and Deputy Governor Ingrid Felipe (Greens). "It is our chance to wipe out the variant in the Schwaz district as well as possible" or bring it to zero, said Kurz in the joint press conference in Vienna and Innsbruck, which was connected via livestream. In any case, one can assume that complications, hospital stays and deaths can be reduced, explained the head of the vaccination department in the Ministry of Health, Maria Paulke-Korinek.

After the start of the project, you will only be able to leave the Schwaz district for “a maximum of two weeks” with a negative test, and the executive will carry out spot checks, said Platter. A PCR test must not be older than 72 hours, and a rapid antigen test must not be older than 48 hours. Until then, the current mandatory exit test for Tyrol will be extended. Everyone who wants to leave North Tyrol must still show a negative corona test that is not older than 48 hours.

Kurz referred to the particular challenge with the South African variant: Many studies would suggest that “at least one of our vaccines is likely to have a significantly worse effect”. This is a "great danger for the way back to normal". At the same time, he emphasized that the measures already imposed had made it possible to drop from around 200 active cases to less than 100 cases since the peak of the outbreak in Tyrol.

Health Minister Anschober also referred to the success of the measures, such as contact tracing. The South African variant has gradually decreased and is now only 5.11 percent of the total infection rate. It is important that the project does not come at the expense of other federal states, he emphasized. He hopes that the Schwaz population will use the "unique opportunity". Anschober and Kurz defended the fact that the “vaccination protection screen” for the district is only now coming: the fact that this has been enforced among all EU member states is “unique”, emphasized the Chancellor. Deputy Governor Felipe spoke of a “ray of hope and a ray of hope”, and she also appealed to the population to accept the offer.

The announcement triggered largely positive reactions in Tyrol. Both the Greens and the AK saw their demands for a protective vaccination shield implemented. Greens and ÖVP called on the Schwaz population to take part in the vaccination campaign. Criticism came from the FPÖ.

With the “vaccination protection screen” the spread of the mutation can be prevented, “which is why participation is in the interests of all Schwazers and all of Tyrol,” said the Tyrolean club chairman Gebi Mair. The ÖVP member of the National Council Hermann Gahr from the municipality of Terfens in the Schwaz district also welcomed the plans. He assured that the vaccinations in the Schwaz district will not affect the vaccination schedule for the other Tyrolean districts. The head of the Tyrolean economy and cable car chairman Franz Hörl and the chairman of the economic sector Alois Rainer also welcomed the planned vaccination campaign. Tyrol's AK President Erwin Zangerl also spoke of a “right step”.

FPÖ state party leader Markus Abwerzger described the “mass vaccinations” as “poorly thought out”. "The corona chaos policy of the ÖVP and the Greens continues, because mutations cannot be eradicated with mass vaccinations," he said. In view of the comparatively 41 low total numbers in Tyrol, the FPÖ boss described the extension of the exit tests as a “snub for the Tyrolean population”.

At the federal level, NEOS health spokesman Gerald Loacker was “extremely irritated” by the plans: “The federal government and the state of Tyrol are selling a 'study' in Schwaz as a relief and negotiation success. The disastrous vaccination management of the government and the weeks of aimless measures, especially in the state of Tyrol, made this initiative of the EU Commission necessary. "

Kurz and Platter hope that the vaccination campaign will make things easier with regard to border controls imposed by Germany. Platter said that the measures taken could convince Germany to "refrain from border controls". Germany announced on Wednesday that the stationary border controls at the border with Tyrol and the Czech Republic will be extended until March 17th.

2. volksblatt.at (translated, original by volksblatt.at, 02.03.2021)

Kurz wants more vaccination speeds from countries

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) would like the federal states to speed up vaccination. In a broadcast he spoke of major regional differences. Carinthia is currently vaccinating the fastest and has only nine percent of the vaccines delivered in stock, while in Salzburg 24 percent of the doses are still in stock. Vienna's City Councilor for Health Peter Hacker (SPÖ) reacted angrily to the APA. What is available is reviled and the federal government also knows that.

Ultimately, the states would have to plan that enough doses would be available for the second part of the vaccination, stresses Hacker. The Chancellor pretends that the countries are “too stupid to vaccinate”. The federal states would have had to take over the vaccinations because the federal government's advance planning did not work out.

At the moment there is an “absolute shortage economy”. You are so close to the limit that you have to postpone the vaccination appointment for 5,000 people just because a truck got stuck on the way: “The only thing that interests us from the federal government is more vaccine.” Vienna would be able to 50,000 or also vaccinate 100,000 people a day if the doses were in place.

Kurz again assured that more vaccine will soon be available. In March, for example, an average of 30,000 vaccine doses per day are to be vaccinated instead of the previous 15,000. It is therefore important that the federal states vaccinate even more now.

Overall, Kurz does not see the country on such a bad path. According to the current evaluation by ECDC, Austria is currently in the top third of European countries when it comes to speed of vaccination, specifically in seventh place.

3. oe24.at (translated, original by oe24.at, 14.02.2021)

AMBASSADOR SUMMONED The Tyrolean border dispute turns into a state affair

The German locks against Tyrol lead to a scandal. Vienna even calls ambassadors.

Tyrol. With the strict border management Germany wants to prevent the spread of the South African mutation from Tyrol to Bavaria. Only “systemically relevant commuters” from Tyrol are allowed to travel to Bavaria; they must have their employment contract with them by Tuesday and present it at the border. By Tuesday, Bavaria will define which companies are systemically relevant, and commuters must then carry the certificate with them from Wednesday.

Driving through the small and large German corner without stopping is also not possible. If you want to travel from Tyrol to Salzburg or Vienna, you now have to avoid "large areas":

Nehammer rages. This tough regulation caused the border dispute between Germany and Austria to escalate: “The de facto blocking of the large and small German corner for Austrians 43 is absolutely unacceptable. The measure by Bavaria is half-baked and only causes chaos, ”raged Interior Minister Karl Nehammer.

Minister on the border stop: "causes chaos"

Negotiations. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg called for “measure and aim” and warned against “excessive steps”. He asked the German and Italian ambassadors to meet at the Foreign Ministry in Vienna. Tyrolean governor Platter on the border barrier: "Such a procedure is neither proportionate nor sensible."

Backwater. Truck transit traffic is exempt from the ban. The drivers who come from Italy, for example, have to be tested for Corona beforehand. Environmentalists like Fritz Gurgiser from the Transit-Forum Austria now fear the “traffic mega-GAU” for Tyrol.

Control. Due to the Sunday driving ban, the waiting times were still manageable yesterday. Today, however, 7,000 trucks are rolling from Italy to Bavaria via the Inntal motorway: “There is a risk of mega-traffic jams,” says Gurgiser.

4. heute.at (translated, original by heute.at, 03.03.2021)

In short: "Virus will keep us busy for the next few years"

Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) reports at a new Corona press conference.

That has not happened often: The Federal Government and the State of Tyrol are jointly holding a press conference on Wednesday at 12 noon on current developments on the Covid situation. In the Federal Chancellery in Vienna, Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) and Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) took part, in the Landhaus in Innsbruck Governor Günther Platter (ÖVP) and Deputy Ingrid Felipe (Greens) took part. For this purpose, a video switch was activated between the participants.

"We have again discussed the current Corona situation, we have an incidence of 160, so the number of infections is increasing," said the Chancellor, but this increase was to be expected. However, the infection rate does not increase as much through testing and the vaccine is 44 quickly vaccinated as best it can. Kurz wanted to explore with Israel on Thursday how one could better make a contribution to vaccine development.

"The virus will not be gone, but will keep us busy for the next few years," says Kurz. In Austria we are currently working on two variants, on the one hand the more contagious British mutation, against which the vaccine works - and the South African mutation, which is more resistant to vaccines, according to the Chancellor. Since the latter is rampant in Tyrol, attempts have been made to avoid spreading to Austria: "We have succeeded in getting from over 200 active cases to below 100." However, this variant must "be eliminated, if possible reduced to zero," said Kurz.

The Chancellor had announced additional measures for the Schwaz district, including with more vaccination doses - "that has no negative effects on other federal states, we are getting this delivery from the EU in addition," said Kurz. Governor Günther Platter saw Tyrol "on the right track", but the problem is the South African mutation, which they want to "erase if possible". At the same time, the travel restrictions for Tyrol could also be lifted.

"The point is that we fight the mutation, that we can eradicate it"

According to Platter, Schwaz receives 100,000 vaccination doses from Biontech / Pfizer to vaccinate all residents. The vaccinations are due to start on March 11, according to the Tyrolean governor. "The point is that we fight the mutation so that we can eradicate it," said Platter. If you want to leave the district that is to be vaccinated, you need a negative corona test.

Health Minister Rudi Anschober saw the corona situation in Austria as a "pandemic within the pandemic", because the British mutation in particular is spreading more and more among the infections. A small success is that they were able to slow down the spread of the South African mutation in Tyrol. But: "We are not yet where we want to be," said Anschober. He also emphasized that the additional vaccination doses for Schwaz should not bring any disadvantages for the rest of Austria.

"Everyone should get vaccinated with whatever vaccine is available"

Tyrol's Deputy Governor Ingrid Felipe (Greens) appealed to everyone in the Schwaz district to get vaccinated. Citizens should take advantage of this opportunity. There should also be a study on this that could become a "place of learning for this great challenge". Maria Paulke- 45

Korinek, the head of the vaccination department of the Ministry of Health, saw the additional vaccination doses as a "great gift that vaccinations can be implemented there".

The vaccination study in Schwaz will provide important information, said Paulke-Korinek. However, the hygiene and protective measures such as safety distances and mask requirements would still have to be observed. The head of the vaccination department of the Ministry of Health appealed to all citizens in general: "Everyone should be vaccinated with every vaccine that is currently available." Everyone aged 16 and over should be vaccinated in Schwaz, and the travel restrictions should expire around March 10th.

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GREECE

1. koolnews.gr (translated, original by Stefania Karra, 28.02.2021)

Kyriakos Velopoulos: "In a book of the first high school they promote child rape"

The president of the Hellenic Solution, Kyriakos Velopoulos, opened fire on the Minister of Education, Nikis Kerameos, focusing on indecent content in a high school textbook.

Specifically, speaking on a radio station, Mr. Velopoulos referred with a complaining speech to the content of a book of the first high school. As he made known, the book of the Modern Greek Language of the first high school analyzes the relationship between 25-year-old Sakis and 15-year-old Aleka, thus promoting child rape, a fact unthinkable and criminal, especially since the book is addressed to thirteen-year-old children.

"In a textbook, homework, I have it in front of me, my parents sent it to me today. This is learning to rape children. "They read these to first graders, it's school work," he said. 46

Announcement of the "Hellenic Solution" party

"Contrary to the usual aerologies of the old parties and the phobic treatment, the Greek Solution is the only political force with clear and immediately applicable proposals: life imprisonment, chemical or surgical castration and confiscation of all movable and immovable property to pedophiles. Immediately, then, the political system could give a harsh response to child molesters and prevent horrific crimes against our children. They did not. The solution will be given by the Greek Solution, when the people authorize it ", said in a statement the party of Mr. Velopoulos.

2. sputniknews.gr (translated, original by sputniknews.gr, 02.03.2021)

Kyriakos Velopoulos: The police to get into serious and risky professions

The Greek Solution of Kyriakos Velopoulos demanded today the immediate integration of police officers in the heavy and unhealthy professions.

The president of the Hellenic Solution, Kyriakos Velopoulos, calls for immediate legislative initiative to include police officers in the category of heavy and unhealthy occupations.

Asked by the Ministers of Civil Protection and Labor and Social Affairs, Mr. Velopoulos emphasizes: on a weekly basis, the profession-function of the Greek police officer becomes particularly vulnerable ".

"The police do not receive the border allowance, which all civil servants receive," the president of Hellenic Solution also noted.

He also referred to a letter from police officers from Serres asking for support from ministers and members of the government, as, as they emphasize, the workplace of the Greek Police is one of the most sensitive, with important features and obvious danger for the industry. .

3. dimokratianews.gr (translated, original by Kelly Fanarioti, 04.03.2021)

Australia, Japan and South Korea use the "patent" of researcher Dimitris Pontikas

Reportage by Kelly Fanarioti

The ostentatious indifference of the state towards innovative anything can put an end to the stranglehold that has shaped the advent of the pandemic denounced by " democracy " the researcher and founder of MenidiMedica Biotechnology Laboratory in Aitoloakarnania Dimitris Pontikas .

For a year now he has been developing a molecular test to detect SARS-CoV-2 with an accuracy of up to 97%, while he recently developed an experimental drug that kills the virus within 48 hours! However, despite his efforts, he encountered only closed doors!

The molecular test that works with RT-LAMP technology gives results in just 20 minutes, while its cost is many times higher than the rapid test . As Mr. Pontikas explains, his idea remained "dusty" in the drawers of those in charge until today! And yet, this test has been put into production in countries such as Australia, Japan and South Korea.

"The first thing I suggested during the communication I had until July with government officials is to use it at the country's gateways, as it gives an accurate result in a few minutes, but so far I have not received any answer," he says bitterly and adds: " Greece could establish an institute of Biotechnology where the development and production of the test would take place, something that other countries are doing today. It is not excluded that in the future our country will introduce these tests, in a short time ".

The same "luck" had the experimental medicine that he developed in the small laboratory of Etoloakarnania and which eliminates the virus within 48 hours! According to the researcher, he and his team built a complex of three nanoparticles, one of which acts as a hook against the S pin and the other two inactivate the virus.

"In two days from the time we administered the drug to 30 cell cultures, the presence of the virus disappeared and we continued until the tenth day to administer the experimental drug to 48 determine if we would have cytotoxicity, ie in a possible application in stage three in humans. side effects would occur. "We have all the data in our hands, but we need cooperation with a government agency and a pharmaceutical company to go to the next stage," he reveals.

The message that Tsiodras snubbed

In addition to the impact made in various governmental and non-actors, the investigator Dimitris Pontikas sent on April 23, 2020 message written by a known web platform Infectious Diseases Professor and head of the committee Infectious Diseases of the Health Ministry Sotiris Tsiodras asking heard just ten minutes.

"Mr. Professor, good evening. Motivated by older colleagues who know your character and humility, I dare to bother you, informing you about "suggestions - solutions" related to the treatment and comprehensive diagnosis of SARS-COV2. I have been engaged exclusively in research for 12 years, promoting products of an individual biotechnology company, with a decent presence in the field! From duty and without hidden interests, please warmly devote some of your precious time to listening for 10 minutes. With special appreciation and respect, Dimitrios Pontikas. Medical Researcher R&D Menidi Medica "he stated characteristically in his message.

But, a voice shouting in the desert… As he says, to this day his message remains unanswered!

4. dimokratianews.gr (translated, original by dimokratianews.gr, 05.03.2021)

Scandal! They repay € 3.3 billion early to the IMF!

At a time when the majority live on € 534 a month, it turned out that there is money, but only for lenders!

Many questions and justified objections are raised by the study of the Greek government to give - in the midst of such a situation - priority in the early repayment of the loan that our country has received from the International Monetary Fund!

The proposal to repay part of this loan, amounting to 3.3 billion euros, has received the approval of the European Stability Mechanism, but the government has not yet provided convincing explanations as to why it did so . At a time when - due to the pandemic - cash flow is constantly declining, market locks are increasing, our national economy is literally drying up and is being destroyed more and more, government priorities are proving to be in the wrong direction. .

Apart from the economic data, the negative and unacceptable political message given by this move is that the government puts the IMF and the lenders in a better position than the Greek taxpayers, citizens and businesses, which are in a bad position after a year of consecutive lockdowns. and restrictions on economic activity and after a previous ten-year memorandum adventure!

Also, the benefit for our country from the process of payment of the expensive part of the IMF loan that has an interest rate of 5.13% does not exceed 75,000,000 euros per year . This amount is not so important and in any case it is really crumbs in front of the liquidity that our real economy needs. It is obvious that, if instead of this small profit the 3.3 billion euros did not go into the pockets of the lenders but were channeled into the Greek market, the sizes would be very different. The 75,000,000 euros that the government "advertises" that it is saving do not give any real breath to the state coffers, at least in the current time when the financial support of the companies and the maintenance of the jobs are of paramount importance.

Besides, the financial staff has started to impose "cuts" in the support measures, giving them the characterization "targeted", in order to hide the drastic restriction of the beneficiaries, waiting for the announcements of EL.STAT. next Monday, March 8, in order to receive the first estimates for the overall course of GDP in the whole of 2020.These are the elements that will largely judge the budgetary possibilities of 2021 for taking additional measures or their early. Withdrawal. And what is also being proven is that, despite the government's assurances that it has everything under control, it appeared that it had not calculated a months-long lockdown, which would require significant "firepower" in cash to support households and businesses. And, despite this, he insists on putting the lenders above the Greeks!

Christos Staikouras had sent a letter to the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) for the early repayment of part of the 3.3 billion- euro IMF loan on February 8th. The process had started at the end of 2020 for the payment of loans to the IMF which expire in 2021 and 2022. It is reminded that our country must pay this year the total amount of 1.8 billion euros, of which 300,000. 000 euros were paid in January and the installment payment of 200,000,000 is pending in March.

According to the government's arguments, this action will improve the profile of the Greek debt, as the IMF loans have a "stingier" interest rate, much more expensive than the borrowing costs offered by the international markets to the Greek State. In October 2019, the Greek State had proceeded with another early repayment of the IMF, amounting to 2.7 billion euros.

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THE NETHERLANDS

1. nos.nl (translated, original by nos,nl, 01.03.2021)

Baudet: corona unintentionally thrown into the world

The corona virus was not deliberately thrown into the world. That said Forum for Democracy leader Thierry Baudet in the NOS Radio 1 Journaal , where he was the first party leader in the election series with interviews.

A poll last weekend showed that more than half of FvD voters think that the corona virus was deliberately developed to oppress citizens worldwide. 51 percent think corona is a biological weapon manufactured in a laboratory.

Baudet does not share this view, but thinks it is "extremely coincidental" that the virus originated in the vicinity of a Chinese laboratory where research was conducted into viruses.

Baudet also sees that corona is being used by world leaders to implement measures towards "a world state". He does not find the word conspiracy strange in that context. "It is used as a swear word, but literally means that mutual agreements are made that you do not reveal."

Baudet answered the questions of viewers in a live Q&A online. The FvD leader says he does not argue that the virus does not exist. He calls corona a "severe flu". According to Baudet it is "not nothing" but he does think that "we are blowing it up" with the far-reaching measures that are now in force. Figures from the RIVM show that the mortality from the coronavirus is between 1 and 1.3 percent, compared to an estimated 0.1 for influenza.

When asked to Baudet why he had a different opinion at the start of the outbreak last year, he said in the beginning that he himself "also got stuck in". "Half of the population would spontaneously fall down", he got the idea from the messages at the beginning. But he discovered that corona "is not the Ebola virus".

Baudet says many young people are facing a burnout, that companies are falling and the elderly are lonely. That is why he thinks we should stop now with the "absurd measures" and "get out of the cramps and panic".

Collaboration with other parties

About the housing market, Baudet said he wanted to solve the problems by scrapping the climate law and stopping migration. When the conversation turned to the racist apps he allegedly sent , he called himself the "least racist person in the Netherlands" and said he "never look at skin color".

VVD and the CDA condemned those apps and then declared that they would not work with him . Baudet thinks that the parties will change their mind. According to him, they have broken election promises before and he has yet to see that they really are not going to work with him. "We are in very good shape and will do much better than all predictions," said Baudet.

2. express.co.uk (original by Kaisha Langton, 04.03.2021)

Netherlands election polls: Geert Wilders' popularity on the rise - LATEST POLLS

THE DUTCH general election 2021 will take place on March 17, as Geert Wilders attempts to take on Mark Rutte once again but what do the latest polls reveal?

The 2021 Dutch general election will see voters hit the polls to elect 150 members of the House of Representatives. But election experts have warned coronavirus has “taken the wind out of Dutch politics”. The latest polls reveal the Dutch Prime Minister’s lead is beginning to erode following the child welfare scandal which prompted Mark Rutte’s Cabinet to resign in January.

The incumbent Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has spent a decade in office.

His popularity has remained high amid the run-up to the election but has shown a downward trend in the past few days.

The Dutch Cabinet is led by Mr Rutte, who presides over a coalition Government made up of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, Christian Democratic Appeal, Democrats 66 and the Christian Union.

These families were told they had to repay the money given to them and MPs said families had suffered an “unparalleled wrong”.

Many of those affected were from an immigrant background and hundreds were plunged into financial difficulty.

Speaking to reporters about the resignation, Mr Rutte told reporters: “Innocent people have been criminalised and their lives ruined. The buck stops here.”

The two-hour event on RTL was broken down into a series of five themed debates in issues, with each started with a party leader being confronted by a member of the public.

Mr Rutte was grilled by a victim of the child benefit scandal, who accused him of ducking responsibility for the tax office’s aggressive pursuit of thousands of working families who were wrongly accused and forced to repay child support.

While Mr Rutte’s leading opponent Geert Wilders, from the anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV), was questioned about his party manifesto and whether it disenfranchised people who have two passports.

He claimed he is concerned about Dutch Muslims Sharia law over the constitution and said “Moroccan youths” were responsible for a high proportion of crime. 53

In total, there are a record 37 groups registered to take part in the election, indicating the fragmentation inherent in the Dutch political landscape.

This could make forming a coalition more difficult than ever.

The latest polls reveal Mr Rutte’s liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy VVD party is still performing best out of all parties.

The latest poll was published on February 28, showing VVD is likely to win 33 seats, closely followed by PVV winning 24 seats.

The Christian Democratic Appeal is due to win 19 seats according to the poll from Peil.nl, with Democrats 66 (D66) and the Labour Party (PvdA) due to win 13 and 12 seats respectively.

Polls show Mr Rutte’s party remaining in the lead, but compared his popularity has eroded amid the child benefit scandal.

Political science professor Tom van der Meer of Amsterdam University told ABC: “The popularity of Mark Rutte ... got a big boost last year due to the COVID-19 crisis.”

Previous polls from Kantar Public, Peil.nl, Ipsos and I&O Research showed Mr Rutte’s VVD winning 40, 34, 38 and 39 seats respectively.

Comparatively, Mr Wilders’ PVV was shown to win 17, 23, 22 and 19 seats respectively.

The popularity of the CDA in the polls also alters in respect of VVD’s popularity with the latest polls showing the party winning 15, 13, 15 and 14 seats in each of the aforementioned polls. The latest projections from POLITICO’s Poll of Polls as of March 2 finds VVD is due to win 25 percent of the vote.

PVV is due to get 14 percent, compared to CDA’s 12 percent.

The remaining breakdown is as follows:

Democrats 66 (D66): 9 percent Labour Party (PvdA): 8 percent GroenLinks (GL): 8 percent Socialist Party (SP): 6 percent Party for the Animals (PvdD): 4 percent Chrisitan Union (CU): 4 percent Forum for Democracy (FvD): 3 percent 54

Reformed Political Party (SGP): 2 percent DENK (DENK): 2 percent 50PLUS (50+): 1 percent JA21 (JA21): 1 percent Volt Netherlands (Volt) 1 percent BIJ1 (BIJ1): 1 percent.

Some 18 percent of the 13.2 million people eligible to vote in the general election are over the age of 70 and can do so by post, national statistics agency CBS said on Tuesday.

Postal voting has been extended to the over 70s this year because of coronavirus.

In total, 93 percent of the population over the age of 18 can vote, including 70 percent of those with “foreign” roots.

Almost everyone with at least one parent born in the Netherlands has the right to vote on March 17.

3. indebuurt.nl (translated, original by Eva van Dantzig, 23.02.2021)

Thierry Baudet was in Gouda: 'We were not allowed to announce our arrival by the mayor'

Forum for Democracy meeting on Little America. Thierry Baudet speaks © Pim Mul Thierry Baudet and his election caravan arrived Monday, February 22 at Klein Amerika in Gouda. There was no event, but a manifestation, so 150 spectators were allowed to gather.

Baudet opened with the comment that the panic at Mayor Verhoeve was enormous. “I was talking to the mayor, we were not allowed to announce our arrival,” says Baudet. “All fear. Not for corona, but for Forum. Because we are no longer afraid, we are going to win the elections ”, Baudet shouted.

Corona

When it comes to corona, the terms are disfigured and absurd. “Corona is little more than 'a flu', only a small part of the Netherlands that already suffers from something has it, mouth masks are madness. And we all walk around with hair that is too long, ”says Baudet. It makes him laugh.

Terrain full

Mayor Verhoeve estimates the turnout at 200 FvD supporters. “At one point the site was full. Then a group was stopped and dosed admitted when others left. It took place peacefully and orderly. ”

“It is evidently incorrect that he was not allowed to announce his arrival,” adds Verhoeve.

4. euronews.com (original by euronews.com, 03.03.2021)

Explosion damages COVID-19 testing centre in the Netherlands

Forensic investigators search for evidence after an explosion at a Covid-19 testing centre in the town of Bovenkarpsel

An explosion blew out the windows of a COVID-19 testing centre in the town of Bovenkarpsel in North Holland, Dutch police said on Wednesday.

Nobody was injured in the blast, which occurred just before 7am.

Menno Hartenber, a spokesman for North Holland police, told Euronews "a small metal object or pipe, 10cm in length, was attached to the side of the COVID-19 test centre".

He told Euronews the loud blast was heard by people nearby, and it left five windows shattered.

Dutch police added that they had cordoned off the area and were "investigating the explosive and its origin". 56

A bomb squad was sent to see whether any explosive material remained at the scene.

"For the moment, we are not ruling out any leads and cannot yet say anything about the motives, an investigation is under way," Hartenberg said.

But he confirmed, "someone put it there", so the blast was not accidental.

'Angry citizens who hate the system': Why the riots in the Netherlands go beyond a COVID curfew

Dutch police out in force to prevent further anti-lockdown rioting

Health minister Hugo de Jonge hit out at the perpetrator on Twitter, saying: "For over a year now, we have relied heavily on the people on the front lines. And then this. Insane."

"Let's stay behind the people who are working hard to get us out of this crisis," he added.

The head of the country’s umbrella organisation for local health services that carry out coronavirus testing called the blast a “cowardly act.”

“Our people have to be able to do this crucial work safely,” Andre Rouvoet tweeted.

In January, a coronavirus testing centre in the nearby town of Urk was set on fire by rioters opposed to the country's lockdown.

The lockdown measures sparked protests and civil unrest throughout the Netherlands, including clashes between riot police and protesters in Amsterdam in several other cities, where looting occurred.

Dozens of people were arrested.

The curfew, in force from 9 pm to 4.30 am until at least 15 March, is the first in the Netherlands since the Second World War.

It was ordered to be stopped last month by a court in the Hague, which said the government had abused its emergency powers by implementing it.

But the government appealed and subsequently rushed legislation through parliament to give the curfew a stronger legal backing.

The country has officially recorded more than 1.1 million coronavirus cases and 15,775 deaths, in a country with a population of around 17 million.

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BELGIUM

1. doorbraak.be (translated, original by Karl Drabbe, 06.03.2021)

BDW: docusoap becomes a book

"Politics is a bad play with brilliant actors." Bart De Wever often uses this one-liner. The recently published book In het hoofd van Bart De Wever concludes with it in no time. You can review the same book with a paraphrase of it: 'a bad book with brilliant actors'.

Hoopla

There was a lot of fuss with the announcement and following the first episode of the three- part documentary BDW. The criticism was not spared in advance. Does such a series about a party chairman really belong on the public broadcaster? Should public funds be spent on this? Will the VRT then order a similar series about other party chairpersons?

It is well known that De Wever does not spare his criticism of the Flemish and French- speaking liberals

The fact that the person portrayed is the most targeted - ever, on the other side of the language border, also the most hated - Flemish politician was irrelevant in the critiques. Supposedly. Because secretly no political competitor will allow its opponent such an open cloth. And who is not favorable to him or N-VA at all. Take Egbert Lachaert, who phoned VRT CEO Frederik Delaplace to complain. It is well known that De Wever does not spare his criticism of the Flemish and French-speaking liberals , and is certainly discussed in the series. Whom she has also not yet seen, is the documentary series available yet (re) on vrt.nu . Perhaps you'd rather do that than read a book. Even if it takes about the same time. And in this case the 'film is better than the book', as opposed to the cliché.

Habitat

Intent? Follow a top politician for a year. 24/7. So on all fronts: in the town hall, at the party secretariat of N-VA, jogging, giving the starting shot of the Tour of Flanders, climbing on an electricity tower (real) and the cathedral tower (with the elevator), Sinterklaas playing for colleagues … Author / program maker Petra De Pauw even followed Bart De Wever to the toilet. Figuratively anyway, he gave her a literal glimpse into the famous book toilet of the historic De Wolsack building .

