Over 120 Members of European Parliament urge EU to increase pressure on Azerbaijan to release Armenian POWs

More than 120 members of European Parliament have urged the EU to increase pressure on Azerbaijan to release Armenian prisoners of war captured last year in fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, Euroactiv reports.

“We ask you to act to demand the return of all Armenian prisoners of war to their country,” they said, in a letter to the heads of the European Commission, European Council and EU diplomatic service.

It called on the officials — Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel and Josep Borrell “to bring all our weight, and use all levers at our disposal, to demand that Azerbaijan purely and solely respect international law”.

Armenia suffered a harrowing defeat in the six-week war last year that left at least 6,000 dead on both sides as Azerbaijan won back swathes of territory it lost in fighting some three decades earlier.

Under a Russia-brokered peace deal on 9 November to halt the bloodshed, the two sides agreed to return all prisoners of war and the remains of those killed in the fighting.

Armenia says it has returned all the captives it took but accuses Azerbaijan of keeping an unknown number of detainees as a bargaining chip.

“It is difficult to precisely draw up the number of remaining prisoners and captives, due to the high number of missing persons and the lack of cooperation from the Azerbaijani side,” the MEPs wrote.

“But it would include 72 people whose captivity Azerbaijan admits, 112 people about whom Azerbaijan did not provide any information, and 61 people whose captivity Azerbaijan categorically denies, but about whom there is concrete evidence to the contrary.”

Azerbaijan insists it has returned all prisoners of war — but does admit it is holding some who were captured in clashes after the peace deal was signed.

Baku has insisted they were not covered by the Russian-brokered agreement and are “terrorist-saboteurs” who should go on trial.

The EU said in a statement last week that all prisoners of war and detained people should be returned “regardless of the circumstances of their arrest”.

Karabakh MFA commends letter of 121 Members of the European Parliament

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has commented on the letter that 121 Members of the European Parliament regarding the release of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians being illegally kept in Azerbaijan and issued a statement.

The statement reads as follows:

“We commend the letter by 121 members of the European Parliament addressed to the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council on urgent need to release Armenian Prisoners of War currently unlawfully held in Azerbaijan. We highly appreciate the position of the members of the European Parliament to voice about the violations by Azerbaijan of international humanitarian law and uphold the legal demand by Artsakh. This is an exemplary manifestation of humanism, moral values and adherence to norms and principles of international law.

European Union, India to revive stalled trade talks, draft statement says, in counterweight to China

The European Union and India will agree to relaunch free-trade talks stalled since 2013 at a virtual summit on Saturday, according to a draft statement seen by Reuters, as concerns about China‘s rise bring Brussels and New Delhi closer.
The draft statement, which must be signed off by EU ambassadors on Wednesday and needs New Delhi’s final approval, would bind together two of the world’s biggest economies in an alliance seen as a counter to China’s power.

If approved, the EU and India will say: “We agreed to resume negotiations for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive and mutually beneficial trade agreement which would respond to the current challenges,” according to the draft statement.

The draft said that leaders would also seek an investment protection agreement, and a third deal on so-called geographical indications, which aim to protect specialised agricultural produce from France’s champagne to India’s Darjeeling tea.

A 2020 study by the European Parliament put the potential benefits of a trade deal with India for the EU at up to 8.5 billion euros ($10.2 billion), although the estimate was made before Britain’s departure from the bloc.

The draft statement also sets the stage for an agreement for the EU and India to build joint infrastructure projects around the world, to be described at the summit as a connectivity partnership in transport, energy and digital sectors.

The deal would follow on from a similar accord signed between the EU and Japan in 2019, seeking an alternative to Chinese largesse that raised suspicion in the West and Tokyo.

“Our partnership will promote a transparent, viable, inclusive, sustainable, comprehensive, and rules-based connectivity,” the draft summit statement said, in a veiled criticism of Chinese-financed projects that have sent debts in some central Asian and Balkan countries soaring.

