The following is the full text of the speech of Ursula von der Leyen to the European Parliament last week. There are no words that can do justice to Europe’s pain or to all those suffering across the world. We think and we pray for all of the families in mourning. And we promise to…
The European Commission has published guidelines to support Member States in their waste management in these difficult times of coronavirus. The continuity in providing those services also during the coronavirus crisis is crucial for our health, for the environment, and for the economy. Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said: “In this unprecedented crisis, we…
Three inmates lost their lives and two were seriously injured after a fire at the Satu Mare prison in north-western Romania. The fire at Satu Mare prison began when detainees burned their mattresses to protest against the restrictions imposed by the prison authorities amid the Covid-19 outbreak. The deaths and injuries brought renewed attention to…
The Turkic Council Secretary General Baghdad Amreyev has praised the cooperation, resilience and solidarity among the member countries of the Turkic Council in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Stressing that the international community should exert coordinated and determined efforts in the fight against COVID-19, he emphasized that the global community must undertake united action against this…
This article by Guest Contributor David DeBatto, first appeared in the online journal of the IGTDS, the Institute for Global Threats and Democracies Studies, and is reproduced here with their permission. For weeks now, official Russian government news outlets have been proudly trumpeting the news that Russia has an astronomically low rate of infections and fatalities…
Taiwan is donating 10 million protective face masks to countries seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The masks will be divided amongst the United States, 11 European countries and 15 diplomatic allies. The US will receive 2 million; 7 million will go to European nations, including Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Czech…
New laws have been adopted to pave the way for financial assistance from the EU and the IMF for a €80 million support package to fight COVID-19 in Ukraine. Humanitarian and medical assistance in Ukraine’s conflict-affected areas is crucial. This is a strong sign of EU solidarity with Ukraine. The support for Ukraine’s battle against the…
As the impact of the coronavirus crisis grows every day, the way in which businesses must work has changed dramatically. Many workers in this situation are now working remotely but what can be said for those still needing to attend work? For those classified as ‘key workers’, working in the health and education sectors, various…
The true scale of the death toll due to the corona virus in Northern Italy may never be known but it has already far out-stripped the capacity of the regional authorities to be able to respond to the crisis. In the city of Bergamo, the local mayor Giorgio Gori has said that “many of the elderly…
Many European capital cities are reporting reduced air pollution due to the COVID-19 pandemic meaning traffic greatly reduced as many Europeans are staying at home due to national measures to limit the spread of the virus. However, the easing of air pollution caused by the pandemic goes against the general trend. Just before the “lockdowns”, the European…