In the head of De Wever, you would expect, is an extensive reflection of what is discussed in the series. But nothing is less true. At many times it is an almost literal takeover of literal quotations from the series, with slightly reworked in writing language. Anyone who reads the book in the same weekend that he binge watched the series (like me) will not enjoy it much. There could have been a sticker on the cover: 'only for those who did not see the TV series'. Although such a ban may seem just too attractive to buy a book after all ...

Aloof but with a great heart for his city and society

In the series and the book - again: the book offers little more than the series - we get to know De Wever as we actually already know him. Slightly misanthropic, a combination of cynicism (which he himself denies) and idealism, distant yet with a great heart for his city and society . The one-liners and dry comments fly around at a speed that the average viewer or reader can barely follow. In that sense, the book is a welcome addition to the work that ex- Trends journalist Karel Cambien did. He collected several hundred one-liners by Bart De Wever in I am (not) a danger to the state (Van Halewyck, 2014).

Nothing anymore…

But what else do we learn that we did not already know from the major analyzes of the suffering leader for whom 2020 was a tropical year, and not a farming year like many previous years? (That he predicted the latter before 2020, though.) We learn little new about the failed purple-yellow negotiations, the relationship with PS chairman Paul Magnette or the one with MR chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez. How Vivaldi came about and what BDW thinks about it? Nothing more than what we already read in the corresponding analyzes and interviews that appeared elsewhere in the past eighteen months, including on Doorbraak.be. Or maybe. I read with some surprise that De Wever - although a historian, very well aware of the possible historical role he may play - does not keep any diaries. That was a disappointment. I secretly hope that he has at least kept atomic notebooks for his political memoirs. Ever.

Then the political philosopher emerges, whom we got to know in his columns in the first decade of this century.

The most fascinating passages are the reflections in his garden - 'my country', as Bart de Wever calls the large piece of land of which he likes to mow the grass with a tractor. Then the political philosopher emerges, whom we got to know in his columns in the first decade of this century. Those columns were later compiled in The precious fabric (2008) and Workable values (2011). In the report I noticed that the enlarged cover of that last book is displayed in his working library in the party secretariat. An office he rarely visits, and of which he - learned the book, and I don't remember from the series - didn't really know the content.

Relevant

That brings me to the presentation of the first collection, at the beginning of December 2008 in the Europe Room of the Chamber. The initiator of the service was CD&V minister Herman Van Rompuy. He then called Bart de Wever 'interesting, but not relevant'. That statement could not attest to any predictive power. But I like to paraphrase the statement to end my review of this book: 'relevant, but not interesting'.

2. vrt.be (translated, original by Rik Arnoudt, 19.02.2021)

Tom Van Greeks (VB) wants to abolish curfew: "Ban on grouping with 4 people is alternative"

Vlaams Belang chairman Tom Van Greeks argues in favor of abolishing the curfew. He finds this measure against the spread of the coronavirus disproportionate and ineffective. A grouping ban for more than four people is more reasonable, he thinks.

Van Greeks thinks a curfew that is being imposed throughout the country is absurd. "The fact that both in the dunes on the coast and in the woods of the Kempen at a quarter past twelve you are no longer allowed to walk around alone for God knows what reason, is quite something," he says in "The appointment on Friday. ", on Canvas.

If you want people to respect measures, you will have to have support

"I think there is an alternative. Abolish that curfew and get a ban on gathering from four people after a certain hour. That seems much more efficient. wants to go for a walk. People are allowed to do that. You are not a criminal if you just move after 12 o'clock. "

Too strict measures are counterproductive, according to Van Greeks. "If you want people to respect measures, you will have to have support."

An often heard argument for why many women don't get vaccinated is that you absolutely shouldn't do that when you're pregnant

That is why he is not in favor of compulsory vaccination, although he does opt for vaccination himself. "An often heard argument why many women in the healthcare sector or the hospital world do not get vaccinated is that you absolutely should not do that if you are or want to become pregnant." To oblige people to get vaccinated, Van Greeks thinks it is going too far.

Currently, the Flemish government advises against getting vaccinated if you are pregnant. But that doesn't mean the vaccines are actually harmful to those who are pregnant. "There is little reason to believe that the mRNA vaccine would attack human proteins that control placenta formation, as you sometimes hear," said vaccineologist Corinne Vandermeulen (KU Leuven) last month.

Political analyst Rik Van Cauwelaert subtly points out that the Flemish government already approved a decree on prevention and health policy in 2003, which states that medical treatment can indeed be imposed if necessary.

3. portfolio.hu (translated, original by portfolio.hu, 01.03.2021)

It is announced that the EU digital vaccine passport will come in March

The European Commission will propose an EU digital vaccine passport in March, Reuters reports.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that in March the committee would propose the creation of an EU digital vaccine passport.

The committee will issue a recommendation on exactly what this green vaccine passport will look like in March, von der Leyen said.

All you need to know is that this particular digital green passport would provide evidence that its holder has already been vaccinated against the coronavirus, and would include test results among those who have not yet been vaccinated, as well as information on who and when recovered. from a disease caused by a virus.

Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter after the announcement that the goal would be to allow green passport holders to move safely within the European Union or in a third country - whether for work or tourism.

There is no consensus within the EU on a green passport, while Spain and Greece, which are heavily dependent on tourism, would urge its issuance, while France and Belgium are concerned about making travel conditions easier for those holding a green passport.

The committee has promised to work on a proposal that does not negatively discriminate against citizens who have not yet been vaccinated.

4. napi.hu (translated, original by Zsuzsanna Szabó, 05.03.2021)

Doctors who spread fake news can go a long way in Belgium

The Belgian medical council will impose sanctions on doctors who disseminate misinformation and conspiracy theories about coronavirus vaccines, Michel Deneyer, vice- president of the council, told the Belgian daily BrusselsTimes on Friday.

The Belgian state's legal medical inspection body has decided to suspend the work permits of doctors who are found to be sharing false information about the epidemic and virus vaccines, the MTI writes.

Vaccine: the opinion of Hungarians about vaccination has changed

Michel Deneyer said in a statement to the press: people need to be prevented from being more skeptical about vaccines and more reluctant to get vaccinated.

“If someone adds to this with even nonsense, we will never get rid of the virus,” he said. He added that the suspension of the operating license of anti-vaccination doctors is a serious punishment, the person may also lose his professional reputation and clientele. Deneyer believes that the only purpose of doctors disseminating conspiracy theories is to draw attention to themselves.

"Our doctors, our health workers, risk their lives every day in the fight against the epidemic. We must not let charlatans hinder their work," he added.

According to statistics from the Belgian Institute of Public Health on Friday, the spread of the epidemic has slowed somewhat in the country, with the number of new infections rising by just 2 per cent this week from the previous week, with an average of 2,357 people tested positive for coronavirus daily. At the same time, the number of hospital admissions is steadily increasing, with 23 percent more people having to be transported to a health care facility in the past seven days than in the week before. The death toll from the epidemic fell slightly, by 6 percent on a weekly basis. In a country with a population of 11.5 million, 22,196 people have died as a result of the local spread of the virus. So far, 325,451 Belgians have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

***************************************************************************

IRELAND

1. independent.ie (original by Ali Bracken, 07.03.2021)

Woman (30) shot in wake of IRA row in Dublin

A woman closely related to Real IRA killer Sean Connolly was fighting for her life last night after she was shot along with another man during an internal row between IRA criminals in the capital.

The innocent 30-year-old woman was shot in the chest and arm at a flat in Bernard Curtis House, Bluebell in Dublin 12, just before 1pm yesterday. She was rushed to St James's Hospital and remained in a critical condition last night having underwent surgery.

A man, in his early 30s, was also shot alongside her in the apartment. He fled the scene and later presented himself at St James's Hospital suffering from a gunshot wound. His condition is described as serious. Senior sources say there was an "IRA meeting" at Bernard Curtis House involving a number of dissident criminals when the double shooting took place.

Several criminals linked to the Real IRA attended the meeting when the in-fighting began and the shooting took place, sources say. At least three men were in garda custody last night, two in Kevin Street and one at Kilmainham.

A source said: "This was some kind of IRA war council that went south, and two people were shot. There was in-fighting going on and it led to the double shooting. The consequences of this will lead to even bigger repercussions and frictions within the Real IRA. Sean Connolly will not take this lying down in prison." The 30-year-old woman is closely related to the IRA killer, who is serving life for murdering veteran crime boss Eamon Kelly.

Kelly (65) was shot dead as he returned home from a betting shop in December 2012.

2. independent.ie (original by Sarah Collins, 25.02.2021)

EU wants Britain to speed up action on new NI border checks

The EU and UK have made some progress on resolving trade disruptions in Northern Ireland after a meeting yesterday.

According to sources, they have agreed to keep talking to try to resolve their differences over the application of the Northern Ireland protocol, which was a central plank of the 2019 Brexit deal.

The virtual meeting between European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic and UK cabinet office minister Michael Gove lasted around two hours, but officials were still finalising a statement well into the evening.

A month before the expiry of a grace period for supermarkets in Northern Ireland, and in the face of a Unionist challenge to the legality of the protocol, the two sides are still far apart.

The UK has asked for an extension of various grace periods for supermarkets, chilled meats, parcel delivery and medicines until 2023, with Mr Gove sending a furious letter to the EU in the wake of the botched triggering of article 16 of the protocol last month.

Mr Sefcovic said on Tuesday that “not everything can be solved” because trade disruptions and extra customs checks are the “inevitable consequences of Brexit”.

In December, the EU agreed to a three-month grace period on customs paperwork for supermarkets in Northern Ireland, a six-month suspension on chilled meat checks, and a 12- month stay for customs rules on medicines, as well as a special regime for parcels and for exports from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK.

However, the grace periods are conditional on the UK remaining aligned with EU food and health standards and on keeping the bloc informed of import and export movements.

The EU is annoyed that the UK hasn’t kept up its end of the bargain on setting up ‘entry points’ for goods checks in Northern Ireland, and on allowing EU inspectors real-time access to customs IT systems and to its trusted trader scheme.

The bloc is also concerned about grace periods becoming a permanent feature of the EU-UK relationship.

The EU says the best way to minimise disruption is to fully implement the protocol.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said on the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme this morning that the protocol is doing untold damage to Northern Ireland’s trading relationship with the rest of the UK.

3. independent.ie (original by Ken Foy, 01.03.2021)

Homes raided in hunt for man who launched firework at gardaí as right- wing groups’ role in city riot probed

A manhunt is ongoing for the 30-year-old south Dublin man who threw a firework at gardaí during Saturday’s violent demonstrations in the capital.

Two properties were raided in the Dun Laoghaire area this morning when members of the Armed Support Unit backed up investigating gardaí to carry out early morning searches of the homes.

However the suspect, who is previously known to gardaí, was not present.

The development comes as specialist gardaí are investigating whether leaders of far-right groups in Ireland are being “actively encouraged” by foreign extremist agitators, senior sources have revealed.

A massive investigation is ongoing into the riot at an anti-lockdown protest in Dublin city centre on Saturday which led to three officers being injured, 23 people being arrested and 13 people being charged with public order offences, including a 68-year-old Shankill-based dentist.

More arrests are expected including the 30-year-old who threw a firework at gardaí, but officers continue to monitor the activities of the ring leaders of the disturbance with plans being made for more demonstrations in the coming weeks.

“These individuals have been monitored for many months now by the Special Detective Unit and the National Cybercrime Bureau – there is a strong suggestion that activities here are being stoked by groups outside this country,” a senior source explained.

“While they have an overt presence on a number of social media platforms, they also use encrypted messaging services and it is suspected in some cases even use encrypted phones to communicate with each other.”

4. irishtimes.com (original by Harry McGee, 05.03.2021)

The first eight days: how the coronavirus pandemic struck Ireland

A small Austrian ski resort played a key role in seeding Ireland’s first Covid cases

February 29th, 2020

The first confirmed case of coronavirus in Ireland. The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) confirms it is a “male in the eastern part of the country” who has returned from an affected area in northern Italy. Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said: “This is not unexpected. We have been preparing for this eventuality for many weeks now.”

The last day of February 2020 in Ischgl was a day from heaven. The conditions were calm, windless. Against an azure blue sky, snowy white peaks dazzled like diamonds. Thousands of people arrived into the Pauznan Valley that day and made their way up to the skiing resort nestled at an altitude of 1,377 metres in the Austrian Alps.

There may have been no avalanches or lenticular clouds but the tourists in their brightly- coloured jackets and ski goggles were walking into the eye of a deadly hurricane, one that would sweep its way across Europe within weeks. This storm might not have been visible but had already been raging here for days, if not weeks.

In time, this small Austrian resort would become identified as the first super-spreader of Covid-19 in Europe, reckoned to have seeded many hundreds of cases in at least ten countries. And among those were dozens of early Irish cases.

Ischgl is a swish and popular ski resort in the Tyrol region of southern Austria with 293km of ski runs, and 45 ski lifts, offering the highest quality skiing in the region. The local cable car company netted €80 million in 2019, making it the biggest operator in Austria.

The resort has been popular with the Germans, Danes, Norwegians, Finns, British, Icelandic and Irish. It has not only been a magnet for its superlative ski runs. Its reputation as a lively apres-ski and party resort has also earned it the nickname ‘Ibiza on Ice’. No matter how clean the Alpine air might be, a crowded skiing resort with a crowded nightlife scene was a perfect petri dish for the spread of the new coronavirus.

February 29th was a Saturday. That was the turnover day for the weekly packages, when one wave of tourists left and another arrived. Among the incoming skiers were dozens of Irish people, mostly arriving on Ryanair flights landing in the German airport of Memmingen.

The first case of coronavirus had been notified in Ireland that day. But for those arriving from Dublin, Ischgl seemed a big remove from the hotspot of northern Italy.

Eóin Wright from Kilmainham, Dublin was among a group of six from Ireland, all in their fifties, who arrived that day. On the same flight was another group of five friends, all from Munster, also in their fifties. They included Tipperary men Brendan Bourke and John Cormack, a former All-Ireland winning country hurler.

March 1st, 2020

The secondary school where the teenager was a pupil is closed down, with all parents and teachers being told to restrict their movements for 14 days.

Case number one in Ireland was a second-level student from northern Dublin. The family had gone on a skiing holiday in Italy during the mid-term break earlier in February. At that stage the virus was associated with a handful of villages in northern Italy and not with the Alps. The family flew home through Bergamo Airport and spent a few hours there. It is likely it was there the infection occurred.

At the time, the focus was on 11 small villages in that region and not the city. It was only later Bergamo became the epicentre of the virus in Italy with distressing images of overcrowded ICU units and coffins lined up outside morgues.

When the family returned home, the number of cases in most European countries outside Italy could have been counted on the fingers of one hand. The official HSE advice then applied only to those who arrived from a high-risk region (China, Far East, Iran, and northern Italy), or were a close contact of a confirmed case. They were told to self-isolate and contact their GP only if they were experiencing symptoms. That advice would not change until the middle of March.

The family read the HSE website on its return. Then one of the teenager’s siblings started developing symptoms, including fever. He was tested but was negative for Covid. In fact, he had caught the flu. Despite not displaying symptoms, the father insisted all be tested. It was then the other teenager was confirmed as a positive case.

The authorities might have been preparing carefully for this moment for many weeks, but, given all the build-up and anticipation, it was not a surprise the first case became such an enormous media event. Looked at a year later and through the prism of so many cases and deaths since then, the decision to shut down the teenager’s school now seems excessive.

But so did the coverage, which bordered on the hysterical, especially on social media where those unfortunate enough to contract the disease in the first weeks of March were subjected to a witch hunt on Twitter and Facebook. This is despite the fact they had followed all of the advice (which was to contact your GP only if you were displaying symptoms) and were blameless.

As it happened, the teenager remained asymptomatic throughout his 14-day quarantine – which in itself was telling.

March 2nd, 2020

Ireland remains in a containment phase, with one confirmed case currently in isolation and contact tracing is underway.

Eóin Wright is a strong skier. The 53-year old father of three had been going to Ischgl for 15 years because of its superb and technical ski runs.

“It’s more for advanced skiers. There was a group of six of us, from 53 to 57, all good skiers. Before we left Covid was not really an issue in Ireland. It was in Italy of course, but not in Austria we thought.”

Ischgl has a reputation as a party resort. But for Wright and his friends, it was all about skiing. “We were not big apres-ski people. We had a few nights out but for us we had gone there to ski.”

Brendan Bourke and his friends were also experienced skiers, enjoying the slopes during the day and the social life in restaurants and bars later on.

Today, Bourke recalls the bars so crowded that staff had to blow whistles to get through the throngs.

In an interview with the German media organisation Der Spiegel, his friend John Cormack talked about visiting Nikis Stadl bar, which was the source of a large cluster where the crowd sang along to German pop songs. The atmosphere does not vary from year to year. Nor do the songs – he knew the words of some of the German songs from previous visits. “You know what you are going to get,” he said.

March 3rd, 2020

A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the east of Ireland. The case is a female and is associated with travel from Italy. All non-essential travel to four regions in Italy is now being advised against. The previous advice was limited to 11 specific towns in the region.

Some believe, even argue, the coronavirus was in Ireland much earlier than late February. However, Dr Cillian de Gascún, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory says: “The first laboratory confirmed case was on February 29. We started testing on February 7. We had been testing for the guts of a month and had not detected anything,” he says.

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DENMARK

1. cphpost.dk (original by Ben Hamilton, 23.02.2021)

Corona reopenings: Something’s clearly wrong if Dansk Folkeparti is the voice of reason

While many political party leaders have remained silent, DF chair Kristian Thulesen Dahl was quick to outline a number of areas of concern in the task force’s recommendations

On Wednesday the government is expected to announce a partial reopening from March 1, which the health minister, Magnus Heunicke, describes as a “gradual but noticeable reopening in the coming weeks”.

However, while educational establishments in the regions, large shops, outdoor cultural institutions and sports/association activities look set to benefit, educational establishments in urban areas and many regions, along with most medium and small-sized shops, will miss out.

Overall, for outdoor activities, the gathering limit will be raised from five to 20 people, and negative corona tests might be necessary to take part. The exact details remain unclear for now.

“We can’t go on like this”

The measures are based on the recommendations of the so-called Task Force, a group of experts assembled by the government to consider different reopening scenarios.

In the event of the government lifting restrictions (within reason), they predict the infection rate would rise and fill hospitals again, with numbers peaking at 870 in April before falling as more people get vaccinated and the weather gets considerably warmer.

Dansk Folkeparti leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl, who takes issue with the undemocratic nature of the task force, yesterday said that uncomfortable infection numbers is something the country needs to live with.

“The price of not getting things started is getting too high,” he said. “Both financially and humanely.”

DF speaks up for efterskoles and small shops

Dahl takes particular issue with the reopening plans for educational establishments, which only include those in west Jutland, north Jutland and Bornholm.

In those three regions, graduating students will be able to return to their studies, provided they do not exceed 50 percent of the capacity (Jutland areas) or have a negative corona test (Bornholm).

Efterskoles in the three regions will likewise reopen, but nowhere else.

“Open them nationally. At an efterskole, you can easily make bubbles,” urged Dahl – a view that is also shared by Konservative leader Søren Pape Poulsen. The DF leader is also concerned about the arrangements for shops, as the chief concern would appear to lie with department stores, which may reopen providing their floor space does not exceed 5,000 sqm.

“As I read it, it seems that the small shops do not have an explosive effect on the infection rate,” said Dahl.

Bold on the right

Also on the right, Konservative was mostly satisfied with the suggestions of the task force and their focus on opening where the infection is low.

“We are also happy that it is the graduating students who are returning. As a starting point, it goes very hand-in-hand with what we have proposed. There are certainly good beats in it,” applauded health spokesperson Per Larsen.

However, he urged the government to remember that the key to any reopening is considering the strain it will place the healthcare system under, suggesting that more could be included.

“It is a level that does not threaten our healthcare system,” he said.

Cautious on the left

Meanwhile on the left, Enhedslisten spokesperson Mai Villadsen took an opposite view. “I immediately thought that the number [of 870] was quite high, and it is approaching our maximum capacity,” she said. “And then it would not take much before our healthcare system can no longer keep up. Therefore, for God’s sake, there mustn’t be any over-reaching policies.” Regarding the school reopenings, she was happy: “I do not think there can be any doubt about the consequences of the closures for our children and young people.”

It was left to Radikale leader Sofie Carsten Nielsen to bring up the business sector.

“I think too many businesses, liberal professions, high school students, post-secondary students and higher education students have paid an insanely high price this winter,” she said.

2. dr.dk (translated, original by Nicolas S. Nielsen and Rasmus Bottcher Christensen, 03.03.2021) 73

Rampant coronavirus infection in Vollsmoseindsatsen : Vermund call Ellemann-solution for symbolic politics

The infection is eight times higher in Vollsmose than in the whole of Odense. Nye Borgerlige believes that this must be solved with information.

The Odense district Vollsmose is affected by a regular explosion in the corona center.

The so-called incidence figure shows that 821 out of 100,000 citizens in the district were tested positive last week, and even though 100,000 do not live in Vollsmose, the number says something about how wrong it is.

The number is up to eight times higher than for the whole of Odense Municipality.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) did not want to deny that compulsory testing could be considered. Conversely, Liberal Party chairman Jakob Ellemann-Jensen proposed that the assembly ban could be lowered locally, so that it would be illegal to assemble more than two people in the Vollsmose area.

However, the idea of lowering the assembly ban to anything over two people is rejected by Nye Borgerlige's chairman, Pernille Vermund.

- It's completely impossible. One does not have to have much knowledge of the Muslim culture to know that family conditions are not like in Danish families. There are far more than two people in most of the apartments they live in. It is not possible.

- It can be said symbolically, but it has no place on earth, she says.

Instead, Pernille Vermund will have sounded doorbells in the district and made sure that citizens are informed about the test options.

Support party leans compulsive tests down the table 74

Nor will the Unity List's Peder Hvelplund, who describes himself as the party's corona rapporteur, help to lower the assembly ban to a minimum.

- In my view, this is primarily about ensuring better information for the citizens who are in the area.

Conversely, the Conservatives support the idea of a lower assembly ban for a "shorter period," the party's health spokesman said.

- So you meet as few as possible for a period until the number of infections has been reduced, says Per Larsen.

The idea of compulsory testing of the citizens was presented during the debate in the Folketing hall yesterday afternoon, but when Mette Frederiksen was subsequently asked about the case by the press, she was somewhat more lukewarm.

- We do not work very much with coercion in this epidemic . And I will not come up with new proposals, but I am open to discussing with the parliamentary parties whether more can be done, Mette Frederiksen said yesterday.

However, the idea of forced testing became sharp rejected by the Liberal Party chairman shortly after.

- There are many things in totalitarian regimes that are extremely effective, said Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.

The Conservatives' health spokesman, Per Larsen, does not believe that compulsory testing is a solution.

- Coercion has not been used before. I don't think that is necessary now either, he says.

Odense mayor threatens with coercion

Odense Mayor Peter Rahbæk Juel (S) said yesterday at one press conference that compulsive testing may eventually be necessary.

- Initially, we want to screw up the mass testing by making them to go. When we'm out knocking on doors anyway.

- But there is no doubt that if we can not get the test volume up and track the infection, then it can in the extreme consequence come into question, says the mayor, who, however, emphasizes that the decision must be made on Christiansborg , he said.

In the clip below, the mayor of Odense relates to the proposal from the Liberal Party's chairman to lower the assembly ban.

Two weekly tests are the goal

Odense Municipality is currently operating with a goal that all residents over the age of 12 in the hard-hit district must be tested twice a week until the situation is under control. According to the authorities, the problem is that the population density in Vollsmose is high.

One of the problems in Vollsmose is that the citizens have not been tested. But here a shift is happening.

Queue to be tested in Vollsmose earlier this week. The parties at Christiansborg agree that drastic action must be taken - but specifically how, they do not agree. The test frequency in Vollsmose has now reached a high rent. On Sunday, 853 residents were tested out of the district's approximately 8,700inhabitants . On Monday, more than 500 were tested, while until mid-afternoon yesterday, 650 had been tested in Vollsmose.

3. sputniknews.com (original by Igor Kuznetsov, 01.03.2021)

Eight Arrested During Anti-Lockdown Demo in Danish Capital

Before the demonstrations, Denmark, which has been under a partial lockdown since late 2020, had announced that it would ease some coronavirus restrictions but keep the majority of the restrictive measures in place despite protests from the opposition and members of the public who see the restrictions as an encroachment on their freedom.

Eight people were arrested during an anti-lockdown demonstration in Copenhagen this past weekend.

Organised by a group called "Men in Black", the gathering of around 1,200 people in the Danish capital was a reaction against the government's announcement that it was extending its numerous anti-coronavirus restrictions, TV2 reported.

The arrested individuals reportedly used illegal fireworks and exhibited rowdy behaviour. Otherwise, the rally was described as "largely peaceful" by the police.

Initially, the demonstration gathered around 600 people, but the crowd subsequently doubled, as more people joined the gathering in front of Copenhagen's town hall.

According to TV2, Hard Line leader Rasmus Paludan also showed up for the demonstration in Copenhagen and gave a short speech.

A demonstration was also held in Aarhus, the country's second-largest city. There, it was organised by the group Freedom Movement's Joint Council to show its dissatisfaction with how the government is handling the corona epidemic.

"Men in Black" previously arranged intense demonstrations in Copenhagen, Aalborg, and other major Danish cities, which led to arrests. In January, an effigy of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was burned in Copenhagen.

Denmark, which has been under a partial lockdown since late 2020, had announced that it would ease some coronavirus restrictions but keep the majority of the restrictive measures in place despite protests from the opposition and members of the public who see the restrictions as discriminatory.

While Danes have been allowed to visit some shops and take part in small-scale sports activities and public events, most restrictions have been extended until 5 April. For instance, bars, restaurants, and most educational institutions remain closed.

Although the number of new infections has fallen in recent weeks from their peak in December, when up to 3,500 new cases a day were recorded, the incidence of the mutated British strain, which has been identified as more contagious, has been rising, and remains a source of concern for the authorities.

Denmark, a nation of 5.8 million, has seen a total of 211,000 COVID-19 cases with nearly 2,400 deaths.

4. berlingske.dk (translated, original by Alberte Bay Sandager, 24.02.2021)

Skaarup demands showdown with EU after warning: "They can shout and scream all they want"

Denmark and five other EU countries have been contacted by the European Commission after tightening border closures to limit the spread of infection. The Danish People's Party's Peter Skaarup (DF) does not believe that Denmark should bow to EU demands.

It is 'deep good night' that the European Commission is asking Denmark, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Hungary and Sweden to ease border restrictions .

This is how it sounds from the Danish People's Party's group chairman, Peter Skaarup (DF), after the EU Commission has asked Denmark and five other countries in the EU that the border closures be relaxed immediately.

"The European Union can shout and shout whatever it wants. But we are in the middle of a pandemic, so it seems like good night that they are trying to break the country by forcing them away from the border control that the country finds necessary, "he says and also points to terrorist cells in Denmark and Germany as a reason for to maintain border controls.

The countries have 10 days to react, after which the European Commission has warned that the EU will go to court.

The border closures make the European Commission fear for the free movement of people and goods, and it is believed that the border closures are too harsh. At the same time, they go against the Commission's guidelines, which recommend the EU countries to keep the borders open and simply warn strongly against unnecessary travel, writes the EU media Politico .

According to Peter Skaarup (DF), this shows that the EU is "desperately" trying to retain power across borders.

But is it not a reasonable justification that persons and goods should be able to maintain free movement?

“The thing is, it just can’t be done in practice. The lesson from the corona crisis has been, as we saw in the beginning, that infection can quickly get here outside the country's borders. Therefore, it is the right way to check and coronate test at the border, "he says, referring to the fact that the border closure has been introduced to avoid the spread of infection.

What do you hope the government responds to?

"My hope is that the government will let the EU know that they can forget all about it. Under no circumstances will Denmark pay a fine or in court to protect our country. Then the government must take the case to the courts, because this is completely galimatias, "he says, adding that he will submit a so-called §-20 question to the Ministry of Justice. This means that the ministry, which has issued border closures itself, must answer the question within six working days.

Berlingske has asked the Ministry of Justice how they relate to the letter from the European Commission.

'The Ministry of Justice has noted that on 22 February 2021, the Commission sent a letter to a number of countries - including Germany and Denmark - regarding the countries' entry restrictions. The travel restrictions are an important tool for Denmark to be able to handle COVID-19, and the Ministry of Justice will therefore now enter into a dialogue with the Commission on the basis of the letter, «they write in a written response. 79

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SWEDEN

1. svt.se (translated, original by svt.se, 05.03.2021)

Jimmie Åkesson on the message: "Of course positive"

The Liberals will leave the January agreement and want to see a bourgeois government after the next election. This was announced by Nyamko Sabuni on Friday.