Since 2013, China has launched construction projects across more than 60 countries, known as the Belt and Road Initiative, seeking a network of land and sea links with Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

The EU will also win Indian support for its new plan to step up its influence in the Indo-Pacific region, using areas from security to health to protect its interests and counter China, although the bloc insists its strategy is not against Beijing.

“We emphasized our commitment to a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific space, underpinned by respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, democracy, and rule of law,” the draft statement said.

EU must show real support for Ukraine’s European integration aspirations – Zelensky

The European Union’s drug regulator has started reviewing the efficacy and safety of China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The European Union’s drug regulator has started reviewing the efficacy and safety of China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine.

              Copyright © 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

European Union recommends members open borders to vaccinated travelers

The European Union on Monday proposed that its member states open their borders to nonessential travelers who have been vaccinated and come “from countries with a good epidemiological situation.”

In its proposal, the EU acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic still posed an ongoing threat and said this proposal would set up an “emergency brake” mechanism if member states require help in avoiding or limiting the spread of new, more infectious COVID-19 variants.

“On the other hand, the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in third countries, and the subsequent positive effect in limiting the spread of the virus, indicate that there is room to ease travel restrictions, particularly for those already vaccinated,” the EU wrote. “In this sense, this proposal aims at progressively resuming travel from third countries in a safe manner, relaunching tourism, especially in view of the summer season, and business travelling, thus fostering the recovery of Europe’s economy.”

The European bloc argued that scientific evidence had been gathered that demonstrated vaccinations stop the spread of COVID-19.

“This evidence suggests that travel restrictions could be safely waived in certain cases for persons who can demonstrate having received the last recommended dose of a COVID-19 vaccine authorised in the EU,” the organization wrote.

The proposal also stated that children, who have largely not been approved to receive current COVID-19 vaccines, should be allowed to travel with their vaccinated parents if they test negative for the coronavirus at least 72 hours before crossing an EU border.

Denmark was excluded from this recommendation and would not be subject to its proposed rules.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, told The New York Times in an interview published last week that Europe would allow fully vaccinated Americans to travel to Europe this summer.

“The Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines,” von der Leyen told the newspaper. “This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union.”

Why did Russia go after the European Parliament?

David Sassoli did not draft the EU’s sanctions against Russia. He hasn’t set foot in Moscow during his time as European Parliament president. And officials close to him say he wasn’t planning to go there any time soon.

Yet last Friday, Sassoli was banned from entering Russia, included on a list of eight senior European officials that Moscow issued.

Some of the names made sense. European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová, for instance, has led the EU’s campaign against Russian disinformation.

But Sassoli’s inclusion was somewhat perplexing. The Parliament does not carry out the EU’s foreign policy — that’s the External External Action Service (EEAS). Yet the EEAS head, Josep Borrell, wasn’t on Russia’s list. The Parliament doesn’t adopt sanctions against foreign countries — that’s the Council of the European Union. Yet officials from that body weren’t targeted, either.

Still, from a PR perspective, there are myriad reasons Russia would go after Sassoli — and, by extension, the European Parliament. Free from the diplomatic or bureaucratic constraints of working with the Russians, MEPs are relatively unconstrained to criticize, harangue and bludgeon Moscow over its malign behavior. And it’s these barbed critiques and resolutions that flow into news stories and circulate on Twitter. Essentially, it’s what the public often sees coming from the EU about Russia.

And the Parliament has been specifically vocal about an issue seemingly at the heart of Russia’s move — the poisoning and jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

“In the public view, Parliament has seized the leadership role in this debate,” Sergey Lagodinsky, a German Green MEP who grew up in Russia, told POLITICO. “It’s a voice that is directly legitimated, and it’s more political, more ambitious.”

“We are politicians more than the bureaucrats or the executive branch,” he added.

Or, as Sassoli put it, the ban simply wasn’t about him.

“It’s not a personal issue,” he told Italian daily La Stampa on Sunday. “One hits the president to hit the Parliament.”

European Parliament vs. Russia

MEPs have been beating the drum about Navalny’s case for months.

