The sports sector is hoping that it will be able to organise “test in-person” events following the announcement last week that a “test concert” will be held in the city of Spa by the end of March. “We have been contacted by the Belgian Football Union, which wishes to be on the side of those who come up with solutions” for the public’s return to the stadiums, the co-organiser of the Francofolies de Spa music festival, MR parliamentarian Charles Gardier, said on Sunday. The renewed interest in in-person events was…
Read MoreDay: March 15, 2021
Trade policy: A lever of the EU as a geopolitical global player
Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis presented a new trade strategy at the College of the European Commission. EU trade policy can be an important foreign policy instrument: we should leverage our trading power to promote EU interests and values and build a fairer and more sustainable form of globalization, writes EU High Representative Josep Borrell (pictured). On 17 February, the European Commission approved a new EU trade strategy, prepared by my colleague Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis in charge of trade, in cooperation with the European External Action Service. It is based on the concept of “Open…
Read MoreBelgium’s failed coronavirus response is the final straw
To be frank, the Belgian response to the pandemic has been an insult. From curfews imposed without evidence that it would halt the virus, to the kafkaesque restrictions on which house guests can use the toilet, to the decision to strip us of our freedom of movement without consultation, the big-government approach of the Belgian government has resulted in naught but disaster. The coronavirus has flourished. The economy is gone. Mental health has collapsed and jobs have disappeared. No one can call this a success on any level. The idea…
Read MoreCommission publishes market access offers of the EU-China investment agreement
The Commission has published the schedules of commitments agreed under the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), concluded in principle on 30 December 2020. Following the publication of the text of the agreement in January, the publication of market access offers today represents the next steps in the process towards adoption and ratification. They provide the basis for informed political deliberations and public debate. China is a key trading partner for the EU with a fast growing domestic market of 1.4 billion consumers. It is expected to contribute to almost…
Read MoreNetherlands to stop use of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine after reports of side effects
The Netherlands has joined other countries in temporarily stopping the administration of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine after the country’s Medicines Evaluation Board expressed concerns about possible side effects. The country will not carry out new vaccination with this vaccine for the next two weeks, until Sunday 28 March, in light of more information being reported about the possible side effects, the Dutch Ministry of Health announced. “Only over the weekend did more become known from Denmark about the patients and what was going on. It turned out that there was…
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