SD leader Jimmie Åkesson welcomes the announcement.

- It is of course positive that another party is ready to talk to us, he says to SVT News.

However, Åkesson does not want to express his support for a future bourgeois government in which the Liberals are included.

- We want to see a conservative government after the next election and that is what we will work for. Then the Liberals have their ambitions and it is a bit early to talk about the forms of such a government, there is a lot left to talk about.

Was the message unexpected?

- Not at all. I do not see that Nyamko Sabuni has so many other options given the crisis situation in which her party finds itself. Something had to be done.

Ebba Busch: Opens up for deals

KD leader Ebba Busch is also positive.

"It is good that L announces that they want to change government and support a bourgeois prime ministerial candidate. It is clear that we would have liked to have seen L leave JÖK earlier. Today's announcement opens up for more deals with L in the future. Now it remains to be seen what the party council says ", writes Ebba Busch on Twitter .

The Moderates' party leader Ulf Kristersson writes to SVT that he "welcomes everyone who wants to work for a bourgeois government" and adds:

"At the same time, all parties must make their own decisions, and I respect that this is the process of the Liberals."

Annie Lööf: "Good that L landed in it"

C-leader Annie Lööf has previously spoken out in harsh terms regarding the Liberals' plans to leave the January agreement, which she believed could trigger a government crisis .

Now she answers:

"The January agreement only applies to this term, it is good that L also landed in it. The Center Party is an independent, liberal party that seeks support in the broad political center in order to gain support for liberal politics. Without negotiating and cooperating with an anti- liberal SD. "

Löfven (S): "Nothing strange"

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (S) states that the Liberals' party board has given notice of how they want Sweden to be governed after the next election, provided that the line is adopted by the party council.

"It is not strange, each party makes its assessments based on what they think is best", Löfven writes in a comment to TT and continues:

"What happens after the next election is up to the Swedish people."

SVT Nyheter is looking for other representatives of the parliamentary parties.

2. svt.se (translated, original by svt.se, 24.02.2021)

Jimmie Åkesson on the tightened restrictions: Wants to see the science behind

Stricter restrictions in corona times are pleasing to some, but not everyone is happy with the government's policy.

- I would like to see evidence, science, behind the restrictions they present so it will not just be symbolic politics, says the Sweden Democrats' Jimmie Åkesson.

On Wednesday afternoon, the government presented stricter restrictions. Among other things, the maximum number of visitors to shops will be tightened and the Swedish Public Health Agency will have new opportunities to close restaurants and cafés nationally or locally. But Jimmie Åkesson (SD) would have liked to have seen more clarity from the government.

- I would have liked to have seen tougher or clearer restrictions on the use of mouth guards when you can not avoid congestion. I also welcome further discussions on compensation for those industries that are hard hit by the restrictions.

Nooshi Dadgostar, party leader for the Left Party, also criticizes the government.

- A large part of the responsibility is handed over to the infection control doctors. Precisely in the weeks when there was a very rapid spread of infection, precisely in the sports holiday weeks and in the specific tourist destinations, the government would need to do a little more targeted at travel.

The Center Party's Annie Lööf also thinks that the government left something to be desired. In a post on Facebook, she writes, among other things: 82

"During today's party leader talks on the Corona pandemic, I will emphasize that the government must act quickly and forcefully, to prevent this wave from becoming a tsunami. Unfortunately, there was no sharp message from the government at today's press conference ".

The Liberals' economic policy spokesperson, Mats Persson, writes in an email to SVT that the government must now announce support for the companies that are hard hit by the restrictions.

"If people are to have a job to go to, the government must take its responsibility and guarantee that the responsible authorities pay the support money immediately," he says.

3. bbc.com (original by bbc.com, 05.03.2021)

Sweden attack: Seven hurt in Vetlanda stabbing attack

A man has injured seven people, three seriously, in a knife attack in a town in southern Sweden.

The 22-year-old assailant struck in the centre of Vetlanda at about 15:00 (14:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

Police are treating the case as attempted murder but have not ruled out a terror motive.

The suspect was shot in the leg by officers but is in a stable condition in hospital and has been questioned by police.

At a news conference, police said the man was arrested with a knife in his hand, and confirmed he is an Afghan citizen. The suspect moved to Sweden in 2018, local media said.

According to the local police chief, he was previously known to law enforcement agencies but was only suspected of "petty crimes", AFP news agency reports. 83

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said the "horrific violence" was a reminder of "how frail our safe existence is".

"We face these despicable actions with the combined force of the community," he posted on Facebook.

Sweden's security warning

Police say investigations are ongoing into whether there is a terror motive linked with the attack. This is at odds with prosecutors, who earlier said terrorism had been ruled out.

Officers raided an apartment in Vetlanda, believed to be the man's home. They took away evidence and spoke to neighbours. Extra police officers have been put on patrol in the area.

What do we know of the attack?

Five different crime scenes, a few hundred metres apart, were identified, local police chief Jonas Lindell said.

One eyewitness, florist Asa Karlqvist, told local newspaper Vetlanda-Posten: "We heard a scream from the street. Then we saw a man enter the store, shouting that he had been stabbed. "Blood was pouring from his shoulder, so we got towels and applied pressure on the wound."

The suspect was shot and arrested within minutes of the first emergency call.

Local resident Olivia Strandberg told SVT she had seen from her window the suspect being taken away. "I had just gotten to my apartment when my best friend wrote me and said, 'Don't go out!'" she said.

4. nyheteridag.se (translated, original by nyheteridag.se, 06.03.2021)

Several car fires around Sweden - residents in Borlänge had to be evacuated

MULLSJÖ / LINKÖPING / BORLÄNGE During the night until Saturday, most cars burned in three different places in the country. Reports have been received about car fires in Mullsjö, Linköping and Borlänge.

During the night until Saturday, several car fires took place around Sweden. The police report burning cars in Mullsjö, Linköping and Borlänge.

In Borlänge, a fire started in a garage in the Jakobsgårdarna area just before one o'clock. When the rescue service arrived, it was on fire and residents in nearby apartment buildings had to evacuate in connection with the firefighting work.

Exactly how many cars were destroyed is unclear, but in the garage there must have been about 15 vehicles, reports Dalademokraten .

- It is a total fire and we believe that it is a crime of negligence and have drawn up a report of general negligence, says Torbjörn Roos, officer on duty at the police, to Dalademokraten.

In Linköping, the police, rescue service and ambulance were alerted at 01.18 to an industrial building on Tellbovägen where several cars were reported to be burning.

According to the police , these were five smaller trucks that were on fire in the parking lot outside the building. No natural cause for the fire has been found and the police will therefore investigate the incident.

In Mullsjö, the alarm was received just before two o'clock about car fires on Hökgatan in the municipality. According to the police , five to six cars burned in a garage where the roof is also said to have collapsed. A preliminary investigation into a serious arson has been initiated.

So far there is no information that anyone has been injured in the fires.

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FINLAND

1. is.fi (translated, original by Mikka Kaskinen, 06.03.2021)

Halla-aho nuances new election schedule: "Elections are postponed in developing countries

The postponement of municipal elections still requires parliamentary approval.

Jussi Halla-aho reminds that Basic Finns have always wanted to organize municipal elections on time.

THE chairman of Basic FINNS , Jussi Halla-aho, would have liked the municipal elections to have been held according to the original schedule on April 18, 2021.

Today, Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson told Twitter that the new date for the municipal elections is 13 June 2021.

- The meeting with the party secretaries is over. Eight parties out of nine are in favor of postponing the municipal elections to June due to the deteriorating corona situation. The election will be held on June 13, Henriksson wrote on Twitter.

- Basic Finns have opposed the postponement of the municipal elections and continue to oppose them, Halla-aho tells IS.

- Postponement of elections in crisis situations is normal in a developing country, but civilized countries have always held elections on time.

He states that Finland is now in bad company.

- Every citizen will certainly draw conclusions from this solution, Halla-aho concludes.

However, elections have also been postponed due to the coronavirus in several other European countries.

For example, the second round of the French local elections was supposed to be on March 22nd. Now the tour will take place on June 28th.

In Germany, local elections in Hessen and Saxony were to be held last autumn. However, the election was postponed for half a year and will take place in mid-March.

Poland was originally scheduled to hold presidential elections on 10 May. However, the election was postponed to June 28th.

Postponement of municipal elections is not completely unusual in Finland either.

For example, the last municipal elections were postponed in connection with the change , when the name of the municipal elections is changed to municipal elections. At the same time, the time was changed from October to the third Sunday in April.

"Regrettable for the credibility of democracy"

Party Secretary Simo Grönroos wonders why Finland decided to postpone the elections.

- In many other countries, elections have been held on time, although the corona situation has been significantly worse.

He cites the US and Portuguese presidential elections as examples.

- In Portugal, the corona situation was more than 10 times worse than ours and still the elections were held on time. 87

He also recalls that the official postponement of the elections still requires parliamentary approval.

Grönroos adds that parliamentary elections are also taking place in the Netherlands in mid- March, as usual.

THE postponement of the ELECTIONS was decided by a vote of the party secretaries of the parliamentary parties.

Grönroos was the only one who did not want the election to be postponed.

Basic Finns have been in a good position in various polls ahead of municipal elections. Grönroos has enough faith in the party’s own making, even though the election postponed by two months.

"All in all, it is unfortunate for the credibility of democracy that elections be postponed without a sufficiently valid reason," Grönroos concludes.

The story was supplemented at 13.33 with comments from party secretary Grönroos.

At 16.58, the story was supplemented by the fact that the last municipal elections were postponed and several different elections have also been postponed in European countries due to the coronavirus.

2. svenska.yle.fi (translated, original by Simon Karlsson, 04.03.2021)

Halla-aho and Marin agree: The law on mandatory mouth protection is not worth investing in

Jussi Halla-aho thinks that mandatory mouth guards are a bad idea, because those who do not use them now would probably not use despite a compulsion.

Thursday's A-talk discussed, among other things, coronary restrictions and how the fight against the virus should be organized. Prime Minister Sanna Marin and True Finns' Jussi Halla-aho agreed that mandatory mouth guards are not relevant.

The opposition Halla-aho and Sari Essayah (KD) criticized the government for the problems proposed by the corona restrictions encountered in the past week.

Among other things, the government has seen a three-week restaurant closure fall on poor preparation, and has received criticism for its legal interpretations.

Essayah thought that there are too many chefs as the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, regional administrations, municipalities, infection doctors and healthcare districts should all contribute with their interpretations and measures.

- At the beginning of the pandemic, the founding of a steering group that would organize the fight against the coronavirus, a so-called coronal fist (Finnish coronary disease ), was discussed , but it was rejected. Wouldn't one be good now? asked Essayah.

Both Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) and Halla-aho were critical of a corona fist.

"Politicians and journalists like to stick to trendy words, in this case corona fists," Halla-aho stated, but questioned whether it would make the situation easier.

- But that the ministries quarrel with each other and the regional administrations in public show that decision-making does not work, the different parts of the state apparatus do not see themselves as part of a collective and do not work together, so therefore a hub could have been good, said Halla-aho .

Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson (SFP) replied that communication can be better but that the government's line has been clear, at the same time as government agencies must interpret the law.

Curfew last resort

The panel also discussed a possible curfew. Sanna Marin said that the latest forecasts and models from the Institute for Health and Welfare show that the corona situation is very serious, and that the government is preparing the tools needed to announce a curfew.

"We will discuss these most serious restrictions in the next few days," said Marin.

Anna-Maja Henriksson pointed out that it is extremely exceptional and that certain criteria must be met for a curfew to be implemented.

"As far as I know, Finland has not had a curfew since the wars," said Henriksson.

No sense in telling you now - I don't wanna ruin the suprise

Jussi Halla-aho also said that he does not think it is worth even discussing making mouth protection mandatory. It just keeps the discussion alive.

"It is also politically unlikely to carry out such a coercion," said Halla-aho.

Both he and Prime Minister Marin said that mouth protection in itself does not solve the corona crisis.

- I understand that people are looking for simple solutions but there is no miracle cure for corona, said Marin.

At the same reception, Essayahs demanded that the number of contacts outside the family be limited to one or two people, as in many other countries.

- Similar solutions have given different results in different countries, and different solutions have led to good results, Halla-aho stated, and said that he can therefore not speculate on what would be a better strategy for Finland.

3. yle.fi (translated, original by Hannele Muilu, 04.03.2021)

Coalition Party put pressure on Minister Kiuru on youth therapy guarantee during question time - "periodic response", spokesman commented

Basic Finns asked about the increase in fuel prices and its compensation.

The Coalition Party called for the promotion of a therapy guarantee. Member of Parliament Ville Kaunisto (Coalition Party) criticized the government as a mañana gang. Representatives of basic Finns asked about the rise in fuel prices.

4.3. 16:02 Shop Nytin Harry Harkimo states that Neste's new refinery is going to Rotterdam. He asks what the government is doing to get investments in Finland.

Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä (center) emphasizes the importance of predictability. It can be weakened by political detachment, he said.

Question Time is over, thank you for the company!

Päivi Räsänen (vol.) Asks why Finland does not hold bilateral negotiations with non-EU countries to obtain vaccines. Other countries have such projects underway.

Krista Kiuru says she does not believe vaccines will be obtained faster in this way.

Aki Linden (sd.) Asks if you are convinced that when vaccines are available, rapid vaccination will be successful.

Kiuru assures that when vaccines are received, they are immediately distributed. According to him, this has been successful and is reflected in EU statistics.

4.3. 15:50 91

Prime Minister Marin states that municipalities have been supported so that basic services work and children and young people do not fall for nothing.

4.3. 15:48 The chairman of the Coalition Party, Petteri Orpo, also asks how the government will respond to the plight of young people in the midst of the corona crisis. According to him, sote reform will not heat up when help is needed now.

If the care guarantee has to be diluted Remove the therapy guarantee from it, Orpo says.

Kiuru emphasizes the resources required to deal with the coronary crisis. He says he does intend to make new draft amending budgets for young people.

4.3. 15:40 Arja Juvonen (ps.) Asks why the board does not take care of the nurses' coping during the Korona period.

According to Kiuru, the key goal is to ensure the carrying capacity of healthcare.

The Coalition Party's Ville Kaunisto (Kok.) Says that the corona information aimed at young people was a wet rag on the students' faces. Where does the therapy guarantee stay? He asks.

According to Krista Kiuru , Minister of Basic Services , the therapy guarantee is covered by the care guarantee, but the matter has been left behind in the treatment of the coronary crisis. An impact assessment could not be carried out.

- This was a periodic response, says Kaunisto and criticizes the government for not acting on the matter.

According to him, in Spain it was said that the emergency will be helped tomorrow.

- Yes, you are quite a group of mañana, Kaunisto says.

Annika Saarikko (center) says that the therapy guarantee is not enough. Young people need work. He recalls that extending compulsory education brings more support to students.

4.3. 15:26 Representatives' issues related to fuels are largely about taxation. They would belong to the Minister of Finance Matti Vanhanen (center), who is not present.

The emission reduction target is still being criticized by a representative of basic Finns. Minister of the Environment Krista Mikkonen defends the goal. 4.3. 15:19 Markku Eestilä (co.) Says that if we increase the cost of motoring, it will be felt most in Eastern and Northern Finland.

Prime Minister Marin states that the government does not want to complicate people's lives. However, climate action is needed. According to Marin, they want to do it in a way that does not discipline low-income people, taking into account social justice.

4.3. 15:14 Magpie continues that the increase in bio-share will raise the price of fuel.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin (sd.) Responds that synthetic pollutants may be the key to switching to fossil fuels. According to him, Finland has know-how related to this.

Welcome to Parliamentary Question Time!

The discussion is followed in this article by journalist Hannele Muilu .

The first question is asked by Jukka Mäkynen ( ps.) On climate policy and rising fuel prices. According to him, prices must not rise due to emissions trading. He is demanding compensation.

Minister of Transport Timo Harakka states that the people of Basic Finland were deciding to increase the share of biofuels to 30 per cent.

The week has been marked by Finland's worsening coronary infection rates. There is widespread support in Parliament, including from the opposition, for new restrictive measures to prevent the spread of the corona.

However, the government has been criticized for the confusion of restrictions and communications. The review can continue during question time. Questions may also arise about the introduction of some sections of the Standby Act .

The decision to close restaurants is advancing in parliament, but MPs may pat the government on how to compensate entrepreneurs for lost income.

The upcoming municipal elections are beginning to electrify the atmosphere. In Yle's municipal election survey, the top of the three largest parties is very flat .

Representatives may raise issues related to municipalities, such as social reform and child protection. Caring for young people may also come up as more and more people go to distance school again next week.

4. index.hu (translated, original by NA, 01.03.2021)

A health emergency has been ordered in Finland

The Finnish government ordered a health emergency on Monday due to a sudden increase in the number of people infected with the coronavirus. The measure will allow the government to order the closure of restaurants and additional schools and restrict travel between regions.

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ARE ONLY IMPLEMENTED IN THE MOST DEPRIVED AREAS OF THE COUNTRYFROM MARCH 8 FOR THREE WEEKS.

A motion to this effect has already been submitted to Parliament. Finland has recently closed its borders due to the spread of a more contagious mutation in the coronavirus than before.

The government considers it necessary to further restrict people-to-people contact, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said at a news conference on Monday. From now on, it will be up to the people what spring and summer will be like, ”he added.

Sanna Marin also said they could even impose a night curfew if needed.

The fight against the epidemic in the northern European country has been successful so far,

IN EUROPE, THERE IS THE THIRD LOWEST NUMBER OF REGISTERED INFECTED AFTER ICELAND AND NORWAY.

The government introduced epidemiological restrictions in March, which were later gradually lifted following a reduction in the number of cases.

However, in the last two weeks, the number of infected people has increased in several regions of Finland, mainly due to virus mutations detected in the country as well,

PEDESTRIAN FOCUSS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO SKILLPIERS, SHIPYARDS AND CONSTRUCTION.

In Finland, with a population of 5.5 million, 58,064 people have been identified so far, 742 of whom have died as a result of the disease. Currently, 210 patients are treated in hospitals, and 1282 of the active infected have been shown to have mutations in the virus.

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POLAND

1. dorzeczy.pl (translated, original by dorzeczy.pl, 05.03.2021)

Kasprzak: There is a problem of subsidizing left-wing radicals from the city budget

- Lublin authorities were chosen by the city's inhabitants, therefore they have to listen to their voice, not to the voice of leftist lobbies. Ignoring the voice of Lublin residents will not be profitable - says Krzysztof Kasprzak from the Życie i Rodzina Foundation in an interview with the DoRzeczy.pl portal.

What is the action of the Life and Family Foundation in Lublin?

Krzysztof Kasprzak: We are collecting signatures for the City Council so that it will stop financing entities that were involved in the so-called Women's Strike and which promote LGBT ideology and support abortion. We are not the only organization involved in this action. There are also Youth for Freedom, Koliber Lublin, the local All-Polish Youth and the Lublin district of the National Movement. It is a positive effect of Marta Lempart's actions that Lublin's patriotic circles have consolidated and want to clean up their city after pro- abortion demonstrations and attacks on churches.

Which actors supported abortion and LGBT, and why do you think they should not be financed out of the taxpayers' pocket?

These are both non-governmental organizations - e.g. the gender HerStory Foundation, HomoFaber Association supporting LGBT and abortion - and entities bearing the name of cultural institutions, especially Galeria Labirynt. The latter boasts an exhibition of posters from pro-abortion strikes, and was also politically involved in officially supporting protests against the judgment of the Constitutional Tribunal in October last year. In the gallery there is also an exhibition of photos of naked men boasting about their reproductive organs, the exhibition is closer to ordinary pornography than to art. Last year, the gallery was to receive 2 million zlotys from Lublin taxpayers' money. If someone wants to engage in pro-abortion politics or expose gay porn, let him seek patronage on his own, and not reach out for money,

How did the inhabitants of Lublin react to your initiative?

We do this action for people and we address them. We have signals that many people are interested in signing. We want to have as many signatures as possible, so we encourage you to visit the website www.pilnujbudzetu.pl , print the card and collect signatures among Lublin 96 residents. The City Council will then hear the loud voice of citizens and will have to stand up for the common good or for further wasting money on pro-abortion projects. We are aware that if the petition is rejected, the councilors will be held accountable by voters at the next vote in the local elections. If people see their councilor spending money on scandalous projects instead of the residents' needs, they will shift their vote to someone else.

The director of Galeria Labirynt, Waldemar Tatarczuk said in an interview for Onet that the initiative of the Life and Family Foundation "is a mockery of the democratic state of law." How do you comment on this?

We draw conclusions from what has happened in recent months and see that there is a problem with subsidizing left-wing radicals from the city budget. This problem needs to be dealt with systematically. If pro-abortion and pro-lgbt organizations want to act, let them act for their own money, not for money taken from taxpayers. Democracy relies on majority rule, not minority rule, which supports abortion aggression and still demands public subsidies for it. During the reign of Waldemar Tatarczuk, Galeria Labirynt presents itself as an art of exhorting people to kill people, promiscuity and perversion. It is clear to normal citizens that this is no art.

The Gallery authorities assure that the City Council will be on their side. Nevertheless, is your initiative likely to be successful?

Lublin's authorities were chosen by the city's inhabitants, so they have to listen to their voice, not the voice of the leftist lobby. Ignoring the vote of Lublin citizens will not be profitable for the councilors. People are already beginning to see that there is not enough money for road repairs, new kindergartens and other important investments, while abortion activists are being subsidized. Especially in the era of lockdown, when many people lose their jobs, budget revenues are falling and expenses are rising, it is important to plan your budget wisely. It is to serve the common good, not the aborters and LGBT ideologues.

2. dorzeczy.pl (translated, original by dorzeczy.pl, 07.03.2021)

Prof. Chwedoruk: The United Right is now transitional

There is no good solution to stave off a split in the ruling coalition. The interests of individual entities are completely divergent, which is why the United Right is of a 97 temporary nature - says Prof. Rafał Chwedoruk, political scientist from the University of Warsaw.

There are reshuffles in the United Right camp. Some point out that the United Right is still doing well, but there are also those who say that the coalition de facto no longer exists. How is it really?

Prof. Rafał Chwedoruk: We live in a time of blurring of borders - inter-state, but also political. And in fact, anyone who says the United Right no longer exists will be as right as anyone who says it still is.

How is that?

On the one hand, the coalition is formally operational, there is a parliamentary club, and there is a government which the coalition supports. However, it is not known whether the government has a majority in the Sejm, which would mean that some deputies found themselves in some gray space between the ruling coalition and the opposition. The recent parliamentary elections and the distribution of power in the parliament, giving the United Right just five votes advantage, exacerbated the apparent conflict of interest between the coalition partners.

What is it about?

It is in the interest of Law and Justice to strengthen cooperation, its deepening, centralization of power within the coalition, while it is in the interest of smaller entities to emphasize their own individuality, so as not to blur in PiS. And to emphasize this separateness, it is sometimes necessary to disagree with the main party. It also very clearly shows that in Polish politics there is no room for such an anachronistic model of a coalition as cooperation of a large and popular party with one or several very small groups.

However, these small formations often - apart from the Agreement and Solidarity Poland - have a programmatic character, they define themselves around some ideas and values, while large parties must - inevitably - maneuver a little. So maybe these little formations are needed?

This model, in which the powerful party gets along with small entities, is anachronistic and completely dysfunctional. When it comes to ideological currents, a much more sensible solution is the existence of a large party as an independent entity and having separate factions 98 in its own structures, be it conservative-liberal, national or other. However, the decision- making process within the grouping should be made in a democratic vote.

The situation in which the one-percent groups have some influence on the decisions of the big formation through some parity is already debatable, but taking into account that these groups with one percent. support has an impact on the state's policy, it certainly does not serve the democratic system. The same was done recently by the peasants who had recently rewritten the scenario of the departure of a smaller group. As for the United Right, I don't think there is a good solution here. And it seems to me that the United Right is already a transitional entity at this moment.

What will happen next?

Two scenarios are possible. The first is that the coalition groups do their thing, emphasize their individuality more strongly, and ultimately go to the Sejm in some other configuration. The second - Law and Justice withholds the crisis and plays for the waiting, hoping that at some point certain politicians from coalition formations, more and more concerned about the future elections, will lean towards PiS. So Solidarna Polska and the Agreement will share the fate of the famous "starters" from several years ago. Moreover, Jarosław Kaczyński recently spoke about waiting. And it is significant that in this interview he did not mention the names of the leaders of the coalition parties.

3. portfolio.hu (translated, original by MTI, 03.03.2021)

Poland is also entering vaccine production

They can also produce a new corona virus vaccine from the American company Novavax in Poland, the Polish biotechnology company Mabion was informed on Wednesday about the technology transfer and the contract for a series of tests in Poland.

As Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki read in his Facebook post on Wednesday, trial production will begin later this quarter. He said his government had made efforts to avoid becoming dependent on foreign vaccine suppliers, as well as the European Union's vaccine procurement procedures, which, as he wrote, had "proved less effective than Polish solutions."

Mabion also announced on Wednesday that it had agreed with the Polish State Development Fund (PFR) to expand its production capacity, providing it with a grant of PLN 40 million (HUF 3.2 billion).

At a press conference on Wednesday, PFR President Pawel Borys expressed hope that vaccine production in Poland would begin at the end of the second quarter, beginning of the third quarter. He said the investment will increase the security of Novavax's shipments in Poland this year and will also be a guarantee for the vaccination campaign in Poland.

Maciej Wieczorek, president of Mabion, who also spoke at the press conference, said that if the test series proves successful, the company could become an important supplier of the vaccine. As he stated, it is currently difficult to say how much of the vaccine produced in his plant will be placed on the Polish market and how much of it would be taken abroad.

The Novavax vaccine, which is awaiting approval from the European Medicines Agency, is currently being manufactured in India.

The European Commission concluded talks with Novavax on the procurement of the vaccine in mid-December last year, and the planned contract would allow the European Union to purchase 100 million doses or even an additional 100 million doses of the vaccine.

Leading Polish politicians have previously indicated that they are also negotiating directly with manufacturers over stalled EU vaccine shipments.

More than 3.4 million vaccines from EU purchases were given in Poland by Wednesday, including more than 1.2 million people vaccinated with a second dose of the vaccines.

In a country of nearly 38 million people, 15,698 new infections were registered in one day, up 3,552 from last Wednesday, according to Wednesday data. A daily increase of more than fifteen thousand was already recorded at the end of November last year, when the autumn epidemic curve began to rise. Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said on Wednesday that the growth trend is sustained, so it was decided to reopen temporary epidemiological hospitals in nine of the 16 voivodships.

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According to Wednesday's data, 61 people died in one day specifically due to Covid-19, and 248 people due to the coexistence of Covid-19 and other diseases. Mortality figures are lower than they were a week ago.

4. hu.euronews.com (translated, original by euronews.com, 27.02.2021)

Outbreak: austerity in France and Poland

Due to the intensification of the third wave of the epidemic, public residence rules have been tightened in the northern French city of Dunkirk and the region.

In the 250,000 agglomeration, one in a hundred people a week becomes ill from coronavirus infection.

The market and grocery stores can sell, but nothing else is open on the weekends.

This local woman also says she should come out to the market on Saturday morning. But then he goes home and doesn't move out anymore. That's it, he adds.

Wearing a mask is mandatory in public areas. Anyone can leave their home only for dog walking or jogging, for a maximum of one hour and within 5 kilometers.

The same rules apply to the Azure Coast. Where access to the sandy beach is prohibited on weekends. The plaza was closed everywhere.

Epidemiological restrictions have been tightened or extended in several provinces of Poland due to sharply rising infection rates. Shopping malls, hotels, cinemas, theaters, museums and swimming pools will certainly remain closed until mid-March.

This man says, “he is already used to the regulations. What’s more, he is pleased that the rules remain in place. He himself finds it difficult to bear the protracted epidemic situation, but it is irritated by the way many people ignore wearing masks. ” 101

Schools in Poland were temporarily closed again, and they resumed online education in educational institutions.

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CZECH REPUBLIC

1. idnes.cz (translated, original by idnes.cz, 04.03.2021)

The election would be won by YES, the Pirates with STAN are second, the CSSD would leave the Chamber

According to the latest Median poll, the YES movement would win the parliamentary elections. His partner in the current governing coalition, the CSSD, would end up below the threshold and would not get into the House. In second place is the group of Pirates with STAN, who lag behind the leader of YES by only 1.5 percentage points.

After a significant decline in the YES movement in January, it maintained the same position at 26.5 percent in February. As in January, the strongest coalition is the coalition of Pirates and STAN with 25 percent. The SPOLO coalition (ODS, KDU-ČSL and TOP 09) is losing 6.5 percentage points to the coalition of Pirates and STAN, and the profit is therefore at 18.5 percent in February.