Last August, Navalny — Russia’s most prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin — was poisoned while flying within Russia, nearly dying. The EU and many of its allies swiftly accused Moscow of orchestrating the attack.

Over in Parliament, MEPs began lashing out at the Kremlin.

In September, MEPs adopted the first of three strongly worded resolutions condemning Moscow for its mistreatment of Navalny — first, for his poisoning, then later, for his arrest and jailing.

The resolution, backed by 532 MEPs (out of 705), “strongly condemns the attempted assassination of Alexei Navalny,” and urges Russia to “put an end to the harassment, intimidation, violence and repression of their political opponents.”

Two months later, in November, Parliament asked Navalny himself to appear at an online meeting of its foreign affairs committee. At the gathering, Navalny pleaded for EU action.

“It is extremely important for Russians to know that Europe as a whole and the European Parliament will not keep silent on such events,” he told MEPs.

In January, after Navalny had returned to Russia — only to be immediately detained on what were considered specious charges — Sassoli introduced a plenary session in Brussels by calling on the Russian authorities to release Navalny.

“His detention represents a violation of human rights,” he proclaimed. “And we support him.”

That same month, 581 MEPs approved a resolution calling on EU member states to “take an active stance” on Navalny’s arrest and to “significantly strengthen the EU’s restrictive measures vis-à-vis Russia.”

On March 2, the EU did act, sanctioning several senior Russian officials.

Yet in speeches, some MEPs went further than the EU itself, calling on the bloc to penalize Russian oligarchs linked to the regime, as well as members of Putin’s inner circle — a step they said would hit harder than punishing government officials. Others also called on the EU and its member states to abandon the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will move natural gas between Russia and Germany.

Just last week, 569 MEPs adopted a text that called for “the immediate and unconditional release of Alexei Navalny,” whose sentencing is “politically motivated” and “runs counter to Russia’s international human rights obligations.”

It’s this behavior that put Parliament in the Kremlin’s crosshairs, said David McAllister, another German MEP who chairs the Parliament’s foreign affairs committee. Russia’s travel ban, he said, targeted “an independent institution,” one that “has been and remains vocal when it comes to controversial issues around the world.”

Beyond Navalny

The Parliament’s handling of the Navalny case represents a broader trend of needling Russia during Putin’s reign.

In recent years, MEPs have passed countless resolutions denouncing Russia’s illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea. They also refused to recognize the 2020 re-election victory of Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a close Putin ally, pointing to reports of widespread fraud.

MEPs have also used the annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to send political messages to Moscow.

In 2018, they awarded the prize to Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director who spoke out about Russia’s Crimea annexation. Most recently, they awarded the prize to the democratic opposition in Belarus trying to oust Lukashenko.

Still, Sassoli is not the first Parliament official to be banned from traveling to Russia.

In 2014, former MEP Rebecca Harms, a long-time Putin critic and co-chair of the European Greens, was banned from entering into Russia after being held at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport for four hours.

And in 2015, after the EU introduced sanctions against Russia for its annexation of Crimea, the country imposed an entry ban on 89 European citizens, including Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, a former Swedish MEP.

European Union mulls move to welcome vaccinated travelers from U.S., other countries

The European Commission proposed Monday to open member countries to vaccinated tourists from the U.S. and other places by early summer, while including an “emergency brake” in case the COVID-19 picture suddenly worsens from aggressive new variants.

                  Many European nations rely heavily on tourism revenues in their overall economy, and the 27-nation bloc had been working on ways to improve movement within its vast territorial reach. Monday’s announcement was a way to demonstrate the <a href="/topics/european-union/">EU</a>‘s splendors will be open to countries elsewhere as vaccines reach more and more arms.












                  “This reflects the latest scientific advice showing that vaccination considerably helps to break the transmission chain,” the <a href="/topics/european-commission/">commission</a> said.
