Among other things, this is the same profit as in January and at the same time 1.5 percentage points lower than the simple sum of the profits of ODS, KDU-ČSL and TOP 09 in November 2020, Median points out.

The SPD continues to see a slight increase in preferences, observable since July 2020. The current potential gain of 10 percent is about 1 percentage point lower than in the 2017 elections. The KSČM strengthened to eight percent. On the contrary, the CSSD's preferences fell below five percent, ie below the threshold for entering the Chamber of Deputies. The 102

CSSD continues to lose preferences. At the same time, still in August 2020, the preference was 9.5 percent

YES support is low among entrepreneurs, at the level of five percent, for employees 19.8 percent. On the contrary, among pensioners, the support is at the level of 46.8 percent. The coalition of Pirates and STAN enjoys the most support from students, half of them. For entrepreneurs it is 35 percent, among employees the support is 32.4 percent. On all sides and coalitions, the TOTAL coalition has the highest support among entrepreneurs, at 36.7 percent. Among employees, then 22.1 percent.

Voter confidence and determination declined in February Less than half of the respondents, ie 49 percent, are sure of their participation and elected in the event of an election. More than a quarter, or 33.5 percent, are confident in their participation, but are not firmly determined about the elected party.

Can YES maintain its position as a leader in October? Yes 3023 No 8730 Every eighth respondent, ie 12.5 percent, is unsure of either participation or elected party. Party support can thus change dynamically. Due to the non-anchoring of voters, it is not appropriate to predict which of the parties with a profit of around five percent would now actually reach the Chamber of Deputies.

If YES received votes from all voters who are seriously considering voting and do not rule out voting, it would get 31 percent of the vote. A profit of convinced voters would be YES enough for an election result of 19 percent.

The survey took place from February 1 to March 2 . It was attended by 1,048 respondents aged 18 and over .

The coalition of Pirates and STAN again has a higher electoral potential in February 2021 than the YES 2011 movement. However, the potential profit fell by three percentage points compared to January, now reaching 32 percent. On the contrary, the electoral core strengthened by one percentage point to 14 percent. The TOTAL coalition has a slightly lower electoral core in February 2021, 9.5 percent compared to January, when it was ten percent.

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However, the potential increased by one percentage point to 24.5 percent compared to January 2021. The convinced CSSD voters are three percentage points less than in November, ie two percent. The potential fell from 11.5 percent in January back to 9.5 percent, which the party had in November 2020. The KSČM did not change significantly in February 2021 compared to January. The voter core is holding at 5.5 percent and the potential at nine percent.

2. origo.hu (translated, original by MTI, 03.03.2021)

Record in the Czech Republic, more than 8,000 people are hospitalized

The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the Czech Republic rose to a record high.

A statement released on the website of the Department of Health Wednesday morning says it is currently

MORE THAN 8100 PERSONS ARE TREATED WITH COVID IN CZECH HOSPITALS, WHICH IS A NEW TOP SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF THE DISEASE IN MARCH LAST YEAR.

There are 1,661 people in serious condition, a hundred more than on Sunday. On Tuesday, laboratory screenings revealed 16,642 new confirmed infections, the fourth highest number to date.

The Czech government is trying to deal with the spread of the epidemic and the increasingly critical situation with new precautions. From Wednesday, for example, companies with more than 250 employees will be required to test employees at least once a week.

THE STATE PAYS FOUR TESTS PER MONTH, PER TEST PER MAXIMUM 60 CROWNS (HUF 835) PER EMPLOYEE

The Czech hospitals are still extremely busy, and the covidos, special beds are almost all occupied.

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ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL REPORT, THESE 14 PER CENT OF THESE BEDS ARE ALREADY FREE, WHICH MEANS ALSO 180 BEDS.

The lack of accommodation varies from region to region, so in several cases patients have to be transported to remote hospitals where there is still a free bed.

To bridge the situation, the Czech Republic turned to neighboring and EU states for a week to help. Foreign Minister Tomás Petrícek said on public service radio on Tuesday night that several states had responded to the call and so far a few hundred beds had been offered to Czech patients.

According to PETRÍCEK, CZECH REPUBLIC IS CURRENTLY NEGOTIATING WITH GERMANY ON THE USE OF THE ASSISTANCE OFFERED.

The situation is extremely serious in the Czech regions along the German border, where hospitals are full and would prefer to transport patients to nearby German hospitals than to more distant Czech partner institutions.

3. idnes.cz (translated, original by idnes.cz, 07.03.2021)

The economy will be in full swing from the second half of the year, Schiller believes

Minister of Finance Alena Schillerová said that the economy could start up in full in the second half of 2021. According to her, the rewards for health professionals, which will be discussed by the government on Monday, should come with a payment for May. The guest of the Terezia Tománková Party was also the chairman of the People's Party, Marian Jurečka.

Schiller said she was still optimistic because most people followed the measures.

"We will be able to relax when vaccinations and collective immunity are in place. The exact date when it will start to disintegrate is not known, "she said, adding that the plan for disintegration depends on the numbers of newly infected. She also added that the PES system was not the happiest way. 105

The first vaccination of paramedics against covid in the Regional Health Center of Ústí nad Labem. Vaccination center in the infection pavilion.

According to her, the economy should be in full swing from the second half of 2021. She reiterated that the most important thing is vaccination.

" Vaccines are definitely not located anywhere in the Ministry of Health," she said, stressing that they are being redistributed. The good news, she said, is that the number of sick health professionals is declining.

"No one knows how the lockdown will develop," Jurečka agreed, saying that he was most sorry that there was talk of huge numbers of help, but people had been waiting for this help for several months. According to him, there is no uniform methodology and help is slow. According to him, the government is also failing incomprehensive testing in companies that some organizations take into their own hands.

"The nationwide event has now started, it's ten thousand companies that now have to test. We went in parts, first voluntarily, then compulsorily, "the minister said. According to her, there are now 60 companies that can supply tests to companies. So far, tests from schools that have remained closed are also going there. "About 13 million tests have been delivered and another 15 million will be imported next week," she added.

According to Jurečka, the negative test should be connected with the Smart Quarantine so that the negatively tested can use the services. "Let the economy work meaningfully," he appealed.

Rewards for paramedics in May

"I can say one thing: thank you very paramedics," she topic remuneration for health workers Schillerová. 12.2 billion is to be paid to them from the state budget for rewards. "I put you in an amendment to the government budget law. It's going to the government on Monday, "Schiller promised. Healthcare professionals should receive the rewards for the May payment, ie in real terms in June.

"I will believe that this repair will happen," said Jurečka. He noted that doctors are working outside the Labor Code and criticized the government's slow response to a request for help, 106 for example from the Karlovy Vary region, when it took the government four weeks to approve this help. "It simply came to our notice then. I am sorry that the Minister (Blatný) is not able to do this, "he added.

People on Instagram want an official high school diploma

Schiller conducted a survey on Instagram, where, according to her, over 13,000 people voted to be in favor of the official graduation. This was mentioned by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in an interview for MF DNES . This would mean that the final grade for graduation subjects would be awarded on the basis of the average for all years of study.

Babiš: The official high school diploma is fair. Vaccination with Sputnik would be voluntary "I expect the debate to take place at government level, but I want to debate it. Of course, the Minister of Education will have the last word, "she emphasized. According to her, she receives hundreds of messages on the social network on this topic.

According to Jurečka, the answer to this question of official graduations is not simple.

"It simply came to our notice then. The Prime Minister will form a lay opinion, burn it into the media and launch an avalanche, "he said. The problem should be solved mainly by school principals, in some places the preparation for the school-leaving examination within distance learning was good, in some professional and practical subjects such preparation would be demanding.

4. lidovky.cz (translated, original by lidovky.cz, 07.03.2021)

Dispute over vaccination of volunteer firefighters in Prague. Deputy Hlubuček does not agree that it happened unjustifiably

PRAGUE In Prague, units of volunteer firefighters from Lysolají and Suchdol were vaccinated with vaccine against covid-19 on Saturday, although according to the government's vaccination strategy they are not yet among the priority groups. The News List server informed about it on Sunday. According to the server, the vaccination was offered to the firefighters by the Deputy Mayor of Prague, Petr Hlubuček (STAN), and was criticized by 107 the Health Councilor Milena Johnová (Prague Sobě). In addition to his position at the municipality, Hlubuček is also the mayor of Lysolají.

Hlubuček wrote to the server that firefighters were vaccinated by doctor Lucie Jarešová, who now operates a vaccination center in her aesthetic clinic. "She offered to vaccinate our fire brigade herself, and we accepted the offer," he said. Deputy and his party colleague and the mayor of Suchdol, Petr Hejl, further stated that firefighters received the vaccine because they are on full alert throughout the pandemic.

According to John, the procedure violated the rules, according to her, seniors should be vaccinated as a matter of priority. "I do not understand the mentioned procedure, if it is true, then it is a violation of the rules. It is now absolutely necessary to vaccinate only the most vulnerable groups, "she said. According to the server, Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) wants to have the matter checked.

The Prague vaccination coordinator Martin Ježek and the mayor of Hřib server said that firefighters, police officers or police officers can receive the vaccine only if there is an open bottle at the end of the day with unused doses that would otherwise be wasted. However, the commander of the field unit of the Suchdol volunteer firefighters, Jakub Bárta, wrote a list of reports that they had been offered vaccinations the day before, ie on Friday.

Hlubuček wrote that John told him last week that it was already possible to vaccinate group 1B according to the government's strategy, which also includes components of the integrated rescue system, including volunteer firefighters. According to him, vaccines from the company AstraZeneca were used for vaccination, to which some seniors are reluctant.

Hlubuček's assistant Tomáš Nakládal also told the editorial staff of Lidovek.cz that firefighters can be vaccinated in phase 1 B. "Especially in the beginning, vaccination will take the form of a continuation of phase IA, which will be extended to other groups of healthcare professionals and other groups of seniors and chronically ill patients," reads the Ministry of Health's document on vaccination strategy. One of the new items in this phase is the “crisis infrastructure of the region and Hl. m. Prahy “. "360 fire brigade firefighters and hundreds of police officers have already been vaccinated in this way in Prague," said Hlubuček.

We want to attract people from the countryside, the center of Prague does not have to be an amusement park, says Deputy Mayor Hlubuček

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"It is not true that firefighters were given priority over seniors," the deputy added. According to him, the inhabitants of Lysolají over the age of 80 have been vaccinated for several weeks and all seniors over the age of 70 have a set date. According to him, members of the integrated rescue system are among the most endangered groups in the nature of employment. "By the time we are all supposed to be home, they are the ones who care about our safety. That is why it is absolutely right that we are gradually succeeding in vaccinating them from residual vaccines, "he said.

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HUNGARY

1. index.hu (translated, original by Tamás Nótin, 07.03.2021)

Who will lose more by breaking up Fidesz and the European People's Party?

For the time being, Fidesz is not outside, but Fidesz is no longer in the conservative party family. He left the faction but is still a member of the party family. However, the question is no longer what this means, but how Fidesz will proceed and what will happen to the European People's Party. The head of the Hungarian-German Institute for European Cooperation of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium answered the questions of the Index.

According to the ruling party, they should not be allowed to silence their members of the European Parliament or restrict their voting rights.

Viktor Orbán on Kossuth Radio Good morning, Hungary! In his show on Fidesz's exit, he spoke at length over the phone in recent days with Armin Laschett, the new president of the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and there will likely be another consultation between them, yet he stated that their paths with the People's Party are essentially parted. 109

He has a good opinion of Lasche, who he thinks is a waist, Catholic West German man, and has not voted for one that is incompatible with his values, and is famous for being able to bring together different lines of action.

I think you came here too late

Viktor Orbán added, referring to the internal processes of the People's Party.

Regarding the scope and future of Fidesz, he also said that there were always suggestions in the branch on how European policy should be renewed. He mentioned that he had already spoken to the Poles, Matteo Salvini, the leader of the Italian Northern League, and Giorgia Meloni, the president of the Italian Brothers.

Now there is a situation, our hands are much freer, we can go our own way, we do not have to hurry, these negotiations need to be accelerated

- said Viktor Orbán.

In his letter to Samizdat, entitled 6, the Prime Minister discussed that Fidesz's withdrawal from the Group of the European People's Party also opens up a new perspective in European politics.

Now, without the EPP, we need to build a European democratic right that is home to European citizens who do not want migrants, do not want multiculturalism, have not fallen into LGBTQ madness, defend Europe's Christian traditions, respect the sovereignty of nations and their nation is not their past, but as part of their future. It's time! Long live the democratic right! Fortes fortuna adiuvat!

Viktor Orbán closed his writing.

New winds may blow in European politics

According to Bence Bauer, head of the Hungarian-German Institute for European Cooperation at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, Fidesz will always have a place in European politics and the European Parliament. The expert, who was previously the first Central 110

European to lead the European Democrat Students and was a member of the People's Party's political assembly, says: Ten years ago, the party family was very different and has since shifted to a centrist left. .

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made a positive statement on Kossuth radio about Armin Lasche, the president of the CDU, who, however, said he had "arrived too late". What it means? Could Armin Laschet still reverse the processes leading to the exit of Fidesz?

The relationship between Fidesz and the CDU has always been good when it comes to dialogue. It began in the era of Helmut Kohl, when politics was still at an “eye level,” meaning that other countries and other parties were treated as partners. Armin Laschet’s role can also be positive at the head of the CDU because it represents a policy that integrates, allows for multiple opinions. He thinks of a broader people's party. He also proved with the CDU that he was able to bring together multiple currents.

The fact that he arrived late may mean that, as chairman of the CDU, he can no longer reverse the processes against Fidesz in the People's Party. Nevertheless, there are still many similarities between the politicization of the CDU and Fidesz, and there are no deep differences between them.

What was the main conflict between Fidesz and the People's Party critics?

I worked in the People’s Party circles ten years ago in Brussels, and then it was another party. Wilfried Martens was its president (former prime minister of Belgium, president of the European People's Party from 1990 to 2013 - ed.), And the party family had many successful prime ministers. The Conservative People's Party was arguably an important factor in Europe policy. These times are over.

The People's Party has now shifted more towards a centrist left.

This value choice manifests itself in many issues. But there is also a tactical reason for this. The majority relations in the current European Parliament encourage the People's Party leadership to seek allies on the centrist left. The search for these allies with the Fidesz People's Party presence was not very beneficial because it advocated a conservative, Christian-democratic policy, which is already very rare in Europe today. There are fewer and fewer conservative Christian Democratic forces within the People's Party.

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The ruling party has left the People's Party faction, but may also leave the party family.

For the time being, Fidesz has left the faction of the European People's Party, but is currently - suspended - a member of the party family. According to the response of the European People's Party, Fidesz is facing an expulsion procedure from the party family. Will Fidesz be completely excluded, or will it leave itself, or is there still a way back?

The situation in Faramuc was that Fidesz was neither outside nor inside the People's Party. The compromise of March 2019, when the self-initiated suspension of Fidesz was approved within the People's Party, only postponed the exclusion of the Hungarian ruling party. However, this issue may now be on the agenda again. In this regard, the Prime Minister put it on Kossuth Radio: "this is only a technical matter."

Within the People's Party, neither position has a large majority, that is, neither exclusion nor so-called reinstatement, however, any change of status would require a majority vote.

This Gordian knot could only be cut through if Fidesz itself left the People's Party.

How can the break-up of Fidesz and the People's Party be interpreted in EU policy? Fidesz is losing several influential positions outside the People's Party. Will your room for maneuver narrow?

Your room for maneuver is not reduced. Fidesz is a very successful party, not only in Hungary, but also in the European political arena. Thanks to the vast majority of Hungarian voters, Fidesz, which was the third largest delegation of the People's Party, is strong. The German CDU has twenty-three representatives, the Polish PO fourteen and Fidesz twelve.

It is an influential party that gave the People's Party an opportunity, but has now fallen out of support from Fidesz, so the party family has been significantly weakened. And the People's Party is now facing a conflict. I prefer to see the People's Party here as the real big loser. However, Fidesz will always have a place in European politics and in the European Parliament.

In his letter to Samizdat 6, the Prime Minister stated that "the European democratic right must now be built without the EPP". Can Viktor Orbán bring a new party family under the roof? Who could be interested in a new "European democratic right"?

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There are parties in the People's Party, but also outside the European political arena and in the European Parliament, with whom Fidesz has good relations. I do not consider it impossible for new constellations to emerge and for there to be a transition between them, or for Fidesz to become one of the defining forces. The person of Viktor Orbán and the policy of Fidesz can be attractive to many parties.

2. napi.hu (translated, original by Zsuzsanna Szabó, 05.03.2021)

Viktor Orbán on the austerity: we had no choice

We had no choice, because it will be a tragedy if we do not act, Viktor Orbán said in an interview with Kossuth Radio on Friday morning about the tightening.

Citing the opinion of experts, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a morning interview with Kossuth Radio that in order to open it later, it must now be closed. According to the Prime Minister, the consultation on the opening will continue until March 15, after which it will be evaluated until Easter and the opening may come after Easter.

The government was in stark contrast to the austerity measures with the Hungarians Viktor Orbán pointed out: the third wave is stronger than the second wave, we have to prepare for the most difficult period. According to the prime minister, the number of people cared for in hospitals is expected to rise to 15-20 thousand in the next period.

Regarding the tightening announced yesterday, he said that in addition to grocery stores, drugstores and pharmacies, shops selling goods related to spring gardening could also remain open. And because of Women's Day, flower shops may remain open on March 8, but they will also have to close after that. The crèches may remain open for the time being, but they can still change that, the prime minister said.

What can come after two weeks of rigor?

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Asked what might come of the two weeks of austerity, the prime minister replied that "here, already, the opinion of experts was not clear". Some say 10-12 days is enough, others say you should be careful even after 14 days, otherwise we will start a fourth wave. What is certain is that we have turned to the target line of the anti-virus wave with the current closure, he noted.

Viktor Orbán said that those who have to close will receive a tax and wage subsidy, but not only will they receive a wage subsidy, but catata entrepreneurs will not have to pay kata either, and not just for the two weeks of closing, but for the whole of March. This will be modeled on the method used in the hotel industry and catering, Viktor Orbán added.

Regarding the travels, he said that they are maintaining the current order for the time being, but he thinks the problem now is that our compatriots returning from exotic places are bringing in mutants. Tanganyika, Maldives, Dubai - dangerous mutations are brought in from these places, said Viktor Orbán, who called on them to postpone these "luxury vacations" now because they could bring home mutants that could put others in trouble.

Disruption of vaccinations, a dramatic situation is expected in hospitals

Regarding vaccinations, the prime minister said we could reach 2.4 million people by the first week of April, 4.7 million by the beginning of May, and then it will depend on how they can still get the vaccine. Viktor Orbán also added that by the beginning of July he would like the number of vaccinated people to be over 8 million.

Regarding vaccines, he said: the Chinese are delivering on time, the Russians are pretty much keeping pace, although there is a lot of pressure on them because more and more European countries want Russian vaccines, but the arrival of EU supplies is uncertain.

The prime minister acknowledged that there was some "technical disturbance" around the vaccines after many were misinformed about the vaccines or should have traveled far from their place of residence. According to this prime minister, an operational group is already working.

Healthcare is now under a very heavy load in hospitals. The number of people infected has risen by another 6,369, with 6,867 in hospital and 677 on ventilators, listing the latest figures and adding that experts predict that the number of people cared for in hospitals could soon reach 15 to 20,000, and in hospitals prepare for dramatic challenges.

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According to the prime minister, government experts are already working on the details of a plan for who to involve and how. According to Orbán, this problem is being addressed through the secondment of people, transfers between hospitals in addition to internal reserves, and the involvement of residents and medical graduates, but even those working in private health care.

EPP and Fidesz

The exit of Fidesz from the European People's Party faction was discussed in the interview. In this connection, Orbán said again that "in this bubble in Brussels, some are dealing with how to change one or another party in a difficult situation by amending the statutes. We said that, well, thank you, that was enough for us."

Regarding the future of Fidesz in Europe, he said "there were already plans in the desk drawer". He has already spoken to the Poles, "Hungary's great friend, Mr. Matteo Salvini" and the other right-wing Italian party. According to Orbán, the point is to have a political home in Europe for "people of our kind", people who want to protect families and who are interested in "cooperation of nation states instead of the European empire", not only not only in their own country but also at European level. They are working to create this. According to Orbán, such a political trend will be a determining force in Europe.

3. mandiner.hu (translated, original by MTI, 24.02.2021)

Mi Hazánk rejects the vaccination card

According to László Toroczkai, the long-term effects of vaccinations are not yet visible, ie "a kind of human experiment is taking place in the world".

The Mi Hazánk Movement rejects the introduction of the vaccination card, the party's chairman said at a press conference in Budapest on Wednesday. László Toroczkai explained the rejection by saying that the long-term effects of vaccinations are not yet visible, ie "a kind of human experiment is taking place in the world". However, the virus is constantly mutating, so we need to be prepared to develop new vaccines, he added.

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He emphasized that Mi Hazánk is not an anti-vaccination party, but they do not support the introduction of the card either, because it is considered a discriminatory measure. According to them, vaccination can only be voluntary, it should not be made mandatory; they protest against all such efforts. The Hungarian government is being asked to abandon the plan to introduce the vaccination book, said László Toroczkai.

4. index.hu (translated, original by Krisztina Balogh, 04.03.2021)

Dóra Dúró: Enough of the closures and the curfew!

The Our Country Movement does not like the fact that the Orbán government is closing the country for two weeks due to the third wave of the coronavirus epidemic. The party is therefore now protesting against this. As they write in their statement, this is the most stringent closure the government has announced since the virus was released. According to Dóra Dúró, people's performance has long been beyond the limits expected of them.

The vice-president of the party believes that the closure of kindergartens and schools will put not only teachers and students, but also families in an extremely difficult situation. Nothing has come of the opening that the prime minister had previously pushed in, and the opposite is happening now: not only those who have been closed so far could open, but also those who could have been open so far, the politician stressed.

Dóra Dúró stated that they still do not agree with the closure of museums, libraries, theaters, cinemas, zoos, game parks, swimming pools, gyms, stadiums, sports halls and restaurants. He wants to have even a limited number of staff, but these institutions are open.

He also added that maintaining the restriction of sports opportunities is also counterproductive, a healthy immune system would be needed more than in epidemic-free times. He thinks there were enough closures now, enough of the curfew!

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1. parameter.sk (translated, original by János P. Lajos, 24.02.2021)

Richard Sulík to Parameter: lockdown can no longer be tightened, Russian vaccine would only be supported if at least the Slovak authority nods

The president of the SaS often finds the epidemiological measures of his own government chaotic and illogical, Prime Minister Igor Matovič thinks he measures the coalition by double standards, and finds some of his ideas and statements ridiculous, yet he accepts them. He doesn’t know, he just hopes the coalition will endure for the next three years. He sees his party as patriotic but not nationalist and does not want to discriminate on the basis of nationality. We interviewed Richard Sulík, President of the SaS, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy.

Do you think there will be Sputnik V in Slovakia?

I think it will be, so that the Minister of Health gives extraordinary permission to use it as an experimental drug.

Then why was there a need for last week’s government meeting where they wanted to authorize the health minister by government decision?

Because the prime minister wanted a collective government decision on the issue, the government takes responsibility, not the minister alone.

What do you think of Sputnik V? He previously said it could be used if it were registered by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Yes, or if the ŠUKL (State Institute for Pharmacovigilance) states in an opinion or resolution that the vaccine is appropriate. I think that would be the right procedure. Registration is a long 117 and difficult process, it may not be feasible now. The other method is faster. A positive opinion means that ŠUKL specialists will review all available documents, contact the manufacturer, ie professionals can say whether the vaccine is OK based on the information available to them. We also agree with this procedure.

Yes, but the director of ŠUKL has recently said that they cannot issue any opinion because they do not have enough information for it.

Then get them.

And if they don't get it from the manufacturer?

Then they will not issue a resolution. But this does not change our position that any vaccine can be used if it is registered with the European Medicines Agency or at least issued by the domestic ŠUKL.

In this case, therefore, the use of Sputnyik V is not recommended. How do you assess Igor Matovič's sentence about the Russian vaccine test, according to which "the manufacturer of Sputnik V will certainly not play such a game with us"?

I don’t consider this process a game at all, it’s a normal procedure. However, I have no further reason to comment on the Prime Minister's statements.

He is your boss in government. Do you mind that you have such statements?

Nevertheless, I will not comment on your statements either.

If we don’t have an EU license for the vaccine and ŠUKL doesn’t issue a resolution either, won’t we even buy it, or will we possibly buy it and wait for it to get the license from somewhere?

The health minister has the power to authorize the vaccine to people who voluntarily undertake it. I cannot give an exhaustive answer to this, because I do not know the processes, it is the competence of the Minister of Health, he must be asked.

Deputy Prime Minister Veronika Remišová (Za ľudí) said last week that the vaccine should not be bought in stock until it has a permit. He fears that in this case, emotional blackmail would come, even from the prime minister, who might say the vaccine is in stock here and people are dying in the process. What do you think about this?

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I think registration or ŠUKL resolution would be needed at the time of import. If this is not the case, the Minister for Health will still have the option of authorizing the product in his own discretion. If you take responsibility for this, it will be his decision.

Do you have any information on how the Secretary of Health will deal with this issue?

They are not.

Indicators of the epidemic are really not the best right now in Slovakia…

Epidemic indicators are extremely poor, whether we look at mortality or the number of people treated in hospital. This is a very bad certificate for Slovakia.

Yes, but what will the government do with this? Are they preparing new measures?

It is primarily the responsibility of the Minister of Health to prepare the proposals, he must submit them to the government. It is not the task of the government to prepare the documents - measures, decisions - the government only accepts them.

But lately, we have seen the documents themselves being made at a government meeting.

You are right about that, but it is not right. I expect the Minister of Health to come up with proposals on what steps to take. If you ask my personal opinion, I can say that we should focus primarily on foci of infection and secondly on prevention. Even in the period before the patient's condition became critical. There is also a need for complete prevention, protecting health, for example, by taking vitamin D, but more importantly, those who are infected but do not yet have symptoms or only mild symptoms should also be given medication. This would prevent them from getting to the hospital. This type of prevention is still completely lacking today.

What do you mean by epidemics? Both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health are constantly communicating that the whole of Slovakia is black, with no or not much difference between the regions.

The country is black only according to the COVID machine, but the reality is different. There are regions where the incidence of infections per 100,000 people is below 100, but there are also districts where the prevalence is above 500. Although we are a small country, there are large regional differences in the spread of the epidemic.

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Would it not make more sense to demand stricter compliance with existing measures, to tighten up controls?

It is not possible to apply any level of rigor, at some point people will no longer respect the rules.

I do not think we can keep more people at home in Slovakia than there are today. On the other hand, the lockdown has been alive for a long time and there has been no improvement.

We should probably focus on other areas, ones that we still neglect today. For example, the preventive treatments already mentioned.

However, according to some experts, the biggest problem for Slovakia is that we do not monitor compliance with the measures adopted. Lockdown works almost everywhere in the world, but not here.

The shops and restaurants have been closed ever since, so we can’t say it doesn’t work. The police are there to check compliance with the rules.

But we see that the police, for example, do not even monitor compliance with quarantine, and many do not. In Austria, the police check everyone who is in quarantine, why don't we have such a check?

Yes, unfortunately we do not really have such an inspection, but these questions must be asked by the Minister of the Interior.

Are such issues being discussed in government?

In the government, we negotiate specific decisions and decrees, which we either adopt or not. An open discussion on such issues can only take place within the framework of another item on the agenda, but no decision is usually taken.

Could it not, for example, be stated in a decision that the police are obliged to check compliance with quarantine in all cases?

This could be solved, but the government does not have to decide everything. You don’t have to make sure the sun rises in the morning. Control measures such as those we have been talking about can also be ordered by the Minister of the Interior in his own power.

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You have been talking these days about the so-called e-quarantine application, which could be used to check compliance with quarantine at a distance. Why doesn’t it still work when the app was already developed last spring?

I don’t know why it doesn’t work, it’s not my job either, no one has dealt with it.

I raised it because I could no longer watch the inertia that was going on here.

That is why I suggested to my colleagues in the government that I look at what opportunities we have in this area. I would like to inform the government about this on Wednesday.

And what did you find, what is the status of the e-quarantine?

I don’t want to reveal details, we’re still working on it, I want to inform the government first, not through the press. (The interview was conducted on Monday - ed. Note)

Still, can it be deployed in approximately a week?

Certainly not, even the programming has to be completed, and there are several administrative tasks, such as asking to be included in the downloadable applications. There is still a lot of work to be done with it.

A month?

At a minimum, but there may be more. But first I want to inform the government.

So you don’t plan, you won’t suggest tightening the lockdown?

We don't really know what to tighten anymore.

What should we ban? Going to work? Aren't we milking the cows? Don't let us bake bread? Should we close schools again?

The lower grades opened and the number of those infected did not begin to rise rapidly, from which I conclude that the opening of schools will not substantially affect the spread of the epidemic. Consideration should be given to whether continuous testing does not spread the virus more than it limits it. People are out in the frost, talking, maybe getting infected more easily. Maybe we shouldn’t be tested so massively, across the country. Maybe we should only test where the situation is really serious, in the already hotspots.

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Testing is required by the COVID automaton, so do you want to modify or alleviate it?

Yes, this is a possible step.

Representatives of smaller stores have spoken these days, they already want to open it. You have called for this before. Now can you imagine some stores reopening?

The chances of this being very low, but I consider this claim to be correct. Why can I buy flowers at Lidl when flower shops have to keep them closed. I don't see the point in that. It would not increase mobility either, and perhaps the spread of the infection could also be slower if small shops opened. In a convenience store, I only meet the seller, while in the supermarket, there are many shoppers at once. In many cases, I see that the measures we have adopted are illogical.

Is there no other way to reduce people's mobility?

But, for example, by abolishing the free train for pensioners. But it can't be because it's taboo.

Last year you were in the crosshairs of the Prime Minister as one of the main wheelers of anti-epidemic measures in the coalition, now you seem to have been replaced by Veronika Remišová…

Just for clarity, I was in the crosshairs last spring, and then our relationship settled down a bit, and again from mid-October, when I protested the closure of the restaurants, which I thought was completely pointless at the time. From there, our relationship got worse and worse, and it’s still extremely bad. But now Veronika Remišová is starting to compete with me.

This paints a rather sad picture of the situation within the coalition. Can’t they solve these problems, deal with them in government or at a coalition council meeting?

We talk about these problems, but often to no avail. And we have an agreement that if we discuss something at a meeting of the coalition council, it can be mediated even if a negative result has been achieved, that is, if it has been rejected by the council. Several board members often turn to the press or otherwise make their views public. I have decided not to comment on the Prime Minister’s public attacks, and I will stick to that.

So, in turn, the prime minister seems to be doing what he wants.

Not only does it seem, but it is.

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We see that you and Veronika Remišová can easily become the target of Igor Matovič, often in conflict with you. However, in the last 11 months, the Prime Minister has never had a conflict with Boris Kollár or anyone from Sme Rodina. Yet there would have been a reason, see Štefan Holý's trip to England.

The prime minister does not measure by the same standard. That's all I said.

They agreed, maybe they got used to each other better. But I can’t report on the relationship between the other two coalition parties, I can’t interfere in their relationship. On behalf of the SaS, I can say that we want to manage well the three ministries that have been entrusted to us. This is often made difficult for us, not only by the crown, but also by conflicts in government. But that is, this must be handled properly.

Will this coalition withstand the three years ahead?

I hope so.

Won't you quit?

No, we won't.

Are you not afraid of leaving your MEPs, as Miroslav Kollár has already left Za ľudí?

No, I'm not afraid of that. Our parliamentary group is stable, our Members have been in the party for years, a familiar team. In terms of orientation, we have been a very united team so far, there are no different platforms or trends.

From time to time, you may also hear that the Prime Minister does not want to continue working, he would be willing to hand over the post of Prime Minister. Has this been said in the coalition council? Can you confirm this?

To hear a lot, I will not comment on such guesses. This would only cause further problems and would not have any positive results.

Slowly a year after the formation of the government, is there any change in its composition expected? More and more members of the coalition are also demanding, for example, the replacement of the Minister of Health. Can you say more specific about this?

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Such considerations are part of the coalition's internal affairs. This needs to be discussed within the coalition, within the government, or possibly the subject of private conversations, but it is not up to the press.

However, your representative, Jana Bittó Cigániková, also spoke publicly about the need for a replacement in the post of Minister of Health, ie Marek Krajčit should be replaced.

Yes, but there is a big difference between a representative saying this or the president of a coalition party on behalf of his party. I won’t contribute to such a debate going on in public because I know it doesn’t have a good ending.

Nor is Cigániková a simple field MP, she is the chairman of the parliamentary health committee.

Yes, nonetheless, I can only say that I will only give my opinion on personal issues at a meeting of the Coalition Council.

Does Cigániková have your trust?

Yes, absolutely. I totally trust him.

As there was also a proposal to replace Cigániková, Ms Richard Vašečka OĽaNO said she should be replaced as chair of the committee.

Mr Vašečka should come to the coalition council meeting if he has such an idea. But we would certainly veto this proposal there, if it were to be replaced by Cigánikova, we would see it as a gross violation of the coalition treaty.

However, there is also a problem in the SaS, with another well-known female politician, MEP Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, who left the party a few weeks ago. All this, because of a press conference that drew attention to the fact that EUR 1 billion in EU aid may have been lost, we will not be able to exhaust. Do you see this as an acceptable reason to quit?

I didn’t consider this a tragedy to quit because of it, I feel this reaction is a bit exaggerated.

Did you agree with the content of your press conference? Nicholsonová’s exit can also be interpreted as not feeling the trust on your part. 124

He was probably right that there was a danger that we would not be able to make full use of EU aid. I don’t feel like I didn’t stand by him.

Is the government preparing to improve the acceleration of the absorption of EU aid?

This is Veronika Remišová's job, her power.

Is your ministry doing well with utilization?

We have already used everything that is left over from the previous budget cycle, because in the spring we secured a so-called anti-crown loan with a total value of about EUR 800 million, to which we added a kind of co-payment of EUR 340 million. In doing so, we have exhausted all the EU funds available to us. In other words, the Ministry of Economy has used all the EU funds at its disposal, and I think it makes sense.

Now, however, the EU Reconstruction Fund is arriving, some EUR 6 billion, the distribution of which is now under discussion. Igor Matovič wants to amend the draft, which has already been prepared earlier, to redistribute it between the individual ministries so that it corresponds to the results of the parliamentary elections. Do you find this acceptable?

I find this idea ridiculous, but Igor Matovič and OĽaNO have a strong mandate in parliament, and 8 of the 16 ministers in the government, or eight votes, are his.

And while the idea is really ridiculous, I respect it. We are not politicizing to drive money, but to change the rules.

Yes, but is that what is meant by a change in the rules? How will EU support be distributed among ministries on the basis of how many seats a given party that has been able to nominate a minister has won?

I consider this a bad rule. Thoughtless. But I have to accept it.

The bill that you have already prepared, but which the government has not accepted for several attempts, is also about money and support. This would compensate companies that have suffered as a result of the epidemic measures adopted by the government. What are the obstacles to the adoption of this law?

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Indeed, two experiments are already behind us, we are now making the third version, I am confident we will succeed for the third time.

When can it be a law, when can companies expect compensation?

We will hurry, I trust it will happen in a few weeks.

How much package can entrepreneurs expect?

This is being discussed by my adviser, Jana Kiššová, she could go into details, I do not want to talk about details that may still change on the go. This would only cause unnecessary chaos. I don't want to cause any further misunderstandings. We will make the details public once everything has been agreed.

In what order are we talking about the amount? Will it be EUR 10 million, EUR 100 million or EUR 1 billion?

This is calculated by Finance Minister Eduard Heger. I want to ensure that, if we agree on good compensation rules, it does not matter whether the implementation costs EUR 50 or 100 million.

His coalition partner, OĽaNO representative György Gyimesi, often accuses the Eagle of being nationalist, especially Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok or Martin Klust, his secretary of state. This has happened with the issue of dual citizenship, and now also with the census. Nationalist party in the SaS?

I also noticed that Mr. Gyimesi has a problem with us, but I admit I didn’t deal with it. This is the territory of Ivan Korčok, Martin Klus, Peter Osuský, or Ondrej Dostál in the party, I did not deal with it.

If Mr Gyimesi feels the need to have his say, then do it, it is not worth it to me to quarrel with him publicly about what he is and how he thinks or says.

The other side of this is that the SaS is a liberal party. We are not nationalists, we are patriots. We represent the interests of Slovakia and the interests of the citizens of Slovakia. The interests of citizens, no matter what their nationality. We will continue to do so, even if Gyimesi has a different opinion.

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Still, would you justify why they do not want to restore pre-2010 status with regard to dual citizenship?

We agree that Slovak citizens should not lose their citizenship if they acquire the citizenship of another country.

Yes, but they want to make this conditional, for example, on living there, working in the country, studying, and so on. Why?

There must be some rules. Indeed, I acknowledge that we have arbitrarily set certain conditions in order to reach a meaningful compromise. But we will negotiate until a compromise is reached. This is the responsibility of Ondrej Dostál.

The other issue is the issue of the census. The possibility remained that two nationalities could also be marked on the census sheet. The problem here is that it is not entirely clear how those belonging to national minorities will be counted, what is the government’s position on this. Will both be taken into account, or just the first? What do you think?

We do not yet have a unanimous position on this issue, either in the parliamentary group or in the government.

I admit, it is strange to me that if someone is half Hungarian and half Slovak, I consider one nationality to be more natural. But this is only my personal position, if the majority of my colleagues in the group have a different opinion, I will certainly adapt to it.

I think being a nationality is more logical, but it’s really just my opinion that doesn’t divide, it doesn’t multiply.

On the other hand, if two can be nominated, and if this is calculated favorably for minorities, a larger number will come out. Will they be able to benefit the nationalities?

I understand the question, but as I said, I will adapt to the way my colleagues in the group will decide. This is not the topic that would cause the world to collapse.

Lajos P. János

2. felvidek.ma (translated, original by NZS, 03.03.2021) 127

According to Sulík, the time has come for a change of government

It’s time to raise the issue of government transformation, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Sulík, the head of the SaS, said after yesterday’s government meeting. As he said, they will also discuss the issue with their coalition partners. He rejects early elections, however. He would also like to discuss with Zuzana Čaputová, head of state, and Veronika Remišova, leader of the Za ľudí party.

“We need to discuss the formation of government because it can’t go on like this,” Sulík stressed. However, he did not want to provide details on the change of government, but, as he said, he considers it important to have a sensitive attitude and a constructive dialogue with coalition partners. As he said, representatives of the Za ľudí party had already been discussed last night, but he also wants to meet with the Speaker of the Parliament, Boris Kollár, and the representatives of the OĽANO.

Sulík highlighted the seriousness of the current situation and the government's inability to deal with the epidemic. “In addition to all this, we also have to face the fact that the head of government has now angered virtually everyone, including the press, the head of state, coalition partners, various organizations and the people themselves, the public. We can’t pretend to be unaware of this, ”he said.

The leader of the SaS party therefore convened an expanded national council with members of the representatives ’club to discuss who is responsible for the situation in government. Nor did he rule out the possibility of SaS leaving the coalition. Za ľudí also discussed further steps, and its leader, Veronika Remišová, considered the possibility of the dissolution of the governing coalition realistic and envisaged a decision as soon as possible.

Coalition party leaders Veronika Remišová, Za ľudí, and Richard Sulík, president of the SaS, will meet with President Zuzana Čaputová at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The topic of the meeting is the current political situation, the press department of Za ľudí informed the TASR news agency. This was also confirmed by Sulík after the government meeting.

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3. ujszo.com (translated, original by ujszo.com, 06.03.2021)

BRATISLAVA Prime Minister Igor Matovič (OĽaNO) gave an extraordinary speech to the citizens on the one-year anniversary of the emergence of the coronavirus infection in Slovakia.

Matovič recalled that during the first wave, Slovakia was one of the countries that successfully took up the fight against the coronavirus. As he says, this is due to honest adherence to the rules, while leaving the “winning strategy” during the second wave, skeptics and virus deniers were voiced, and many believed in them.

The Prime Minister therefore called on the people to show solidarity with the weaker ones, as they are the ones most at risk from the epidemic. Matovič admits in the video that he himself has “made his life easier” several times and has not complied with certain measures. “Our success, our common success. Our failure, unfortunately, is our common failure, ”he emphasized.

“The coming weeks are crucial,” he said, saying that, like the neighboring countries, more and more people in Slovakia are in need of hospital treatment and many are losing their lives every day.

According to Matovič, it is therefore essential to return to the “winning strategy” used during the first wave, with which we can overcome the epidemic.

“I am confident that we will win this crucial battle. And as Prime Minister, I will do my best to provide enough vaccines, ”he concluded.

4. bumm.sk (translated, original by TASR, 07.03.2021)

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According to Kollár, replacing Matovič is not a solution2021. Sunday, March 7 - 12:46 Parliament Speaker Sme rodina says change is needed, but he doesn't think replacing Igor Matovič is a solution.

Something needs to be changed in the current political situation, but replacing the prime minister may not bring the expected results, said Parliament Speaker Boris Kollár (Sme rodina) on the TA3 in Politics show.

According to Kollár, the reconstruction of the government could be a solution to the current tense political situation. He doesn't think Igor Matovič (OĽANO) will make a difference. “The only solution is to get back to what we started politicizing,” he said.

He recalled that the presidency of Sme rodina would meet on Wednesday. After that, Kollár wants to convene coalition partners and find a solution. “We have to sit together, let go of emotions and Matovič, together with Richard Sulík (SaS), has to look within himself,” Kollár remarked. He clearly rejected the possibility of a minority government.

He acknowledged that he found the attitude of the SaS to the Minister of Health Marek Krajčí (OĽANO) and their efforts to recall him strange. "When Krajčí wanted to tighten the measures before Christmas, they wanted to open it. Now they are demanding his position from those who did not help him in any way," Kollár said.

He said importing the Sputnik V vaccine was the right move, but he condemned that doctors should take responsibility for the vaccine. "Therefore, the state must take responsibility," he stressed. He noted that he and his party do not support the introduction of a hard lockdown after March 21.

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1. romania-insider.com (original by Andrei Chirileasa, 03.03.2021)

Reformist PLUS party appoints lawyer for Bucharest prefect

Romanian reformist party PLUS nominated lawyer Alin Stoica to head the local administration of the capital city Bucharest as prefect, Digi24.ro reported.

He will replace former police commissioner Traian Berbeceanu, appointed by the Liberals as Bucharest prefect in October 2020.

Stoica, the PLUS organization leader in Bucharest's sixth district, also served (2016-2018) as a member of the Social and Economic Council's expert labor committee. For over five years, he represented employers' organizations at the industry and national level in some of the discussions on elaborating normative acts (including the Labour Code), both at the level of the Government and at the level of the Parliament.

As prefect, Stoica says he has a key objective: the professionalization and depoliticization in public administration.

The prefect seats have been split between the parties in the ruling coalition on a political basis. USR and PLUS, members in the reformist platform USR-PLUS, decided to share the 14 prefect seats allotted to the platform according to a 2 to 1 ratio, the same rule being kept for sub-prefects.

Thus, USR will appoint nine of the 14 prefects belonging to the alliance, while PLUS will name the remaining 5, including the one in Bucharest.

2. index.hu (translated, original by Szabina Molnár, 04.03.2021)

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The prefect of Timis county will be of Hungarian origin

Based on the nomination of the USR-PLUS Romanian governing coalition party alliance, Zoltán Németh was appointed a lawyer by the Bucharest government on Wednesday. The official will be inducted into office on Thursday afternoon. In his curriculum vitae, the lawyer declared himself to be a native Romanian speaker and wrote that he understood Hungarian at a medium level and communicated at a basic level.

Four DAHR prefects have already been appointed

In Arad, Cluj, Satu Mare and Szilágy counties, the Hungarian will be the government commissioner.

When asked by MTI, he said in Romanian that both his father and mother were Hungarian, but that he attended a Romanian school and socialized in Romanian. He also prefers to communicate with his parents in Romanian. However, when asked what nationality he will declare himself at next year's census, he replied:

I think Hungarian.

When he had previously traveled to Hungary, he first tried to make a living in English, but after a few days his language also hardened in Hungarian, added Zoltán Németh, the founder of the Timis County organization of the USR and since 2016 he has been the vice-president of the party organization. He is currently a doctoral student in law at the Western University of Timisoara.

3. balkaneu.com (translated, original by Romanian Newsroom, 01.03.2021)

Romania: Opposition party PSD gains more ground, latest poll shows

A CURS poll conducted a few days ago showed that the PNL retains its share of the vote it won in the December parliamentary elections, while the main opposition party PSD is shown to have surged by 5 percentage points, according to Antena3 television station. 132

The CURS poll was conducted nationwide in the period 22-26 February 2021 on a sample of 1,100 people over the age of 18, with a +/-3% margin of error and a confidence level of 95%.

To the question “If parliamentary elections were to be held next Sunday, which party would you vote for?”, only 67% of the respondents expressed intention to vote. The electoral landscape based on their answers was as follows:

The PSD receives 34%, the PNL 25%, the USR-PLUS 16%, the AUR 9%, the UDMR 4%, the PPU-SL 3%, the PMP 3%, the PRO România 2% while another party declares that it will vote 4%.

In the parliamentary elections held in 2020, the final results gave the PSD 28.9%, the PNL 25%, the USR-PLUS 15% and the AUR 9%.

In the same poll, to the question ‘how much do you trust Romanian politicians’, the responses indicate that trust in politicians is extremely low.

Only 37% of respondents said they trust Klaus Iohannis trust him or very much trust him, while 63% somewhat trust him or trust just a little but.

4. digi24.ro (translated, original by digi24.ro, 24.02.2021)

UDMR is putting pressure in Brussels to reduce the number of bears in Romania. "An urgent resolution is needed"

UDMR MEP Vincze Lorand announces that on Wednesday, in the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament, a petition presented jointly by the presidents of the county councils Harghita, Mureș, Covasna and Brașov regarding the management of the brown bear in Romania was discussed. The MEP, who announced that he supported the petition, said that a "reassuring solution for the people" had to be found in connection with the "bear problem".

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The MEP considers that the main responsibility for this issue lies with the Ministry of Environment and announces that he has "already worked" on this issue with Environment Minister Tanczos Barna.

"Protecting human life and preventing economic damage is more important to us than anything else," writes the UDMR MEP.

According to the petition presented in the European Parliament, "the number of bears in Romania is estimated at 7,000, of which 2,100 live in Harghita County, and this large population leads to conflicts."

Vincze Lorand recalled at the hearing that the European Commission had confirmed that the European Habitats Directive prohibits the deliberate capture or killing of large game, such as the brown bear, which is a strictly protected species, but that to ensure public health and safety, Member States may derogate from this provision in order to prevent serious damage. Their authorization is the responsibility of the Romanian authorities.

"We need to make it very clear to the European Parliament and the European Commission that this situation needs an urgent resolution. It is about the protection of nature and the environment, the bear is a protected species, but it is a carnivorous animal that if nothing is done, the number of specimens increases and we are talking about damages of millions of euros. For a few weeks now I have been talking to the Minister of the Environment, Mr. Tanczos Barna, and he promised that the ministry will soon adopt a management plan for large carnivores, which once implemented will solve this problem ", said Vincze Lorant.

The president of the Haghita County Council, Csaba Borboly, claims that "the measures taken so far by the Ministry of Environment are opaque and insurmountable, and the prevention of damages is completely lacking".

Bear hunting can only be practiced on the basis of annual exemptions obtained from the Ministry of Environment. In 2020, the ministry approved the killing of 106 specimens, and 18 specimens were relocated (moved from areas where they can come into contact with people to areas where they are safe).

Also last year, UDMR senator from Covasna, Fejer Laszlo-Odon, asked the representatives of the Ministry of Environment to grant a derogation for the "preventive harvesting" of 520 134 bears, showing that these animals, which have multiplied a lot, endanger people's lives and causes a lot of material damage.

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SLOVENIA

1. gov.si (translated, original by gov.si, 01.03.2021)

Prime Minister Janez Janša: "We’re not planning any cuts, we’re planning recovery."

At today’s 63rd extraordinary session of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Janez Janša responded to questions from deputies mag. Alenka Bratušek from SAB, Zmago Jelinčič Plemeniti from SNS, Marjan Šarec from LMŠ and Anja Bah Žibert from SDS about the effects of the adopted anti-crisis measures, reopening of catering establishments, government measures in the field of public finances, the national vaccination strategy, and measures for containing the spread of COVID-19 and mitigating the consequences of the epidemic.

Deputy Bratušek asked the Prime Minister about the effects of the adopted anti-crisis measures, their long-term consequences, and the effect on the country and public finances. In his reply to the question and claims about over-indebtedness at the time of the epidemic, the Prime Minister emphasised that funds borrowed by Slovenia last year were intended for the people and the economy to preserve jobs. Slovenia went into debt, but it did not indulge in over-borrowing and its indebtedness was below the EU average. He also highlighted that Slovenia borrowed money at a favourable rate during the epidemic. Bonds with negative interest rates were issued, which means that the taxpayers will return less than Slovenia borrowed. He emphasised that money was spent on saving banks several years ago. "Among these were two tycoon banks in which you invested half a billion euros so that those who would have become bankrupt at the time if these debts had been recovered are today enjoying their yachts and Porsches and buying villas in Ljubljana." On this note, he also added, "You borrowed with a 5- to 7-per cent interest rate. Furthermore, you refused to accept cheap 135 money from the European bank resolution mechanism because that money was subject to conditions on the basis of which you’d be unable to rehabilitate those tycoon banks, so instead you made Slovenian taxpayers and their future generations pay for the rehabilitation of banks. That’s the difference." In his reply to the deputy question, the Prime Minister again rejected the untruth that the number of COVID-19 deaths was highest in Slovenia and that schools in Slovenia were closed for the longest period. Not a single school day was lost in Slovenia due to distance learning "because the Ministry of Education prepared for the second wave and organised all necessary programmes for the distance learning of primary school pupils and secondary school students." Regarding the COVID-19 deaths, the Prime Minister stressed that every death was one too many and regretted, but that data compiled at the end of the epidemic would be crucial.

To the question of Deputy Zmago Jelinčič Plemeniti relating to the reopening of catering and accommodation facilities, the Prime Minister replied that there was no country in Europe with an average daily number of infections similar to that of Slovenia where catering establishments would be open. "With an incidence rate like ours, such an example can’t be found anywhere." He also highlighted that the catering industry, together with the tourism and events organisation sectors, was one of the most affected industries and that a great proportion of aid was earmarked for this sector. With regard to the number of infections and the occurrence of new coronavirus strains, it is necessary to weigh the priorities. "The virus doesn’t spread on its own. It spreads through contact and containing the spread of the virus means restricting contacts, especially risky ones. And after one year, we have some idea to what extent a certain activity contributes to risky contacts." This principle is also observed by the epidemiologists who dictate government measures. When weighing between restaurants and schools, the latter prevail in accordance with the priorities. The Prime Minister also noted that the opening of restaurants and terraces depended particularly on the citizens and their observance of the measures that prevent the spread of the infection. He pointed to the possibility of a third wave of the epidemic and the spread of new coronavirus strains. With regard to these risks, a too rapid easing of measures and the opening of activities are not suitable. The foregoing will be possible in the yellow phase, and the Prime Minister asked the citizens to do everything possible to improve the epidemiological situation.

To the question of Deputy Marjan Šarec as to whether the Government was planning any cuts in citizens’ income or savings, the Prime Minister replied that the Government was not planning any cuts, but a recovery. He further highlighted that the data showed that the macroeconomic year in 2020 ended significantly better in Slovenia than forecast in May and also better than forecast by the European Commission in the same period. Economic growth in 2020 was higher than forecast. According to the assessment of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, GDP dropped by 5.5 per cent in real terms in 2020, which was less than anticipated by the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development. A 7.1-per cent drop in GDP was forecast for Slovenia. "Relating to the assessment of government measures to mitigate the situation, the data on unemployment trends in 2020 is even more encouraging. 136

Despite the epidemic, the unemployment rate increased by merely one per cent in 2020. "The number of unemployed persons is currently below 90,000, significantly below 90,000, and that is, to a great extent, due to the measures proposed by the Government and adopted by the National Assembly to preserve jobs. We’re therefore relying on a faster recovery as those who are now unable to perform certain activities will be able to perform them once again after the end of the epidemic." The Prime Minister also stressed that Slovenia experienced the fastest growth in the construction sector in Europe in 2020, an increase of 18 per cent. "That doesn’t mean that we have done so well, but it means that you didn’t build much in recent years because the money went to the Metelkova Street and the former Rog factory, which resulted in poor investment activities. There was a decline in the tourism and catering industries, which contributed for the most part to the drop, the real drop of GDP by 5.5 per cent." The Prime Minister added that the Government believed that last year’s drop would be compensated for this year due to favourable conditions and the economy having been preserved to a great extent. "Exports, which is the motor and not the Achilles’ heel of Slovenian economic growth, declined minimally in 2020 as the economy responded effectively to the changed conditions. So the picture is not black and white and it’s better than the forecast."

In the continuation, the Prime Minister said that all credit rating agencies, which assessed Slovenia’s credit rating in 2020 as good or stable, had upgraded their ratings. "For the first time in history, Slovenia issued a 60-year bond and a bond with a negative interest rate in 2020. Show me someone who obtained cheaper money on the market in the history of this country."

In his reply to the question of Deputy Anja Bah Žibert about how he assessed Slovenia’s current fight against the epidemic, particularly in the light of vaccines, the Prime Minister replied that the experts were at the moment especially considering the option of sending secondary school students back to schools. "The experts are examining whether it is possible to reduce contacts to such a degree that education by means of alternate weeks of home- schooling and attendance in schools would be possible for secondary school students of the first, second and third years. The Government will decide on the matter this week. The second issue is the possible fast spread of new coronavirus strains in the next few weeks. "According to the currently available data, all the discovered variants, i.e. more dangerous strains of the virus, are present in Slovenia. A dilemma arises "should risky contacts be reduced gradually in accordance with the anticipated schedule and the dynamics, or should public life be actually halted for a shorter time, as has happened in Great Britain or as this is being realised in the Czech Republic today." The Prime Minister believes that this is not just an expert dilemma, but a political decision. “One option denotes a severe restriction for a shorter time, while the alternative includes longer restrictive measures that would maintain the health system at the brink of its capacities. The situation with capacities is currently favourable or significantly better than in the past. Realistically assessed, the number of infections is closer to the red phase than to the orange one, while capacities in the health system show that we are 137 closer to the yellow phase than the orange one." With regard to the foregoing, Slovenia will even be able to help other European countries. "The situation may later change and if this indicator becomes unfavourable, it’ll be necessary to decide whether severe restriction will be put in place for a shorter time or we’ll have to maintain a balance at the brink of capacities of our health system."

To the additional question of Deputy Anja Bah Žibert concerning what can be done specifically for the economy to persevere and be ready for the time after the epidemic and how many people have received help through the measures adopted in the anti-corona packages, the Prime Minister replied that Slovenia was facing a similar situation to that of certain other European countries. These countries were successful in the first wave of the epidemic and did not suffer great losses. On this basis, in the opinion of the Prime Minister, a certain political philosophy has developed, which in some countries, including Slovenia, has been exploited by the opposition. It opposed the measures that needed to be taken as a matter of urgency at the beginning of the second wave of the epidemic. And that is why the measures were not as effective as they had been in the first wave. Because the virus spreads in accordance with its own laws and has no political hue, it is crucial that, "The larger the majority engaged in containment, the lower the price, and the more lenient the measures can be." The price for containing the virus is directly proportional to the engagement of the majority. It is different in the countries which suffered great losses in the first wave of the epidemic. They took the measures in the second wave seriously. When concluding his reply to the deputy question, the Prime Minister highlighted that greater political unity would be necessary during the epidemic, "but a section of Slovenian politics exploits the epidemic to aid its struggle for power and the result is evident."

2. mandiner.hu (translated, original by Dániel Kacsoh, 06.03.2021)

The problems of the People's Party are just beginning - Slovenian MEP about the departure of Fidesz

“It’s awful that Fidesz is leaving the People’s Party faction,” says Milan Zver. The MEP of the Slovenian Democratic Party was approached in connection with the withdrawal of Fidesz from the People's Party: the politician considers the European People's Party's decision to leave to be a favor for the left. Our interview!

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"The People's Party has amended its statutes in favor of the left, as a result of which Fidesz has announced its departure," said Milan Zver, a member of the Slovenian Democratic Party's (SDS) MEP and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, a right-wing coalition politician. Zver in 2019 talked about the largest European party family you can no longer be successful if you lose one of your most successful member parties, that is, Fidesz.

Zver also supported the retention of the Hungarian ruling party last December, emphasizing that the situation in the group's work is causing a lot of problems due to the unpleasant situation resulting from the suspended party membership, as the Hungarian representatives are active and highly respected. At that time, Viktor Orbán welcomed the proposal still on the table to establish a framework for a looser cooperation in the European Parliament (EP) between Fidesz and the EPP Group.

Help from the left

Zver explains to our paper: the left of the EP provided enormous help in formalizing the exclusion of Fidesz from the EPP.