                  The picture was not all bright: In Germany, the state of Bavaria confirmed Monday it will cancel Oktoberfest, known locally as “Wiesn,” for a second year instead of welcoming revelers from Sept. 18 to Oct. 3 as planned. Other major tourist draws, including the famed running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, have already been scrubbed because of COVID-19 concerns












                  “The risk is simply too great that people could be infected with the coronavirus here,” Munich’s Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter told reporters. “I know how hard this is not only for the visitors, but also how much it affects all those who work at the Wiesn and now have to do without income once again — from the waiters and waitresses to the stall operators, showmen and innkeepers. But the Wiesn can only exist completely or not at all.”














                  The festival involves vast crowds of beer drinkers gathered around tables in a party atmosphere.




























                  More broadly, however, <a href="/topics/european-union/">EU</a> officials sent out a message Monday that the bloc wants to welcome tourists back onto its streets, cathedrals and picturesque beaches.












                  A person would be considered fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving the last recommended dose of a vaccine that has received market authorization in the <a href="/topics/european-union/">EU</a>. Children of vaccinated people would be admitted with a negative test.












                  The plan, which will be debated this week, also envisions making it easier for unvaccinated people to visit by raising the threshold for what’s considered unacceptable transmission in their home countries. For instance, Chinese tourists might not be immunized with an <a href="/topics/european-union/">EU</a>-approved vaccine but they could still enter if their country continues to maintain a tight lid on domestic transmission rates.









                    <a name="pagebreak"/>




                  Individual <a href="/topics/european-union/">EU</a> members can still require a negative test from travelers, though the Monday’s proposals were designed to encourage nonessential trips instead of banning tourists and other travelers outright.










                  “Time to revive Flag of <a href="/topics/european-union/">European Union</a> tourism industry &amp; for cross-border friendships to rekindle — safely,” <a href="/topics/european-commission/">Commission</a> President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted. “We propose to welcome again vaccinated visitors &amp; those from countries with a good health situation.”

                  Like other places, the <a href="/topics/european-union/">EU</a> issued lockdowns, canceled big events and limited travel throughout the year-plus pandemic. Parts of Southern Europe such as Italy and Greece are particularly dependent on travelers to keep their struggling economies afloat.

                  Europe is working on a vaccine passport, or <a href="/topics/digital-green-certificate/">Digital Green Certificate</a>, to facilitate the proposal.

                  “Until the Digital Green Certificate is operational, [<a href="/topics/european-union/">EU</a> states] should be able to accept certificates from non-<a href="/topics/european-union/">EU</a> countries based on national law, taking into account the ability to verify the authenticity, validity and integrity of the certificate and whether it contains all relevant data,” the <a href="/topics/european-commission/">commission</a> said.

                  The <a href="/topics/european-commission/">commission</a> said it remains concerned bout dangerous mutations in the virus and has prepared a fallback plan to tighten things again as necessary.

                  “The emergence of coronavirus variants of concern calls for continued vigilance,” it said. “Therefore as counter-balance, the <a href="/topics/european-commission/">commission</a> proposes a new ‘emergency brake’ mechanism, to be coordinated at <a href="/topics/european-union/">EU</a> level and which would limit the risk of such variants entering the <a href="/topics/european-union/">EU</a>.”

                  The threat of variants from elsewhere is the main threat to countries seeing progress due to vaccination. That’s why the U.S. and other places banned travel from India as New Delhi sees an unprecedented surge that may be fueled by variants.

                  Australia recently took things to an extreme, saying as of Monday even its citizens could not enter from India. The decision outraged Indian Australians and others who said it was without precedent.







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EU Commission proposes easing of travel restrictions from non-EU countries

EUROPE. In a potentially important step to rebuilding the European travel business, the EU Commission today proposed that Member States ease restrictions on non-essential travel into the region, to take account of the progress of vaccination campaigns worldwide.

The Commission suggested its member countries allow entry for non-essential reasons not only for all travellers coming from countries with a “good epidemiological situation” but also to all people who have received an EU-authorised vaccine.

In addition, the Commission proposes to raise the threshold related to the number of new COVID-19 cases that is used to determine the list of countries from which all travel should be permitted. This should allow the Council to expand this list and encourage more travel into the region.