“By left, I mean mainly liberals and socialists who are constantly and constantly interfering in our internal affairs. The EPP fell victim to the evil intent to share. Many people think that by getting Fidesz out, the problem is over. However, this is a short-sighted attitude. The problems of the EPP are just beginning, ”says the Slovenian politician.

“Not at all. On the contrary, I see the opposite, ”he emphasized to our proposal, whether he agrees with the opinion of those calling for exclusion that there are serious problems with the rule of law and democracy in Hungary. “Hungary has taken the transition to a democratic state seriously and has spectacularly dismantled the forces associated with a totalitarian regime that is hindering modernization. Unfortunately, this process has not been so successful in Slovenia, ”the MEP underlined.

"Orban did not leave them"

The Slovenian politician also points out that he does not want to idealize the Hungarian Prime Minister: in his opinion, he is certainly not spotless and makes mistakes. For example, his criticisms of the European Union are sometimes too crude for him, “a little too Eurosceptic”. The truth, however, is, he adds, that such an attitude was necessary, otherwise liberals and 139 socialists, after destroying the foundations of Western civilization such as family, religion, or private property, even the meaning of the nation-states would have been destroyed.

“At the European level, Orbán did not leave it to them, while defending interstate solutions. Maybe that's why he was punished. At the same time, I cannot judge Fidesz's domestic policy, it is obviously effective and successful, even if some minorities are concerned about it. The Hungarian government has a young and competent team, especially on the international stage, ”said Zver.

The MP believes that some of the "arrows" fired by Fidesz at EU leaders have been too toxic. But he doesn't think it's important right now. “It’s awful that Fidesz is leaving the People’s Party faction: we felt it was going to be, but we didn’t really believe it could really happen. The Hungarian delegation was the most loyal of all national delegations. And those who demanded exclusion are the least loyal to the EPP faction. This is confirmed by statistics. If I were the leader of the People's Party, I would do my utmost to create a more pluralistic atmosphere in Europe's most important political formations than at present. Unfortunately, Tusk has failed in this, ”he said.

3. portfolio.hu (translated, original by portfolio.hu, 05.03.2021)

Coronavirus: another neighbor is tightening the border crossing because of mutant viruses

Slovenia will once again tighten border crossing conditions and reintroduce Schengen internal border checkpoints from Monday, which it abolished on 13 February, the local press said on Friday.

You will only be able to enter the country with a PCR test no older than 48 hours or an antigen test no older than 24 hours. From March 15, the regulation on commuters will also change. They have previously had their quarantine lifted, but from the middle of the month they will have to show a PCR test or rapid test at the border no older than a week. Exceptions to this are students up to the age of 13, but parents who deliver them must have a certificate.

THE GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO TIGHTEN AGAIN DUE TO THE APPEARANCE OF NEW VIRUS VARIANTS. 140

According to the Ministry of the Interior, 24-hour increased checks will again be introduced at border crossing points with Austria, Italy and Hungary.

Another change is that anyone who is ordered an official segregator at the border can only replace it immediately by testing it on the fifth day of quarantine. In Slovenia, the number of registered infections increased by 881 to 193,284 on Friday. In the last 24 hours, 4 patients have died, bringing the death toll to 3,882. Of the coronavirus patients, 521 are in hospital and 85 in intensive care unit.

In Slovenia, of about two million, 6.6 percent of the population has so far been vaccinated against the coronavirus. The first dose was given to 138,264, and the second to 55,331. In Croatia, 590 new infections have been identified in the last 24 hours. Since the beginning of the epidemic, their number has reached 245,462. In one day, six patients died from the complications of Covid-19 disease caused by the infection, bringing the death toll to 5,570. The hospital cares for 744 patients, 76 of whom are on a ventilator.

The crisis team said at a press conference on Friday that more than 250,000 ampoules of vaccine had arrived in the country so far, of which 188,831 had been used; 127,111 received the first dose and 61,720 received the second.

4. origo.hu (translated, original by origo.hu, 03.03.2021)

Slovenian Prime Minister tried to be attacked by George Soros' ally in Brussels

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa is sending a message to Guy Verhofstadt on Twitter. According to Jansa, the former Belgian prime minister continues to act like a colonizer, "Slovenia, on the other hand, is not Congo."

Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt yesterday shared a post on his Twitter page claiming democracy was broken in Slovenia. In response, Janez Jansa, the Prime Minister of Slovenia, called on the Belgian Member of the European Parliament to stop insulting the country immediately. 141

You are no longer the leader of a colonial world power, and Slovenia is no longer Congo " Jansa declared.

Verhofstadt continued to slander among the entries, likening Jansa to medieval rulers and then calling for journalists to be left alone. However, a significant number of Slovenian commentators did not like the fact that a Belgian politician was trying to have a say in the country's internal affairs and scolding the democratically elected prime minister on social media.

One commenter reminded Verhofstadt that Slovenia is a free country, with free people living in it and proud of Jansa. Another commentator said the former Belgian prime minister had no idea what was going on in Slovenia, so he should not have a say in the affairs of those who live there.

The European Union believes that they have a right to have a say in the internal affairs of the Member States. They thought similarly in Yugoslavia, we know how it ended " wrote one of Jansa's followers.

Guy Verhofstadt, one of György Soros's main allies, has repeatedly attacked Hungary, for example, because it is not an immigration party.

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CROATIA

1. total-croatia-news.com (original by HINA, 25.02.2021)

PM Says Government Has Done Utmost to Protect People's Health

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ZAGREB, 25 February, 2021 - Recapping the year-long fight against COVID-19, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday the government had taken appropriate measures and done its best to protect people's health, thanking people for behaving responsibly and understanding a situation no one could have predicted.

The first coronavirus case in Croatia was registered a year ago today. Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Plenković said that from day one the necessary protective equipment had been provided and the continuation of education and activities in culture and the arts taken into account.

The economy has been taken into account the entire time, he said. "Job-retention measures have been very abundant. We never thought we would give so much money to retain jobs in the private sector, to workers, employers."

Pensions have been paid as well and the number of the jobless has been as before the pandemic, Plenković said.

"And we have done all that while ensuring financial stability in such a way that Croatia is keeping its investment credit rating and stepping through the European Exchange Rate Mechanism towards the euro area... We have concluded good financial arrangements both with the HNB (Croatian National Bank) and the European Central Bank, with Croatian banks and pension funds, with all stakeholders who have made it possible for everything to function."

Plenković regretted that certain activities had been restricted. "That's not something we are doing because we want to, it's what all governments are doing, all countries around the world, to protect people's health."

Vaccine distribution needs to be stepped up

Plenković said he would push for stepping up the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines at EU level which, he added, the European Council would discuss today, in order to vaccinate as many people as soon as possible, notably those most vulnerable.

"I'm confident the announcement of 700,000 doses in total by the end of March will be a strong barrier against the spread of the epidemic, and we expect even larger quantities. Our message today will also go to the EMA (European Medicines Agency) to approve vaccines 143 more quickly, first and foremost Johnson&Johnson's, which is under way and which we have ordered in 900,000 doses."

Plenković said the government had reserved the vaccines on time, even more than necessary in order to vaccinate everyone over 18 years of age, with 6.8 million doses ordered to date. "We will continue to make an effort, the responsibility is big."

He extended his condolences to the families of the 5,500 Croatian citizens who have died "of COVID or with COVID."

"Those are great losses. We sympathise with their families. We regret it very much. And I thank all fellow citizens for behaving responsibly and understanding the context which has been going on for a year and which no one could have planned for."

2. index.hu (translated, original by Wolfy, 25.02.2021)

In Croatia, the terraces of restaurants and cafes can already be opened

From March 1, the terraces of restaurants and cafes will be open and indoor training will be allowed, the Croatian prime minister said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Trying to preserve people's health, the economy, stability, salaries, pensions and jobs

- stressed Andrej Plenković, emphasizing that mitigation should not be treated too loosely. If things get worse, the government could tighten it again, he added.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, their number has reached 241 thousand. In one day, 12 patients died from complications caused by the infection, bringing the death toll to 5,489. The hospital cares for 790 patients, 70 of whom are on a ventilator.

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Health Minister Vili Beros said more than 250,000 ampoules of the vaccine had arrived in the country so far, 77,000 had received the first dose and 58,000 had received the second.

In neighboring Slovenia, the exit ban was lifted last Monday, but the night curfew remained in force. According to a timetable adopted in January, the government will mitigate again if the average number of new infections per week falls to less than 600 and the number of patients treated in hospital to less than 500. Then both high schools and universities will return to classroom education. They will open dormitories for everyone and lift the night curfew.

For the time being, Slovenia has remained in the orange grade, ie classroom education can continue in the upper grades of primary schools and in the secondary school classes. Seminars and exams can be held at universities for up to ten people. All services and shops may be open, but gatherings are allowed for up to ten people. Employees must be tested every week in all sectors. This can be triggered by a vaccination certificate or proof that the worker has already been infected.

However, in one region, the government on Wednesday decided to tighten again due to the deteriorating epidemic situation, so stores larger than 400 square meters in the coastal region will have to close again.

3. index.hu (translated, original by K.D., 03.03.2021)

Croatia is no longer waiting for the EU, it is examining the issue of authorizing the Russian vaccine

Croatia is examining the possibility of obtaining an import license for the Russian vaccine before the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approves the Sputnik V vaccine, Health Minister Vili Beros has announced.

Beros spoke to Russia's ambassador to Zagreb on Tuesday night about Croatia's intention to buy. However, the Croatian head of ministry emphasized that

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ZAGREA DOES NOT WANT TO DISTANCE FROM THE EU 'S COMMON VACCINE PROCUREMENT PLANS, BUT IT IS A SINGLE SUPPLEMENT.

The head of the ministry has already indicated at a press conference of the crisis staff in mid- February that Croatia is negotiating with Moscow on the acquisition of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, the telegraph office writes.

Then he said: it would be best if the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the vaccine, but it could take some time.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund, which finances the development of Russian vaccines, submitted an application for authorization of the Sputnik V vaccine to the EMA at the end of January, but the process could take several months under an accelerated procedure. However, other sources report that this permit application has not yet been received by the EMA.

According to Croatian press reports, presumably for this reason, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested that the documentation of the Russian vaccine be inspected so that the country's drug agency can authorize its import.

If Zagreb also authorizes the emergency use of the Russian vaccine, after Hungary and Slovakia, Croatia would be the third EU member state to speed up the vaccination schedule with the Russian vaccine.

4. total-croatia-news.com (original by HINA, 05.03.2021)

HDZ Mayoral Candidate Says voters Will Recognise His Model of Running Zagreb

ZAGREB, 5 March, 2021 - The ruling HDZ party's candidate for Zagreb Mayor, Davor Filipović, said on Thursday he was confident of his victory in the May local election because his model of running the city was based on responsible financial operations, transparent post-earthquake reconstruction and capital projects.

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"I enjoy the strong support of the HDZ branch in Zagreb, (HDZ) president (Andrej) Plenković and the entire HDZ," Filipović said after a session of the party branch on Thursday evening.

Plenković, too, attended the session and the subsequent news conference but did not make any statements.

"All of the recent attacks against me are due to my political rivals being very nervous. I am confident that the new model of governance that I will offer, which puts emphasis on responsible financial operations, transparent reconstruction and capital projects, will be recognised by voters and that I will be elected mayor in May," said Filipović, adding that he would present the key elements of his platform in the next few weeks.

He went on to say that all information on how city budget funds are spent would be made available on the city administration's website, that the process of post-earthquake reconstruction would be fully transparent, and that heads of city departments and directors of city-owned companies would have to make their declarations of assets public.

Filipović also said that "all members of the Opposition" would be included in the supervision of public tenders for major projects.

Škoro will go down in history as the bravest Croatian politician

Commenting on reports that Homeland Movement leader Miroslav Škoro would run for Zagreb Mayor, Filipović said that "Škoro will go down in history as the bravest politician in our country."

"After summoning courage for months to announce his candidacy, it was only (on Wednesday), after he saw for himself that the late mayor Milan Bandić was buried, that he did so," said Filipović.

"Škoro is also known for having run stalls at Zagreb Advent, and we all know what one had to do to be allowed to operate stalls at the Christmas market. Having one stall is evidently not enough any more, one needs to run five, six or ten stalls. Zagreb residents know who charged the most expensive parking tickets by a hospital," Filipović said, an allusion to Škoro's having 147 had a stake in a company operating a parking lot by Zagreb's Merkur hospital, which he eventually sold.

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BULGARIA

1. tribune.bg (translated, original by tribune.bg, 28.02.2021)

Volen Siderov: Finally, the Russian army will come and liberate us

I am the mistake and the complex of Karakachanov and Simeonov, commented the leader of "Attack"

"We are playing in a bought match, but we are 'Attack' - like the bandits, we have to set an example, in the end the Russian army will come and release us." This is what Volen Siderov told BNT.

"I can be a surprise in elections, they usually give us 1% and then, well, what happened," he added. Asked whether there would be an attack in the 45th National Assembly, Siderov answered that when Karakachanov wrote denunciations to the State Security, he was in student societies, one of the founders of the Podkrepa Labor Club, he was in Ecoglasnost. that his battle was longer, from 88-89.

It is constantly being discussed who will enter and who will not enter the parliament, how many parties. Sorry, but this is not gambling, Volen Siderov asked.

According to him, the important question is who will do what after entering parliament.

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"For 15 years now, I have been raising the issue of suspending the gold mining concession in every parliament, it is criminal. The Patriotic Coalition closed discos, opened toilets and sold plots to the Ministry of Defense. This cannot be a cause, "Siderov stressed.

I am their mistake and their complex - this is how Siderov answered the question what was the mistake in the construction of "United Patriots", referring to his former coalition partners Krassimir Karakachanov and Valeri Simeonov.

According to the leader of "Attack", it is not he who joined the coalition, but quite the opposite.

"Karakachanov was walking around the butcher's like a dog, waiting for me to invite him. To water him, to put a tray of appetizers on him, because he likes to file. IMRO is like a parasite. I am not talking about the NFSB because it is a party cut off from Ataka, Siderov commented.

According to him, the arithmetic calculation of who will enter, who will form a coalition with whom is the most discussed topic, but this is wrong. "And no one is talking about the policies that will be pursued," the Ataka leader said.

"The cause of the patriotic coalition is to make the life of the people better, to make it so that there is industry," Siderov said.

"Ataka wants several things - to increase income by taking gold exports from a foreign company that exports to Namibia," Volen Siderov said of the Chelopech plant.

"One of the reasons for parting with the last coalition partners is this - they distributed plots, they did not hear my call for termination of this concession. We have been robbed by foreign countries, by Czech pension funds. Last year, more than 12,000 retirees died, not from Kovid, not from this fraud and hysteria, "Siderov said.

2. novinite.com (original by novinite.com, 26.02.2021)

149

Bulgaria before Elections: GERB Garners Higher Support vs BSP, Slavi Trifonov Takes Lead

GERB is gaining the lead over the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), but the leader of "There Is Such a People" Slavi Trifonov has 32% support, against the background of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who together with Maya Manolova from "Stand Up.bg" garners only 25%, shows a survey funded and implemented jointly by bTV and Market Links, which was conducted in Bulgaria among 1,019 persons over 18 in the period 17-24 February.

Meanwhile, Trifonov announced on his Facebook account: "On Friday, February 26, at 7 pm on my Facebook page and live on "Seven-Eighth TV" I will say and do something very important." Comments have been posted that it is possible for him to be head on the list and run for MP, but others say he is unlikely to do so.

The data from the survey also show that IMRO leader Krasimir Karakachanov has 20% voter support, the co-chairman of "Democratic Bulgaria" Hristo Ivanov – 15%, and the leader of MRF Mustafa Karadayi - 9%.

According to the survey, the lead of the ruling party over the newly founded opposition, which so far was about 2%, is becoming more convincing: 24.6% would support GERB/UDF and 18.9% would vote for BSP.

13% would vote for "There Is Such a People", 8.5% - for MRF, 7.6% for "Democratic Bulgaria". On the brink of the 4-percent qualifying threshold are "Stand up! Thugs, out!" led by Manolova and the Poisonous Trio - with 3.9% support, as the IMRO, which decided to run for election without the National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria (NFSB) has only 2.7%.

"We see a widening gap between GERB and BSP. Despite the high disapproval of the government at present GERB managed to mobilize quite serious support. While BSP once again fails to position itself as a sufficiently meaningful alternative to government", commented social analyst Dobromir Zhivkov.

The data also show that Bulgarian citizens are dissatisfied with development of the country and the government’s course. The factors for this are the socio-political environment and the handling of the coronavirus pandemic. 150

"There is no material change in voter intent. A relative balance has been achieved, which is highly negative," he added.

The assessment of the government's tackling of the epidemic is based on the success of the vaccination campaign. In this sense, 45% think the government is failing, 35% think it is doing well, and 20% say neither.

3. demokrata.hu (translated, original by MTI, 02.03.2021)

BULGARIA IS STILL PROTECTING EUROPE

As during the Ottoman-Turkish conquest, Bulgaria is still defending Europe today, the prime minister’s secretary of state for church and ethnic relations told MTI from Sofia on Tuesday.

Miklós Soltész arrived in Sofia on the occasion of the national celebration of the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule, where he held talks on Tuesday with Valeri Simeonov, Vice- President of the Bulgarian National Assembly and Marijana Nikolova, Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria.

The Secretary of State recalled that Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman-Turkish rule on March 3, 1878, after nearly 500 years of repression. He stressed that Bulgaria still protects Europe with a fence built hundreds of kilometers on its border.

Miklós Soltész said that the discussion was about the fact that the governments of both countries are doing a lot for the Bulgarian community in Hungary. The Bulgarian government has supported the renovation of the Bulgarian cultural center in Budapest and will contribute one million euros to the construction of the Bulgarian municipal education center, which will be unique in the life of Bulgarians abroad.

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The Secretary of State noted that relations between the two countries had been strengthened during the current "nation-minded" Bulgarian government, and expressed hope that the government could continue its work after the Bulgarian parliamentary elections in April.

At the invitation of Miklós Soltész Valeri Szimeonov and Marijana Nikolova, he will be in Sofia, where he will take part in a reception at the Hungarian Embassy in Sofia and a wreath- laying ceremony on the occasion of the national holiday.

The other member of the delegation, Muszev Dancso, President of the Bulgarian National Self-Government in Hungary, said that on Tuesday morning, Valery Simeonov was presented with the March 3 award of the Bulgarian community in Hungary in the building of the Bulgarian National Assembly.

He said that the recognition is given annually on the national holiday for the work done for the Bulgarian community in Hungary, usually to a member of the Hungarian community. As he said, Valery Simeonov has done outstandingly over the last four years for the development of institutions in the Bulgarian community in Hungary, such as the renovation of the Bulgarian House of Culture and state support for the new educational center.

Simeon Varga, the Bulgarian national spokesman for the Hungarian Parliament, said that Valeri Simeonov also played an important role in the Bulgarian parliament's acceptance of the initiative of the Bulgarian community in Hungary and October 19, 2016, St. John of Rilai's holiday as a day of Hungarian-Bulgarian friendship. declared.

He noted that the relationship between the two countries has become stronger in the last 4-5 years, thanks to the friendship of Valeri Simeonov and Miklós Soltész, and this friendship also strengthens the Bulgarian community in Hungary.

4. portfolio.hu (translated, original by MTI, 25.02.2021)

Bulgaria demands immediate delivery of vaccine from AstraZeneca to continue vaccination campaign

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The Bulgarian health minister called on the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca on Wednesday to honor its commitments, but if it is unable to do so, it will deliver at least 52,800 doses of the vaccine immediately, not postpone it until March 1.

Kostadin Angelov's letter was reported to NOVA TV, and a spokesman for the Ministry of Health confirmed the news.

According to the Minister, due to the delay, the country CANNOT CONTINUE THE MASS VACCINATION, WHICH IT STARTED ON SATURDAY.

In the European Union, Bulgaria has the worst vaccination coverage.

AstraZeneca told the EU in January that it needed to cut the amount of vaccine it promised for the first quarter of the year by 60 percent due to production problems. And an EU official on Tuesday reported that the company could only deliver less than half of the promised quantity in the second quarter. We wrote more about the background of this and the damage it caused in the vaccination campaign just yesterday:

In the EU's joint plan, Bulgaria ordered 4.5 million doses of vaccine for seven months. Of this, 450,000 should have arrived in February, but so far it has received only 117,000.

Instead of the 142,000 doses promised for February 15, AstraZeneca will only be able to deliver one-third of that, and only until March 1. Minister Angelov wrote in his letter that

BULGARIA UNDERTAKES TO DELIVER 52 800 DOSES OF EXTINGUISHING MEDIA AT ITS OWN COSTS, ONLY THE COUNTRY RECEIVES THIS QUANTITY.

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LITHUANIA

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1. respublika.lt (translated, original by Vitas Tomkus, 08.03.2021)

Vitas Tomkus: WHY IS PFIZER BETTER THAN ASTRAZENECA?

I acknowledge the opinions of medical professionals and even politicians about the various vaccines and their benefits, but I no less trust my common sense. When the conclusions of “specialists” of all ranks and yeasts go beyond common sense, I rely on intuition based on self-protection instincts.

Unfortunately, I cannot blindly trust doctors and pharmacists because common sense says they are easily bribed and some are very dishonest.

I remember very well how they were transported to exotic countries, separately, for various seminars. And, in fact, to push various unclear medicines into the Lithuanian market.

I have not forgotten the representatives of Pfizer in Lithuania, who bribed the press to help add their products to the list of reimbursable drugs. consequences that I will not mention because I am not sure if any of my readers have not swallowed the pill at the moment - they are still choking without finishing the act.

This is not a conspiracy theory and not a lie. If 15min. or which other alien portal will deny this will be sued because I have to protect the health of my compatriots, which is often not the concern of foreign investors and sold politicians.

When the Republic of Lithuania republished the facts about Pfizer drug manufacturers in Lithuania, the US Embassy blacklisted us and spread misinformation about me, which was later made public by Vikileaks and long enjoyed by Sorosos Kuolys, Radzevičius and the 15- minute portal. from whose hands he eats, sings a hymn, and here the American embassy has pretended that the profits of pharmacists are more important to it than the health or even life of the native natives.

So why should I blindly trust Pfizer manufacturers now? As far as I know, new drugs are usually tried not for months, but for years. "and the enthusiasm of politicians to vaccinate everyone as soon as possible worries me and makes bad suspicions: either they, like most in the media, are bribed, or, as always, stupid and irresponsible. 154

I have seen many times how my former comrades in the movement or the deputies of the USSR, who received the highest positions in Lithuania, obviously went crazy. Here are just a few examples: "Better silent, but your own!" (V.Landsbergis, Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the LSSR); "In Lithuania, I am responsible for everything except the economy!" (Deputy Prime Minister Z. Vaishvila); "After the overthrow of President R. Paksas, we will live more transparently than ever before!" (Speaker of the Seimas A. Paulauskas); "After the introduction of the euro, prices will not change!" (President D. Grybauskaitė and Prime Minister A. Butkevičius); "Morality is not a dimension of this world!" (LAC Chairman V.Vasiliauskas) ...

I can give the Tamsts a number of examples where our politicians, having become ministers, prime ministers and even presidents, have lost consciousness, are no longer oriented towards reality, have become detached from people and life, making increasingly stupid and idiotic decisions. But I’m afraid you wouldn’t go crazy finding out for yourself what kind of bucks sometimes rule us.

Would a smart politician spend millions of Swedish kronor on the security of the Ignalina NPP before it is demolished? Would anyone allocate several hundred million for the construction of the Būtingė terminal and then give it to the investors of Mažeikių Nafta for LTL 1? Would a person with at least a little mind rent a ship three times more expensive than the ship itself? network in Lithuania to then declare that it is time to establish a Lithuanian bank from scratch?

If all this and similar stupidity has been dictated to our government not from common sense, but "from above," all the more I see no need to blindly trust its instructions. blackmailed and bribed citizens are just a blind tool who have no right to follow the mind, they are guided only by self-defense instincts.

Take, for example, the last "towers of the mind" that rule us: Why do they forcefully persecute those who do not want to be vaccinated, and are not in a hurry to vaccinate those who are even in a row? All the more so because the number of vaccinations is very limited. common sense shouts: at first let's vaccinate volunteers, and there will be no more division in the nation! Unfortunately, no common sense has been found in the Presidency, the Seimas or the Government. the common toilet and the Istanbul Convention of the Distorted, disguised as violence against women.

And what financial penalties is the Ministry of Justice and Tattoos preparing to impose on angry commentators? Up to 3000 euros! I will admit that I don't like dirty comments after the 155 articles either, but I think that there are limits to everything: if after the listed stupidities of power an ordinary person can not even change loudly, I am afraid that sooner or later the people will grab the forks ...

I don’t think the local government wants that. I suspect that the creators of the "Welfare State," as Gitana put it, want it more. Strong police and army alone are not enough to expropriate money and property once again. Because there are also people who have their own homes and families who need themselves So you can support your countrymen at any time, not degenerate people's servants, and the revolution needs a critical mass of people who need to be produced urgently. care must be taken to have someone assigned to the "supervisors" afterwards.)

And here is the class of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs - the ideal tool for revolutions: not yet retirees, they have energy, they know what money is, so it remains for them to lose it. Therefore, an order was given to destroy them for as long as possible and to accustom them to poor benefits. As a result, it has closed even craftsmen such as shoemakers, watchmakers who, even in normal life, sit safely behind thick glass, car showrooms that only one other customer visits, museums, exhibitions and street trade.

When, after the third or fifth wave of the epidemic, they lose their business and even their living space due to untimely loans to banks, they will be reluctantly forced to take to the streets. These will be the "soldiers" who will panic and chaos on the streets. (Rehearsals in America and Europe are already televised.) And when all the frenzy rises and people destroy and kill each other, a real army will be used. Perhaps even NATO, which Our idiots in power - the only ones in the world!

And then the creation of the Welfare State will begin. Something like the admixtures of communism and socialism with the remnants of capitalism. This time, common sense tells us that that "balance", settled in a safe area, will control not only our lost property, but also our consciousness, our subconscious, our families and our children. ?)

2. delfi.lt (original by delfi.lt, 01.03.2021)

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"Game of Thrones" between president and ruling party for EC: arguments for and against

Lithuania's ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats have launched an initiative to have Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte replace President Gitanas Nauseda as Lithuania's representative at the European Council.

Following conversations with politicians, diplomats and political experts, BNS provides the key arguments for and against the proposed changes.

Political tradition

For changes.

The tradition needs to be changed if it's not good for the country. Dalia Grybauskaite deserved a place in Brussels for her personal competences. Lithuania is not the first European country where such disputes are being resolved through legal amendments or the Constitutional Court. Poland, Romania and Finland have also gone through such situations, and the focus on these issues shows that the government is more concerned about the European agenda.

Against changes.

The HU-LCD is applying double standards in their bid to expand their influence as the party itself let Grybauskaite take their place at the European Council, and now want to take this right away from their political opponent Gitanas Nauseda. The harmonization of state leaders' powers depending on personal qualities or political affiliation is incompatible with the Western democracy tradition.

Constitutional mandate

For changes.

Lithuania's relations with the EU should not be considered foreign policy relations as the EU differs from classic international organizations in terms of the adoption and implementation of decisions. The EU competence is directly related to the government's national policy, EU legislation can apply directly and is above national laws. Even if EU foreign policy issues are considered, the prime minister's participation would not be wrong as, under the Constitution, the government implements foreign policy in cooperation with the president. The president 157 cannot be affiliated with a political party, therefore, he does not take part in European party meetings that are often held before European Council meetings, which undermines the president's, and subsequently the country's, influence.

Against changes.

The president has constitutional powers to decide key foreign policy issues. The European Council sets the EU's common foreign and security policy. The EU is an international organization, despite being very specific, therefore, one cannot deny that it's part of foreign policy, all the more so, in Lithuania the Foreign Ministry is entrusted in coordinating EU issues. Any restrictions introduced by the Seimas or the government to attend European Council meetings would violate the president's constitutional rights in the area of foreign policy. Even if any issues under consideration were within the realm of the executive government, the president could still decide them as he is part of the executive government and ministers are accountable to the president. Any rotation between the president and prime minister depending on issues is practically impossible as sessions often involve different topics, and the European Council is a political club where one person's participation would ensure continuity. No country in the EU has any rotation in place. And party affiliation should not be overrated as leaders represent countries, not parties. Besides, Simonyte is not a party member as well.

Mandate issue

For changes.

The Seimas and the government, not the president, play the key role when producing EU legislation. The European Council's decisions can have major impact on EU legislation. Lithuania's position is confirmed by the Seimas and the government, and due to the president's autonomy, there are no possibilities to ensure that the approved mandate would be complied with since the president is not accountable to the Seimas. The provisions of the Statute of the Seimas are constructed for the prime minister's participation in the European Council.

Against changes.

Practical issues on how the president's mandate is harmonized with the Seimas' mandate were successfully resolved during Grybauskaite's presidential term after a provision was put in place that the president attends meetings with Lithuania's pre-agreed position. The European Council does not adopt legislation, it adopts political decisions and guidelines, and that is compatible with the president's role. Nauseda received the nation's mandate when he beat 158

Simonyte in the presidential election, and nobody questioned the president's mandate at the European Council during the election campaign.

3. baltictimes.com (original by baltictimes.com, 24.02.2021)

Lithuania extends lockdown until April

VILNIUS – The Lithuanian government on Wednesday extended the coronavirus lockdown for another month, until April, but allowed not to wear facemasks outdoors and to travel between cities and their surrounding municipalities.

"Probably most or even all of us expected a week ago that we'd be able to take other decisions this week," Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte told the Cabinet. "It's a pity that the circumstances don't allow us to go ahead according to the plan we've approved."

The Cabinet extended the ban on non-essential travel between municipalities until March 15, but permitted people living in the cities and districts of Alytus, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Panevezys, Siauliai and Vilnius to move between the city and the surrounding district.

From now on, it will not be mandatory to wear facemasks in open spaces if a distance of at least two meters from other people is maintain. The indoor mask-wearing rules remain unchanged.

Simonyte said the decision to permit travel between the so-called "inner circle municipalities" had been planned since the previous week and the decision on facemasks was based on experts' recommendations.

The Health Ministry asked the Cabinet to extend the lockdown through March 31 due to the continuing unfavorable epidemiological situation in the country.

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According to the ministry, the daily number of new coronavirus cases has stopped falling and the share of positive tests had been growing for a week. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has increased this week, too.

4. baltictimes.com (original by baltictimes.com, 18.02.2021)

Lithuania has enough vaccines to speed up vaccinations – presidential aide

VILNIUS – Lithuania has enough COVID-19 vaccines to accelerate the immunization program, a presidential advisor said on Thursday.

"We received around 70,000 (doses of) vaccines last week, which would allow increasing the pace of vaccinations," Simonas Krepsta, President Gitanas Nauseda's chief economic and social policy advisor, told LRT Radio.

If the pace is not accelerated, vaccines may start to accumulate in warehouses, according to the advisor.

"If the vaccination rate remains the same as this week or last week, there's definitely such a risk," he said.

Growing vaccine deliveries make it increasingly possible to achieve President Gitanas Nauseda's target of vaccinating 70 percent of the Lithuanian population against COVID-19 by mid-summer, according to Krepsta.

"On February 16, Johnson & Johnson submitted its vaccine to the European Medicines Agency for authorization. It would make it the fourth vaccine (approved for use in the EU), meaning an additional supply in the second quarter of this year," he said.

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As of Thursday morning, 106,894 people in Lithuania have received their first coronavirus vaccine shots and 58, 988 have been given the second jab.

Lithuania has received a total of 215,805 vaccine doses and has used 157,903 of them so far.

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ESTONIA

1. postimees.ee (translated, original by Meinhard Pulk, 05.03.2021)

Helme: the weakest link in the previous government was always Tanel Kiik, whose work was cleared by other ministers

EKRE chairman Martin Helme criticized the current government's actions in managing the pandemic in a joint media post. He was particularly angry with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (RE) and Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiige (KE).

"A year ago, the coronary crisis started for us. Some time later, it also brought about an economic crisis. Now, in turn, a management crisis has added to that, "Helme said.

The former finance minister confirmed that he has tried not to be too harsh on the actions or omissions of the new government. "I myself have sat at this table and I know how difficult it is to make decisions in the light of all the different and contradictory information, which are literally questions of life and death. It is all the more disgusting to see the new Prime Minister, who has completely lost control of the situation, focus on the accusations of what was done before him in his failure. "

According to Helme, at the beginning of the corona crisis, we all realized that this is a challenge that requires a joint effort and a common focus on results. However, according to Helme, the opposition at the time, led by the Reform Party, could not hold back for very long and began to blackmail and attack the government on every issue. 161

"And, very populistly, based on the primitive maxim that witch moron is always against. If the government did so, then the Reform felt that it should have been done, and if the government did, the reformers immediately demanded that in fact they should do so. It was a petty, populist, repulsive politicking. As has been said, I have tried to avoid such whipping myself, "Helme wrote.

"Unfortunately, the situation has become so serious that in no way is it possible to simply let the government drift the whole of Estonia into disaster. Nor can we accept that today's incompetences and rapes are being blamed on the previous government.

"The previous government coped well with the corona crisis because everyone felt responsible."

According to Helme, the Ratas government imposed restrictions in a timely and proportionate manner. "And unlike today's government, with restrictions, we always communicated support measures. Never, really never, did we allow ourselves to be as vicious as we were at a government press conference on Thursday where people and businesses were threatened and accused. Once again, we realized that we are all in this situation together and it is not the case that there is a good and good government that is doing everything right, but look at these stupid people and villains are not following the order as it should.

Helme emphasized that politics is an art of persuasion. "Leadership is the art of building trust and confidence. Today's Prime Minister has completely failed. He probably even knows that, and that's why he growls in every direction. "

The leader of the National Conservatives noted that the government imposed additional restrictions in December, which were limited in time and aimed at reducing the infection rate, ie R, to less than one. "The deadline expired when the government had already failed. At the last government meeting of Jüri Ratas, it was discussed whether the measures should be extended or not. The message from the researchers was clear: R, or infection rate, has dropped below zero. This is also shown by the graph in retrospect, with infections declining slightly in mid-January. The extension of the measures would have required a separate decision, it would have required separate budgetary calculations from the compensation. There was a view that the old government should make as few budgetary decisions as possible. If R had been more than one, we would probably have extended the measures. In addition, Tanel Kiik spoke with her pioneering conversation about how vaccination is progressing according to plan and everything is going well. ”

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He continued: “The previous government coped well with the corona crisis because everyone felt responsible. The weakest link was always Tanel Kiik, whose outstanding work was clarified by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Economic Affairs, and the Minister of Public Administration. Today, unfortunately, we are in a situation where two key ministers, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health in the same office, are absolutely unable to perform their duties. There is no one around to cover for them. Instead, we have reached the typical phase of every crisis, where the culprits are being sought instead of acknowledging our failure. And, as is customary in Estonia, EKRE is still to blame, be it in the government or in the opposition. ”

Helme concluded: “Dear government, get together. The situation is yours to make and your responsibility. A year of experience confirms that if the government shows a clear direction, the people will gather together! ”

2. prospekt.ee (translated, original by prospekt.ee, 03.03.2021)

Mart Helme: Narva organization EKRE is strengthened

Former leader of the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) and ex-head of the Estonian Interior Ministry, Mart Helme, at a meeting in the border town with journalists, said that in Narva, in the local elections this fall, the Conservatives will go on their own list and will fight for seats in the city council.

EKRE intends to fight its strongest rivals in Narva - the local centrists, as well as representatives of three other parties - the reformists, Estonia 200 and the Social Democrats. The deputy of the Riigikogu Mart Helme, who is the deputy chairman of the EKRE party Martin Helme, has reason to be optimistic. According to polls conducted in February by the sociological firm Norstat, the opposition EKRE came second in popularity after the reformists, pushing back the centrists to the third place. (The Reform Party and the CPE are the ruling parties who have formed the government).

Increased activity in Narva

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The conservatives have stepped up their party activities in Narva and throughout Ida-Viru County and intend to create a party organization in our city in the near future, electing a party cell leader. As Rudolf Yeeser, coordinator of regional work from EKRE, explained to the journalist, taking into account the number of former representatives of the Estonian People's Union party (this party was a kind of base when EKRE was created a few years ago) and the six residents of our city who recently joined EKRE, the Narva cell numbers more than forty people. In two or three weeks, the head of the local party organization will be elected in Narva.

Now the Narva organization is strengthening, in this city EKRE has good chances, the parliamentarian noted.

Narva is mainly a Russian city. “We have disagreements with the Russians in Estonia, but there are also serious points of contact,” the guest said. He believes that the popularity of the Conservative People's Party in Ida-Viru County will be based on EKRE's efforts to take measures to preserve the oil shale industry, including the energy sector, in the region.

Save jobs

“We do not support the strongly ideological transition to a green economy that the new Estonian government is talking about,” the parliamentarian said. According to him, the transformation of the oil shale industry should not turn into unemployment, degradation of the population. If last year the production of shale oil in the region brought the country 400 million euros of income, then from the European Union the region will receive about 370 million euros as part of the transition to a green economy. “This is a small thing, considering that it is for five years,” complains Mart Helme and adds that such assistance will not help save either jobs or energy security in Estonia. Hence the position of the conservatives - not to curtail, but, on the contrary, to improve the oil shale industry and keep miners, power engineers and others busy.

On the border treaty with Russia

According to media reports, Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets (Center Party) recently announced that Estonia could take the first step in confirming its readiness to ratify the Estonian-Russian border treaty. MEP, former Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet (Reform Party) agrees that this interstate document will finally come into force. The journalist of "Narvskaya Gazeta" also touched on this issue in a conversation with Mart Helme. The politician called this topic a propaganda initiative of the centrists and reformists. He spoke about EKRE's approach to this problem: until Estonia officially receives from the Russian 164 side the recognition of the Tartu Peace Treaty (1920) as a document of Estonian statehood, this treaty will not be ratified.

A number of topics raised at the last press conference of Mart Helme, but not included in this material, we will cover in the next issue of our newspaper.

3. timesofmalta.com (original by Kenneth Vella, 25.02.2021)

Celebrating Estonia’s Independence Day

Estonia celebrated its Independence Day yesterday. The origins of this national day go back to 1918.

Estonia has a population of around 1,300,000 people. It is a member of the United Nations and also joined the European Union in 2004. Estonia is also a member of the OECD, the OSCE, Schengen and the International Labour Organisation. The country had joined NATO in 2004.

Estonia is the only country in the world which has an elected female prime minister and president. Kersti Kaljulaid was elected as the country’s president after the 2016 elections while Kaja Kallas, the leader of the Reform Party, was asked to form and lead a new coalition government at the start of this year.

Estonia is also considered a centre of excellence in the field of education, digital technology, blockchain and artificial intelligence.

Relations between Estonia and Malta

Officially, our country recognised Estonia on August 26, 1991, with diplomatic relations being established on January 1, 1992. It was in May 2001 when then president Guido de Marco had made the first state visit by a Maltese president to the country. In the following years, other Maltese dignitaries and leaders carried made similar visits.

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Estonia is considered a centre of excellence in education, digital technology, blockchain and artificial intelligence

Estonian leaders also reciprocated these visits by visiting our country on various occasions. It was in September 2011 when prime minister Mart Laar visited Malta. Laar was the first Estonian high-level official to visit our country. Recently, in September 2017, President Kaljulaid attended the international meeting organised by the Arrailos Group in Malta and, a month later, former prime minister Juri Ratas met former Maltese prime minister Joseph Muscat.

Cultural and economic relations

During the past years, Estonia successfully organised the Estonian Film Days in our country. These were held in Valletta and served to promote the country’s film industry and the Estonian culture in general. A number of Estonian artists also took part in the annual children’s and youth festival Żigużajg, in the Malta International Organ Festival and in the Malta International Arts Festival.

Marsascala is twinned with the Estonian town of Turi, which is situated in the county of Java.

Economic data for the past five years confirms that Malta imported from Estonia material related to the milling industry, wood, dairy products, chemical products and mineral fuels. On the other hand, Malta exported to Estonia pharmaceutical products, aircraft, items related to machinery and equipment, clocks and watches.

A Maltese company, Premier Capital plc, which represents the American fast food chain McDonald’s on our islands, is also the development licensee for Estonia and other European countries.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Malta and Estonia were doing their utmost to increase the number of tourists visiting the two countries. This was thanks also to the ongoing collaboration between the Malta Tourism Authority and the Estonian counterpart and the weekly flights to and from Tallinn operated by Ryanair. These initiatives were also the result of a number of trade agreements signed in the past between the two countries, namely the agreement on the Abolishment of Visa Requirements, which came into force in 1998, the one on the Avoidance of Double Taxation, which started to be implemented in January 2003, and the framework for the statistical transfer of energy from renewable sources signed last year.

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Estonia and Malta today

I believe that our country has the potential to collaborate more with Estonia, also in different areas like education, manufacturing, the services sector, medical tourism, blockchain, digital media and sports tourism.

It is for this reason that, in the past months and in collaboration with our consular in Estonia, Aku Johannes Sorainen, and his colleague Merit Kuus, we managed to organise a number of introductory meetings for Maltese companies working in the health and tourism sectors.

Apart from this, thanks to the support of Tonis Kusmin, co-founder and CEO of 99math, we succeeded to conclude a collaboration agreement with this Estonian entity which allows this essential mathematics tool to be used by all Maltese primary and secondary educators, students and parents for free. This will allow Maltese educators to be the first outside Estonia to make use of the premium version for free for a whole year after its launch later on this year.

A number of initiatives are also planned for the coming months. This is in cooperation with officials from the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industy, the office of the Consular of Estonia to Malta, Ian De Cesare, and the new ambassador of Estonia to Malta, Paul Teesalu, who will be presenting his letter of credence to President George Vella today and meeting the Minister for European and Foreign Affairs, Evarist Bartolo.

I also take the opportunity to thank these gentlemen for their availability in the past weeks as, personally, I am confident that, in the coming years, there will be more collaboration between Malta and Estonia in these areas and other sectors. The geographical distance and other differences between our country and this Baltic country should not limit or hinder such collaboration.

Finally, on the occasion of their Independence Day, I send my best wishes to all Estonian citizens living in Malta and around the world.

4. news.err.ee (original by news.err.ee, 25.02.2021)

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Helme: Estonia could negotiate with vaccine manufacturers directly

Chairman of the opposition Conservative People's Party (EKRE) Martin Helme finds that Estonia could procure vaccines straight from the market and pay more for them. Talking about new coronavirus restrictions, Helme pointed out that shopping malls were allowed to remain open because the Reform Party is reluctant to compensate traders for lost revenue.

Supply problems at AstraZeneca mean that Estonia will not be taking delivery of the company's vaccine this week. Helme told ERR that the cause of the disagreement between AstraZeneca and the European Union lies in the European Commission and that member states suffer as a result.

"I have been critical ever since we bought personal protective gear using common tenders. Now, a full year later, these common procurements have gotten nowhere. I said right away that it would be no better with medicines. But that was the decision and this is where we are now," Helme said.

Helme sees no problem with Estonia deciding to procure vaccines from the market and paying more to do it.

"Our quantities are laughably small in the European context. And even if it would cost a little more, what we are paying today in closures and people ending up in the hospital is infinitely more expensive still. Talk of EU solidarity is worth nothing at this point and we need to take action ourselves."

Talking about the new restrictions the government all but agreed on on Thursday, Helme said they are needed.

"However, I want restrictions to have a clear end date. Another thing that is unclear from what I've seen in the media is how will these new closures be compensated for. I am critical here."

The head of the largest opposition party added that he is nevertheless glad the government has finally made some sort of a plan and reacted.

Vaccine distribution plan finally reaches less infected counties 168

"I believe it is sensible to ban concerts and close theaters and cinemas. It is where people come together and even if you disperse them in the theater, they will still mingle in the café, restrooms and the cloakroom. However, all of it needs to be temporary because vaccination is the only real solution."

Helme interpreted the government's decision to not close malls as the ruling Reform Party not wanting to compensate traders for damages.

"In a situation where the state orders something closed, it needs to offer compensation. The reason malls will not be closed is the tight approach the Reform Party has repeatedly taken when in power. Counting coppers. Commerce is a major risk area, while they did not want to shut it down for financial reasons."

Helme added that if people observe restrictions and if vaccination can continue at a brisk pace, the infection rate will come down and it may not be necessary to close malls.

"The government's number one effort should be to speed up the vaccination process. Looking at the news where we are told a lot of people are testing positive, they include a lot of those who have recovered from the disease and are no longer infectious. And because vaccination of risk groups has come along, we should not be daunted by these figures. We should be looking at other things – the workload of hospitals and how society is functioning," EKRE chairman said.

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LATVIA

1. la.lv (translated, original by Inara Egle, 08.03.2021)

169

Informal conversations take place in the corridors. Are the days of Karin's government beginning to count?

Last week, a number of public figures, including Robert Zīle, a member of the National Coalition's National Assembly, pointed to the need to "shake the government" as Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš ("JV") might be tired.

Several representatives of the coalition unofficially confirmed to Latvijas Avīze that informal talks are taking place, in which possible models of a new government are being assessed. Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks ("AP") is mentioned as one of the candidates for the Prime Minister. Last week, he also published his thoughts on how the government's work should be improved. "If there is dissatisfaction with the work of the government, it does not mean that we need to talk about replacing it. There is always room for improvement, ”said A. Pabriks to Latvijas Avīze.

After the appearance of these public opinions, K. Kariņš said at the press conference that the government had different stages, but there is no single formula for stabilizing the five-party coalition. "It is clear that the road is not easy, but we see a light at the end of the tunnel. We need to focus on a clear vaccination process. Ministers are a direct reflection of the society as a whole and the composition of the Saeima, ”said K. Kariņš.

Neither the Prime Minister nor Jaunā Vienotība is going to step aside, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs confirmed to Latvijas Avīze. He said: "A change of government is not extraordinary. If one of the partners considers that the government has exhausted itself, it can resign from the government, taking full responsibility for the further process. "

The Minister also reminded how complicated and long the process of forming a government after the Saeima elections was. Initiators of change should assess how long it could take to redistribute portfolios (impact). The situation in Latvia differs from that in Estonia, where the change of government took place in a short time.

"In a free country, everyone can express their thoughts. There are very different opinions in the society, which are also reflected in the government's discussions. The Prime Minister and the government do the maximum they can do by making mistakes and correcting mistakes, ”said E. Rinkēvičs.

170

Ainars Latkovskis, the leader of the "New Unity" faction, emphasized: "If anyone thinks that we will work with the government's gasmen then to forget." If these warnings were implemented, the formation of a new coalition would be difficult, as not only the New Conservative Party (JKP) but several other members of the coalition would not be ready to support the Greens and Farmers' Union (ZZS) in the government until it is ready to distance itself from Aivars Lembergs.

Last Friday, a meeting between Edgars Jaunups, a member of the board of “For the Development of Latvia”, and Edgars Tavars, the leader of ZZS, took place. Mr Tavar confirmed this, but did not disclose the content of the conversation, emphasizing that he meets many politicians. However, E. Tavar also has "an inner feeling that this government will fall".

The prime minister looks confused

At the beginning of last week, sociologist Aigars Freimanis drew attention to what was going on in the coalition in several tweets, who had noticed that “rumors are raging like birch sap in Old Riga” and two groups are working on the formation of a new government.

Gatis Krūmiņš, an associate professor at Vidzeme University College, who is also a freelance adviser to the Minister of Education and Science Ilga Šuplinskas (JKP), said in an interview with Latvijas Radio on March 4 about K. Kariņš's government: other. (..)

I see problems with the prime minister, not so much with the ministers. Most are fighting for industries there, but the prime minister, as a leader, should pull that thing together, be able to inspire and show something forward. I think the prime minister is tired and confused. " G. Krūmiņš believes that Kariņš does not see the common picture, as the government does not have a clear vision of where European funding is being invested.

At the same time, R. Zīle, a member of the European Parliament (EP), urged the government to shake up in an interview with the newspaper "Diena". Concerned him, the government's inability to prepare for the European Recovery Fund money available to Latvia. There are several possibilities - to replace individual ministers or the whole government. R. Zīle admitted that it could also be led by an independent prime minister. Party competition is increasing before the Saeima elections.

"If the prime minister comes from one party, the others will not want it to be a success story for the prime minister and his party," R. Zīle believes. There is also a possibility that "Kariņš himself is changing his management style, because he should not spend so much time in these 171 changes of coordination and position". Mr Ziel has repeatedly had the opportunity to take up the post of prime minister, but he was not prepared to change his mandate as head of government. Even now, the variants mentioned by R. Zīle exclude the possibility that he could take on this work himself.

A. Pabriks also published his thoughts on the necessary improvements in the government last week. According to him, one of the reasons for the inability to successfully fight the pandemic is the lack of professional communication about government decisions, but it is difficult if the decisions are illogical.

Nobody wants to be a gasman

"Latvijas Avīze" has information that informal talks about possible changes in the government have already started when K. Kariņš made a speech on television: "Friends, not good." At the time, there were proposals to expand the prime minister's office and change the composition of the government slightly. The next plans were already related to the then Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Yuri Puce ("AP") as Prime Minister, but they were disturbed by the facts that the Minister had used another person's Riga City Council parking pass. Minister of Agriculture Kaspars Gerhards (NA) has also been mentioned as a candidate for Prime Minister in the negotiations, but he does not have a high enough rating in society.

Raivis Dzintars, the leader of the National Association, claimed to Latvijas Avīze that he had not read the interview of party member R. Zīle, but had only heard the story. The NA does not plan to overthrow the government. "It is the national association that helps the government to balance the boat and ensure that it does not capsize. The government is not ideal, but we do not see an opportunity to create a better combination, which was already clear after the Saeima elections. Experiments in crisis conditions cannot be afforded, "said R. Dzintars.

The Minister of Economics Jānis Vitenbergs (“KPV LV”) also had similar views, who pointed out that there is various talk and speculation in politics all the time, but he does not think that this government could be overthrown. "The government falls if there is interest and opportunity to create something else. The government has been working in an intensive and stressful mode for a long time.

There are times when it makes emotions roar. In such circumstances, a change of government would create additional difficulties, as there would be no time to get used to and run in, ”J. Vitenbergs believes. He also recalled that the change of government in Estonia coincided with an increase in the spread of the virus. 172

JKP President, Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns, for his part, said: "I am not among those who are trying to persuade someone to become a gaser or sit in a chair, so I will not be able to comment on this issue." Another thing is that J. Bordāns cannot always agree with the work style of the government - for example, there have been cases when his proposals on work organization have not been heard. However, these are issues of the daily work of the government.

2. 24.hu (translated, original by Máté Vaskor, 16.02.2021)

Each Latvian family receives a grant of EUR 500 per child

On Tuesday, the Latvian government decided on a one-time family allowance of EUR 500 (HUF 180,000) per head for children in order to overcome the difficulties associated with the coronavirus crisis, writes MTI.

The benefits are paid automatically by the social security system of the Baltic country without any special application.

The decision has yet to be approved by the legislation of Latvia, which has a population of 1.9 million.

The beneficiaries of the grant include children under the age of 15 and young people up to the age of twenty who have obtained a qualification. Parents whose children are born during the health emergency until April 6 will also receive state support.

According to the Latvian Ministry of Social Affairs, the measure will require EUR 182 million (HUF 65 billion).

The leadership of the Baltic state is also considering providing a one-time grant of EUR 200 (HUF 71,500) to the elderly and the disabled.

173

To date, 77,697 infected people have been registered in Latvia, of whom 1,486 have died from the disease. The number of healed is 65,450.

3. la.lv (translated, original by la.lv, 07.03.2021)

Klaus: We have to work on the fact that on April 6 "we are opening" !!!

On April 6, when the current state of emergency has expired, a decision must be made to end it, Kristaps Klauss, executive director of the Latvian Timber Industry Federation, said in the program “National Interest Club” of the channel RīgaTV 24.

He explains that naivety reigns in both directions.

On the one hand, it seemed to the government or those who made the decisions that they were facing a disciplined society. But life turned out differently.

This was proved by what happened when the decision was made to close the stores last December.

On the other hand, public naivety is manifested in the fact that the government, in the opinion of the people, will behave like statesmen and not as politicians.

"Let's stop this naivety, we understand that we are as we are!" stressed Klaus. He also said that the law allows the extension of the emergency, but in his opinion, on April 6, the emergency must be stopped.

"I think we have to say boldly that it ends on April 6."

174

Klaus believes that this would solve the problem of politicians, that is, in the current situation, every politician who proposes to somehow reduce restrictions falls into cruelty - in the media or on social networks.

That is why “by April 6, we have to work [with that goal] - how we will open up !!! With data-based limitations! ”

However, with regard to the opening of schools, Klaus said that they should not be opened this school year. "This school year has been sacrificed to the last!"

4. eng.lsm.lv (original by eng.lsm.lv, 26.02.2021)

Emergency team chief supports tighter restrictions in Latvia

Liene Cipule, head of the Emergency Medical Service (NMPD), believes that even tougher restrictions should be introduced in Latvia in order to stop Covid-19, according to the 'Today's Question' broadcast of Latvian Television February 25.

Cipule said that this is the time to introduce sufficiently strict rules, including on movement. She said the restrictions should be introduced before a significant increase in coronavirus spread is noticed. However, Cipule stressed that setting limits was a matter of responsibility for politicians. She also pointed out that tighter restrictions should be well prepared.

According to her, if we do not maintain the limits currently in place, we can expect the results elsewhere in Europe. Namely, there are expected to be 3,000 patients in hospitals and possibly more Covid-19 sufferers.

Medics are preparing for the increase of the incidence of Covid-19's new, more contagious type in Latvia. According to Cipule, this is inevitable.

175

It is currently possible to accommodate 1,500 Covid-19 patients in hospitals of Latvia. However, whether it is possible to care for 3,000 people at the same time, according to Cipule, is an unanswerable question.

“This would be a very big challenge, so the Prime Minister, the Minister for Health, I – are harsh in forecasts and statements. Hospital resources are never endless,” the head of NMPD said.

The only consolation is that some of the medics have already been vaccinated. At present, every other service member has been vaccinated.

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LUXEMBOURG

1. swr.de (translated, original by swr.de, 16.02.2021)

MAYOR FROM THE TRIER REGION AGAINST BORDER CLOSINGS

"The border with Luxembourg must remain open"

Mayors on the German-Luxembourg border warn against closing the border again. Background: At the borders with the Czech Republic and Austria there are again stricter controls.

"We have to coordinate across borders"

The local mayor of Ralingen, Alfred Wirtz (Greens), has seen the border closure once before. He doesn't like to think back to it. The closure in spring 2020 was already a very big restriction for the citizens. 176

In mid-March 2020, due to the corona pandemic, Germany temporarily reintroduced border controls and blocked crossings for people who wanted to cross the border without "good reason".

"We had to take a 20 kilometer detour. Our normal daily life was disrupted."

The border to Luxembourg was reopened in mid-May after severe criticism. Usually more than 200,000 people from Belgium, Germany and France commute to Luxembourg to work every day.

NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE GREATER REGION

Many Luxembourg commuters affected

The limit does not represent a barrier for the corona virus anyway, says Wirtz. People acted responsibly. Wirtz therefore demands again in the SWR: The border with Luxembourg must remain open in any case so that daily life in the greater region continues to function.

Many residents want the border between Rosport (Luxembourg) and Ralingen (Germany) to remain open even during the corona pandemic. (Photo: SWR, Lena Bathge) Many residents want the border between Rosport (Luxembourg) and Ralingen (Germany) to remain open even during the corona pandemic.

SWR Lena Bathge

"People from Germany travel to Luxembourg every day to work, they work in hospitals, in care facilities, in the trades, on construction sites."

For these commuters it is essential that there is an open border, otherwise the whole health system in Luxembourg will collapse. That is why there must be uniform regulations. The aim is to jointly contain the corona pandemic. Therefore, the measures would have to be coordinated across borders.

Most of the people who live in the border towns are also critical of border closings. For many of them, closed borders are not the right solution to contain the corona pandemic.

177

"A European solution is needed"

Federal government defends approach

The federal government has defended the stricter controls on the borders with Austria and the Czech Republic against criticism. The aim is to prevent the much more aggressive virus variants from spreading just as quickly in Germany as in neighboring countries.

2. today.rtl.lu (translated, original by today.rtl.lu, 03.03.2021)

No agreement between the government and RTL on pandemic communication

This is the concise response by the Ministry of State to a parliamentary question from ADR deputy Fred Keup.

There is no oral agreement between ministers or senior officials of the State Ministry and RTL, on how to communicate about the pandemic.

In his question, the ADR deputy Fred Keup, had quoted the website of a former editor-in- chief of RTL Radio.

The latter had written that the chief of staff at the Ministry of State may have negotiated an oral agreement with RTL.

As part of this agreement, Keup suggested that RTL would receive priority information on the progress of the pandemic, if the government's line was respected.

This viewpoint is entirely false writes the Ministry of State in its response.

3. today.rtl.lu 178

(translated, original by today.rtl.lu, 23.02.2021)

There are not enough sanitary facilities for bus drivers

In Luxembourg, there are currently only 132 toilets that bus drivers can use when they arrive at the terminus of a line.

It is not enough to meet the needs. This is a problem that the Minister of Mobility, François Bausch, has been aware of for years.

The interest of the municipalities is unfortunately very low to develop such sanitary facilities, as shown by the small half-dozen requests for subsidies submitted by the municipalities in two years.

The situation does not satisfy François Bausch and discussions will be initiated with the Syvicol municipal union on this problem.

When a municipality builds sanitary facilities for bus drivers, it receives a subsidy of half the cost of the construction, with a ceiling of 25,000 euros.

The municipal authorities are responsible for the cleanliness and maintenance of the installations.

All this information was provided by the Minister of Mobility in response to a parliamentary question from ADR deputy Fred Keup.

4. delano.lu (translated, original by Cordula Schnuer, 09.02.2021)

OPENLUX NOT A SECOND LUXLEAKS, SAY MPS

Luxembourg’s parliament on Tuesday largely supported the government in its defence of the country’s financial sector, which came under fire in the so-called OpenLux revelations on 8 February.

The revelations saw an international group of journalists trawl through millions of documents on the owners of companies registered in Luxembourg, identifying criminals, oligarchs and 179 celebrities who funnel money through the grand duchy. The data was sourced from the beneficial owners register, a database that went online in 2019.

“Our position today in the context of OpenLux is different than the one we unfortunately had back during LuxLeaks,” finance minister Pierre Gramegna told lawmakers, outlining how Luxembourg had done away with banking secrecy and was now fully compliant with EU and OECD rules on taxation and transparency.

“Our financial centre transformed itself. It’s transparent, it’s open and it’s attractive,” Gramegna said. “We are stronger today.”

The finance minister minister was backed by the coalition parties (DP, LSAP, déi Gréng) but also the opposition. Laurent Mosar (CSV) said the government had reacted well in responding to the claims made in the media, adding that he trusted the executive to follow-up on allegations of illegal activity unveiled by OpenLux.

Justice minister Sam Tanson had previously said her ministry would investigate how the register could be made more efficient in targeting suspicious activity. “We must do everything to identify the black sheep along the entire money laundering chain, that we must sanction those who tolerate those who exercise and enable these practices,” she said.

MPs agreed that the OpenLux investigation had only been possible in the first place because Luxembourg made its register publicly accessible, whereas in other countries a fee is required, or it cannot be consulted anonymously.

Mosar, Gilles Baum (DP), Georges Engel (LSAP) and Fernand Kartheiser (ADR) spoke of other countries being jealous of Luxembourg’s success as an international financial centre and even Josée Lorsché (déi Gréng) said: “The fact alone that a lot of foreign capital is managed and invested through Luxembourg, and that famous personalities pop up, isn’t per se problematic for us.”

The conversation has shifted to finding the “black sheep” and closing loopholes.

Only the two smallest groups in parliament--déi Lénk and the Pirate Party--clapped back against the finance minister’s assurances.

180

“I don’t care that it’s legal,” said David Wagner (déi Lénk) about the financial centre’s activities. “I can imagine that the financial centre isn’t primarily interested in attracting mafiosos or grand criminals,” he said. “What interests the financial centre are the white wolves we want to attract. The white wolves who benefit from the legal tax framework to not pay taxes.”

Wagner slammed Luxembourg’s role in allowing multinationals and billionaires to legally avoid taxes. “I won’t defend this model,” he said.

Sven Clement (Pirates), too, said the collateral damage was enormous both in the countries that are missing out on revenue because of tax optimisation but also for people in Luxembourg left behind because of the country’s economic model leading to rising housing prices and costs of living, and the exclusion of those less well off.

“Is everything that is legal ethically correct,” Clement asked. “With what kind of people does Luxembourg want to do business?”

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MALTA

1. independent.com.mt (original by Jake Aquilina, 07.03.2021)

‘Very few people predicted that the pandemic would be this big’ – Charmaine Gauci

The pandemic has saddled us with more responsibilities, but few people can say that they had to carry as many responsibilities as the Superintendent of Public Health professor Charmaine 181

Gauci did. Jake Aquilina spoke with professor Gauci to get her perspective on how her life has been affected throughout this past year, especially given the burden she had to carry.

It's now been a year since the start of the pandemic, how has it changed your life both personally and professionally?

As you rightly said, it’s been a year since the start of the pandemic. In my position as Superintendent of Public Health as well as the health department, we're used to having a hard time, however this pandemic has presented us with a lot of work which was required, and which went beyond our capacity. So what happened is we got more people on board with our team so that we would be able to manage what was required to be managed in this pandemic, especially from the public health aspect.

On a personal level, it has affected me a lot because obviously I had to dedicate almost all my time to work. As I said, I'm used to working long hours, but this is even worse. However, from that aspect, I have had my friends and my family who have supported me fully throughout, so I consider them part of the team.

When Covid-19 first hit our shores, what was your initial reaction?

We had been following up the current situation which was happening in China since early December, and to see what could have happened. The first initial reaction was: ‘Could this be the same situation with the SARS outbreak which didn't affect Malta and the rest of Europe?’

However, we saw that this wasn't the same as SARS, it was spreading much faster... this actually featured out into a pandemic. When we saw that Italy was hit really hard, the reality came to mind and we managed to beef up our response immediately, also because we had been preparing a number of response protocols tackling various scenarios and we had been doing tabletop exercises both locally and also with the EU.

So all that preparation came into place, but obviously, when you have a document on paper and have tabletop exercises, it's never really close to what will be happening in the field.

How difficult has it been for you to automatically come into the public sphere – which may at times turn political – as a professor who didn’t sign up for this?

182

I had been director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention directorate for 9 years previous to my position now. With respect to communication with the media, I already had experience in due to the nature of my job. However, this became much more frequent, in fact there were daily briefings for a couple of months in the beginning of the pandemic.

I really believe that being a good communicator on the media, being yourself, always making sure that you have all the evidence available, and being transparent with whatever information you are providing to the public is crucial. I also believe that we need to be careful when speaking to the general public, as you need to make it as easy as possible for everyone to be able to understand the message. I try to train myself as well on this; to be as transparent as possible with the public and to be clear so that everyone – from all different kinds of age groups and educational level – would be able to understand.

Did you expect Covid-19 to take this long when it first hit our shores?

In the beginning, I believe that most people who are similarly in my position thought that this would be like a seasonal outbreak which would have hopefully slowed down as summer came by. In fact, the initial reaction of the authorities was very strong in our measures; when you have something in front of you and you don't know what is going to happen, everyone tried to mitigate as much as possible with the strongest tools that we had.

However, as we went along the year, we realised that this is going to be something that lasts very long, and hence we actually tried to implement measures which are proportionate to the current situation, as you have to see the whole aspect to first control the situation, but also the control measures would be implemented to see where it would have the most influence on the situation.

Do you recall any particular moment which was difficult throughout this year?

I think that is quite frequent in respect of the deaths. For example, with the first death that we had in this country, you start to ask: 'Could we have prevented this?' We obviously know that some deaths you cannot avoid and this is what makes us continue working hard so that we try to minimise the deaths as much as we can. We know that the elderly and the vulnerable are getting complications – in hospital we give them the best care that we have. We have our ITUs which were stepped up. However, we have a limitation as well, so when we have people passing away, that is the most difficult part that I face.

What has this situation taught you in the professional sphere, as well as in the personal one? 183

We had our plans on how to deal with the pandemic, but very few people knew that this could be this big and that it will have so much impact on everyone. I believe the strongest thing is that we know each other a lot. For us as a public health team, we became like one big family as we spend a lot of time together and working towards one aim.

But also, we had all the rest of the other entities who all came up together as one bloc to fight this pandemic. It was important that we had all the resources which were required, even financially. We do need to understand that this had an impact on the economy, so obviously for each country to fight with all that we have will eventually also be of benefit to the economy of the whole country.

What was good as well was that we had very good communications with other counterparts in other countries both within the EU and also outside the EU. We had publications from China and other countries that were affected – they always taught us from their learning experiences. Then we adapted those learning experiences because obviously, no country is like the other.

Another important thing that I've learnt as well is that we need to evaluate all the time what we are doing based on evidence. If you see that something could be made better, we improve and do it better. You need to be humble in the face of evidence, get people all together to listen to their views, their experiences and implement whatever is the best scenario that we have based on evidence.

What is your hope for the future?

The biggest problem is that this is a virus which many times is ahead of us. As you can see, we started to control the situation, then this virus adapted to become a variant that is even more transmissible.

However, we know that we have vaccines available, which are safe, of good quality, and their efficacy rate is very high as well. We have the scientific community out there which is always adapting so that the vaccines have the best efficacies that you can get even for the variants.

Also, with the roll-out that we have, we hope to continue to decrease the number of people admitted to hospital, deaths, and eventually the number of cases in the community.

184

However, even more important as well is that we need to see the whole health aspect of this population. Myself, as Superintendent of Public Health, it’s not just being responsible for Covid-19, but also for the rest of the health of the population, so it’s important to note that we have to continue to beef up when it comes to the health of the population, and make sure that our health services continue to provide the services. We have to improve the health of the population whilst tackling Covid-19.

After this year, how much do you think you need a holiday?

I think everyone, the whole team, has been asking to have a holiday. Obviously, I will not be comfortable to have a holiday before we see that this situation has really settled down, but I think everyone who has worked on this pandemic really deserves a bit of rest. More than a holiday I think we all long to spend more time with our family.

However, as I said from the beginning, our families have been supportive, they took up more hobbies – for example my family took up cookery skills now as well – so the nice thing about this is that we all know that in the current scenario we need to continue to give our help 24/7.

2. independent.com.mt (original by independent.com.mt, 07.03.2021)

Prime Minister Robert Abela On Sunday announced that the government is working on a reform related to agricultural rents.

During a political event on the occasion of Women's Day, the Prime Minister revealed a new reform that the government is working on

"There are challenges related to agricultural rents (Qbiela). A similar court decision to those which were given regarding the pre-1995 rents, was given on fields. We could have decided to leave this problem for the future, but then many farmers would end up out of their fields. We don't want the agricultural sector to fall behind. Actually, I believe that this sector is a pillar of our economy. One of our concerns last March was that potentially strategic ports would close, ports where we import food from. It showed just how important this sector was going to be to ensure that we would have a sufficient provision of food. I believe we must protect this sector. We must protect it based on the same principles we used during the pre- 185

1995 rent reform proposals, balance and proportionality. There are two sides of the coin, the owner and the farmer."

"In this reform, which is in its final stages, we are keeping these principles before our eyes. He described this reform as a major one.

The Prime Minister also spoke about the pandemic and praised frontliners.

"We knew that this pandemic was going to be a marathon. It came without warning."

"We managed to pass through 12 months where, yes we could have done some things better, but we worked to protect the health of the people and their livelihoods."

"This week when we announced a set of measures I was emotional, as I felt for every restaurant owner due to the restrictive measure we had to introduce."

He was referring to the measure which only allows restaurants and snack bars to open for take-aways or deliveries.

He also said that when this restrictive measure on restaurants was introduced, they balanced it by including them to the full wage supplement list. "We also said this wasn't enough and added €1000 to every establishment impacted by that restriction to make good for the stock that they already bought."

On the vaccine, he said that the government is continuing to work hard on vaccinating people, but urged people to follow the precautions which are currently in place.

During the event, Lydia Abela, the Prime Minister's wife, described women's day as a special day, in which "we celebrate the achievements of women, who passed through challenges but achieved what they wanted to achieve."

She said that the pandemic impacted women more than men, due to the challenges it brought with it, such as the closure of schools at the beginning.

186

"Many women were frontliners during the pandemic, and we saw how the country can benefit." She spoke of looking ahead for there to be a radical change even in the political sector. She looks forward to having a Parliament that is truly representative of all of society, she said referring to the reforms expected in Parliament regarding equal representation.

"Agatha Barbara when writing her biography spoke about the challenges she faced... She said that the fact that she was a woman meant she had to make sacrifices men didn't. I want Malta to have a Parliament that represents all people equally; and one where female MPs won't have to make sacrifices men don't need to."

EU Commissioner Helena Dalli delivered a short video message, in which she also spoke about female representation in Parliament. "It is important for women to find their positions in leadership. I praise the government for advancing the proposal for gender balance in Parliament and on government boards."

A number of other speakers also addressed the event.

3. independent.com.mt (original by independent.com.mt, 07.03.2021)

182 new Covid-19 cases, five people die

182 new covid-19 cases were registered on Sunday, while five patients died while positive for the virus.

One woman aged 63 and three men aged 95, 78 and 50 died at Mater Dei Hospital. Another man aged 51 died in his private residence. The total number of deaths has risen to 334.

The health authorities said that 258 people have recovered, meaning that the number of active cases has gone down to 3,550.

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The total number of cases since the start of the pandemic now stands at 24,398, of which 20,742 have recovered. As of Saturday, 95,899 doses of Covid-19 were administered, of which 32,420 were second doses.

The total number of swab tests carried out thus far stands at 725,058.

4. independent.com.mt (original by Kevin Schembri Orland, 07.03.2021)

‘We're out of cash, we are literally running on minimal capital’ – Bar owner

“I ended 2019 by making a promise to myself, that 2020 was going to be a record year for us. The irony is not lost on me,” Nathan Brimmer, co-owner of The Pub and the Grokk Cafe in Valletta told The Malta Independent on Sunday.

2020 was a tough year for businesses in Malta, more so for bar and café owners. 2021 is shaping up to be just as challenging. Nathan took over The Pub in 2014, after having been a regular for many years. A year-and-a- half ago, he and his co-owner opened up a second business, a café down the road called ‘Grokk’.

2020 was shaping up to be a good year, with the businesses hitting their targets in January and February. “Summer was looking promising for us. In the first week of March we were given an award by Farsons, for having the number one draft Cisk sales in the Central region. I never got to hang that plaque up. A week later we were shut down due to the first lockdown.”

Since Covid-19 spread across the country, restrictions have been implemented by the government to minimise the spread and protect the vulnerable. Businesses have, of course, been affected – bars most of all. While bar owners understand the need for these measures, they have still been heavily impacted by them.

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“We genuinely expected this whole situation to last six months when Covid-19 first arrived, or at least, that was our hope. We held a meeting with our staff before St Patrick's day last year, telling them that we would be closed for around four months and that we would support them as much as we can. In total, we had around 10 employees (which includes full-timers and part-timers for both the pub and the cafe).”

“The lockdown was lifted around June, which is when we reopened. To be honest, we lost more money reopening than if we had remained closed due to all the procedures that were in place, and with people rightly taking the extra precautions. But the fact that we opened meant that our costs remained the same as we paid the same wages, had the same water and electricity bills, but sales had dropped by around 80%.”

“Once we reopened, I had to start cutting down hours, so the cafe was only opening in the evening, as there was no day-time trade. Valletta was a ghost town. I had to cut wages and try to find new work for my staff.” The wage supplement helped, but wasn’t enough, he explained.

“The problem was that, when they then announced another shutdown for bars at the end of October, they only gave us three days' notice. This was an issue due to deliveries we received, meaning that we had stocked up, but weren’t going to have time to sell. We've been shut down since by government requirements, as The Pub doesn't have a restaurant licence.”

He explained that every month he has had to give away, throw away, or try to consume high levels of stock. “In the first lockdown I had literally emptied all my fridges from the cafe and gave the food to the staff.”

“In the last days prior to the more recent lockdown, I just gave away all the draft beer we had as, once you tap a keg, its only good for a certain number of days and I don't like to waste. We ended up giving away around 500 pints of free beer to people walking by. It was either that or throw it away.”

“Just a few days ago I noticed five kegs at the pub which are about to go off, that's around 250 pints of Guinness that I can't return and can't sell. There's a limit to how much we can consume,” he quipped.

Asked about the cafe, he said that come October, the cafe was going to remain open, but they weren’t allowed to serve alcohol. “It’s a cafe during the day, but a wine bar at night, focusing 189 on platters and wine. People want wine with their platters. I remember the last weekend the cafe was open we made €10 on Friday night and €12.15 on Saturday night. There was one night where four tables were taken, and they all stood up and left when I told them that I couldn't serve them wine. They all went to a restaurant close by that was able to serve them wine with their platters. I don't understand what the difference between my cafe and a restaurant was, other than that they have a restaurant licence. They were served the same food I was going to serve.”

“Later the authorities told me that I could not display alcohol on my shelves. They wanted me to cover up my fridges and remove all bottles from the shelves. My cafe was designed to have a lot of shelving with all the wine and spirits placed on them. When I asked them what I was supposed to do, they told me to cover them with a blanket or a board or remove them. They were due to come back the next day and said that if they saw a bottle on the shelves we would be fined and shut down. I would have had to gut the café, so at that point we decided to close as we weren’t making any money anyway.”

“At the time we had closed the café, it didn't even qualify for the benefits that clubs and bars did as technically it isn't a bar, but is registered as a snack bar.” Since the interview was held, a one-time €1,000 payment has been announced for eateries due to new restrictions introduced earlier this week.

“This has been one of the hardest years for me personally. To have something taken away from you not because of some mistake you make… Had I made a mistake somewhere along the way then I would have been able to find out where I went wrong and work to fix it. But the fact that I've just been sat at home, helpless at this point, takes its toll. My daughter was born in August 2019, and so I've been able to spend a lot of time with her, which is the positive side of this situation and I loved that, being present for many firsts I would have probably missed out on otherwise.”

Nathan and his co-owner have invested tens of thousands into the businesses and must reopen when they are allowed to. “These two establishments are our livelihood. We're out of cash, we are literally running on minimal capital. Any money we are receiving is going into the businesses to ensure that they stay alive and for the remaining staff members to get paid.”

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CYPRUS

1. bbc.com (original by Caroline Davies, 06.03.2021)

Covid-19: Cyprus and Portugal want to welcome vaccinated UK tourists from May

Cyprus and Portugal say they hope to welcome vaccinated British tourists from May - the month when travel restrictions may be lifted in the UK.

The Cypriot government said those who had two Covid jabs could travel, while Portugal said those who tested negative or were "immune" could also visit. It is not known how vaccine status would be proved. The earliest date those in England could go abroad for holidays is 17 May, following a review on travel rules. Home Secretary Priti Patel has said it is still "too early" to book a foreign trip.

When can I go on holiday in the UK or travel abroad? Will there be 'vaccine passports' and will I need one? Which countries trigger hotel quarantine?

Some UK arrivals waiting nine days for Covid tests Under current rules, foreign travel from the UK is banned apart from for exceptional reasons.

From Monday, passengers travelling internationally from England will have to carry a form stating their trip is permitted, the Department for Transport has announced. It will be an offence to fail to produce a completed form. Those who do not have one could be fined £200.

But once travel is allowed again, the success of the UK's vaccination programme makes Britons especially attractive to countries wanting to attract holidaymakers, especially those European countries which are traditionally popular with British tourists.

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'Everything will be ready'

Portugal is currently on the UK's red list, meaning travellers coming from there have to quarantine in the UK when they arrive.

Rita Marques, Portugal's secretary of state for tourism, told the BBC: "I do believe that Portugal will soon allow restriction-free travel, not only for vaccinated people, but those who are immune or who test negative. We hope to welcome British tourists from 17 May." She added that the situation in Portugal was "stable" and said, "Everything will be ready by mid May."

The UK government says the red list remains under review, with public health the UK's top priority. International travel from England will not start until 17 May at the earliest, with a global travel taskforce reporting in April. The UK government has not yet approved any kind of vaccination certificate but Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is looking into possible measures.

The decision to lift restrictions on travel abroad still depends on vaccine rollout in the UK and abroad, the effectiveness of the vaccine, the prevalence of the virus and its variants. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have not set a date for the start of international travel. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she hopes a certification scheme could allow vaccinated holidaymakers to journey abroad - but warned Scotland was still "some way away" from such a programme. She said she could not advise people to "fly off to the sun" before there was a degree of certainty it could be done without risk.

Going on holiday is currently still illegal, but the prime minister's roadmap last week has left many optimistic that that will change soon. Although international travel is not guaranteed to start on 17 May, countries and companies are already gearing up to have British tourists back and making a bid for them to book.

When travel does restart, it's likely to be in tiers, with some countries more open than others.

Be warned, just because a country may say it is happy to have us, doesn't mean that they will be on that list; those discussions are still ongoing and will ultimately rest on how the vaccine, virus and variants look in the next few months.

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Cyprus's deputy tourism minister, Savvas Perdios, said the country would allow Britons who had been given vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to enter without the need for a negative test or to quarantine.

Currently the Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna jabs have been approved for use by the EMA.

Tourists would be required to have had their second dose at least seven days before travelling, the minister added. British tourists make up the largest group of visitors to the island and made more than a million trips to Cyprus in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics. Other countries are optimistic they could be seeing British tourists back soon.

"We believe that summer has to be the beginning of the end of this bad experience," says Fernando Valdes, Spain's secretary of state for tourism. "I can't give a specific date, that will depend on how the pandemic evolves."

He said it depended how the vaccination programme was going in both countries - but noted "the UK is increasingly moving towards their goals".

Greece has also said it hopes to open this summer, saying its government is taking all the necessary actions for this to happen.

Simon Calder, travel editor at the Independent, said, with the UK's vaccine programme ahead of the rest of Europe, the British holidaymaker was going to become "quite appealing to countries who are working out how to rebuild their tourist industries while at the same time minimising risk".

Although family members might have different vaccination statuses, potentially meaning only some were able to travel unrestricted, he told BBC Breakfast he thought there would be "a way found".

Mr Calder said it was possible Cyprus would reflect its travel rules from last summer when visitors were able to get a test three days before their flight and noted that under-12s are excluded from the current travel restrictions.

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Holidays in the UK could begin more than a month earlier, with people in England potentially permitted to stay in self-contained accommodation such as holiday lets from 12 April under Mr Johnson's road map for easing lockdown restrictions.

This has led to many people opting to plan a holiday at home, resulting in them becoming more expensive, according to researchers at Which.

2. cyprus-mail.com (original by Evie Andreou, 12.02.2021)

Coronavirus: 500,000 to be vaccinated by June, minister says

Up to Thursday, 41,673 people have been vaccinated, of whom more than 14,000 receiving both doses, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Friday.

Speaking at a press briefing, Ioannou said that 14,105 have received both doses within the one month and a half since the start of the vaccinations in Cyprus.

The minister said that they expect to vaccinate almost 240,000 people by the end of March. “This means we might cover all vulnerable groups, even people over 65.” Herd immunity could be achieved by the end of June, since, if everything goes according to plan, it is expected that around 500,000 people will be vaccinated by then.

Ioannou also referred to the debate on the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine and whether it should be administered to people over 65. He said that the government’s decision to carry on with the vaccination without age restrictions was based on decisions of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

He added that 27 scientists representing the EU member states, participating in EMA, after studying the evidence before them, decided that the AstraZeneca vaccine will be given to people aged 18 and over without age restrictions. This position, he said, was strengthened on Wednesday by the recommendations of the World Health Organisation, which assessed it as safe for people over 65 years of age. 194

“The effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine not only has it not been challenged by any official authority in any country, but on the contrary it is given to millions of elderly people in the UK, where there is a sharp decline in patients,” Ioannou said. This, he said “confirms our choice to vaccinate the elderly first, protecting from serious illness and / or death.”

He said he understands the confusion caused by the strategy of other countries to lay down age restrictions on the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine. “Some countries have set the age limit of 55, others 65 and others 70 and others follow the indications of EMA,” he said.

The differentiation and disparity observed in the decisions on age limits, he said, confirm the fact that countries have relied not only on scientific data but on a number of other factors such as the vaccination programme and availability of vaccines, depending on each country’s strategy. “Cyprus’ strategy, I repeat, has been and is from the beginning to save lives,” Ioannou said.

The minister called for an end to unnecessary debates on the use of the vaccines, arguing that vaccinating people in high-risk groups was protecting them from serious illness, even death.

He warned that people who wait to be inoculated with another vaccine, would mean delaying their vaccination coverage. “We should all keep in mind that there is no room for rejection of one vaccine over another,” he said.

“The risk of delaying vaccination outnumbers the benefits, especially for older ages, since a possible infection during the time one will wait for the vaccine of their choice, endangers their safety and health.”

He explained that Pfizer and Moderna’s scheduled vaccine deliveries for the coming weeks were in small quantities meaning that it would not be possible to immediately meet the needs of all interested in being vaccinated with these two instead of that of AstraZeneca. In other words, he says people should not be holding out for the Pfizer and Moderna jabs and delaying the whole process.

Regarding the vulnerable groups of the population, Ioannou said that they were being vaccinated in parallel with the vaccination of the elderly. “It is not easy to evaluate these 195 groups but now we have set up a committee with the participation of organised patients and we expect that week by week, in parallel with the rest of the programme, these groups will be included,” Ioannou said.

The government has also ordered 250,000 doses of CureVac, whose vaccine, CVnCoV, is under rolling review by the EMA.

As regards the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine, deputy head of the state pharmaceutical services, Elena Panayiotou, said that the company has shown interest in having it licenced by the EMA but has not applied yet.

Panayiotou also said that so far 72 people in Cyprus reported side effects from the vaccine concerning very mild symptoms such as pain at the injection site and shivers. These side effects are among those mentioned in the companies’ leaflets, and are symptoms observed after the administration of all vaccines, she said.

“We have not had any side effects leading to hospitalisation and this is true for other countries that give vaccines and monitor the situation as we do,” Panayiotou said.

3. arabnews.com (origial by Lama Alhamawi, 03.03.2021)

Cyprus gives Saudi Arabia ‘most favorable’ COVID-19 travel status

The Kingdom was placed in the green category because of its swift response to the virus outbreak. (AFP)

Travelers from Kingdom will not have to quarantine, self-isolate

RIYADH: People traveling from Saudi Arabia to Cyprus will not have to quarantine after the Kingdom was ranked among the least-risky countries for spreading coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

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The eastern Mediterranean island nation was from Monday welcoming back tourists using a color-category system. Saudi Arabia has been placed in the “most favorable” green category along with countries such as Singapore, Australia, Iceland, and New Zealand.

Some 44 countries have been categorized green, orange, or red. The rest fall into the grey category, whose citizens would require special permission to travel to Cyprus.

The Kingdom was placed in the green category because of its swift response to the virus outbreak by enforcing curfews, travel bans, and creating equal access testing and vaccination centers.

Any passengers arriving in Cyprus from Saudi Arabia will not have to undergo any quarantine or self-isolation period. There will also be no requirement for them to hold a COVID-19 test certificate, although during March they will have to take a COVID-19 test provided free by the Cyprus health ministry.

The ranking system places countries by their number of cases and potential exposure to those arriving from them, and list will be updated weekly.

Tourism underpins the Cypriot economy with almost 4 million tourists visiting in 2019.

4. arabnews.com (original by Mohammed Abu Zaid, 08.03.2021)

Egypt denies Turkish claims over Mediterranean talks

Turkey’s position on the eastern Mediterranean issue has caused concern among its neighboring countries. (File/AFP)

President El-Sisi praises strength of Egyptian-Greek ties in phone talks with PM Mitsotakis The Egyptian side is sticking to its position rejecting the maritime agreement signed between the Libyan Government of National Accord and Ankara CAIRO: Egyptian diplomatic sources have denied rumors that Cairo discussed the eastern Mediterranean issue with Turkey. 197

Egypt is committed to Cyprus and Greece being part of any negotiations with Turkey, the sources added.

Cairo also has “no intentions” of negotiating with Turkey over the issue, they said.

Turkish claims that a resolution is close to being reached are false, the sources said. “The Egyptian side is sticking to its position rejecting the maritime agreement signed between the Libyan Government of National Accord and Ankara,” they said.

“Egypt’s respect for the maritime borders of the Mediterranean countries is not new and Turkey’s attempts to claim that the two countries have negotiated is incorrect.”

The comments follow claims by Turkey’s foreign minister, who said that Ankara would finalize an agreement with Egypt in line with the maritime authority agreement concluded with Libya and registered with the UN.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi recently discussed by phone areas of cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said that the two discussed close bilateral relations, especially cooperation in the field of energy and the eastern Mediterranean.

During the call, El-Sisi praised the strength of Egyptian-Greek relations.

He mentioned Egypt’s pride in cooperative relations with Greece and positive developments between the two countries over common interests. The claims by Turkey’s foreign minister follow attempts by Ankara to gather Egyptian support over its claims to parts of the eastern Mediterranean. Last year, the spokesman for the Turkish presidency, Ibrahim Kalin, also expressed Ankara’s desire to restore relations with Egypt.

Turkish activity has intensified relations with neighboring countries — especially Greece and Cyprus — as Ankara seeks to control regional waters that are likely to contain significant quantities of natural gas.

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While Egypt has demarcated its borders with Greece, El-Sisi last October ratified an agreement with Greece on the designation of an exclusive economic zone between the two countries.

In 2019, Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Italy and the Palestinian territories held the EastMed Gas Forum, which did not include Turkey.

Turkish gas exploration in marine areas claimed by Greece and Cyprus has also led to a breakdown of relations between the countries.

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