With the emergence of coronavirus variants of concern, as a counter-balance, the Commission has proposed an ‘emergency brake’ mechanism, to be coordinated at EU level and which would limit the risk of such variants entering the EU. This will allow Member States to act quickly and temporarily limit all travel from affected countries for the time needed to put in place appropriate sanitary measures.

An easing of restrictions would represent a signal of hope for the EU travel market, and for airports from Frankfurt to Dublin

Non-essential travel for vaccinated travellers

The Commission proposed that Member States lift restrictions on non-essential travel for vaccinated people travelling to the EU. This reflects the latest scientific advice showing that vaccination helps to break the transmission chain.

Member states, said the Commission, “should allow travel into the EU of those people who have received, at least 14 days before arrival, the last recommended dose of a vaccine having received marketing authorisation in the EU. Member States could also extend this to those vaccinated with a vaccine having completed the WHO emergency use listing process. In addition, if member states decide to waive the requirements to present a negative PCR test and/or to undergo quarantine for vaccinated persons on their territory, they should also waive such requirements for vaccinated travellers from outside the EU.”

The EU noted that this will become easier once the Digital Green Certificate becomes operational [potentially in June -Ed]. Until then, states should be able to accept valid certificates from non-EU countries, it added.

Lifting of non-essential travel restrictions

Non-essential travel regardless of individual vaccination status is currently permitted from just seven countries with a good epidemiological situation. This list is decided by the Council on the basis of epidemiological criteria contained in the current recommendation.

The Commission is proposing to amend the criteria to take into account the mounting evidence of the positive impact of vaccination campaigns. The proposal is to increase the threshold of 14-day cumulative COVID-19 case notification rate from 25 to 100. This remains considerably below the current EU average, which is over 420.

The adapted threshold should allow the Council to expand the list of countries from which non-essential travel is permitted regardless of vaccination status.

The Commission said that a first discussion on the proposals is scheduled at the European Council’s political crisis response (IPCR) meeting taking place on 4 May, followed by a discussion at the meeting of EU Ambassadors (Coreper) on 5 May.

Once the proposal is adopted by the Council, it will be for Member States to implement the measures.

EU executive recommends opening up to non-EU foreign travel

Coronavirus: Commission proposes to ease restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU while addressing variants through new ‘emergency brake’ mechanism

Today, the Commission is proposing that Member States ease the current restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU to take into account the progress of vaccination campaigns and developments in the epidemiological situation worldwide.

The Commission proposes to allow entry to the EU for non-essential reasons not only for all persons coming from countries with a good epidemiological situation but also all people who have received the last recommended dose of an EU-authorised vaccine. This could be extended to vaccines having completed the WHO emergency use listing process. In addition, the Commission proposes to raise, in line with the evolution of the epidemiological situation in the EU, the threshold related to the number of new COVID-19 cases used to determine a list of countries from which all travel should be permitted. This should allow the Council to expand this list.  

At the same time, the emergence of coronavirus variants of concern calls for continued vigilance. Therefore as counter-balance, the Commission proposes a new ‘emergency brake’ mechanism, to be coordinated at EU level and which would limit the risk of such variants entering the EU. This will allow Member States to act quickly and temporarily limit to a strict minimum all travel from affected countries for the time needed to put in place appropriate sanitary measures.

Non-essential travel for vaccinated travellers

The Commission proposes that Member States lift restrictions on non-essential travel for vaccinated persons travelling to the EU. This reflects the latest scientific advice showing that vaccination considerably helps to break the transmission chain.

Member States should allow travel into the EU of those people who have received, at least 14 days before arrival, the last recommended dose of a vaccine having received marketing authorisation in the EU. Member States could also extend this to those vaccinated with a vaccine having completed the WHO emergency use listing process. In addition, if Member States decide to waive the requirements to present a negative PCR test and/or to undergo quarantine for vaccinated persons on their territory, they should also waive such requirements for vacccinated travellers from outside the EU.

This should be facilitated once the Digital Green Certificate becomes operational, in line with the rules the Commission proposed on 17 March. In particular, travellers should be able to prove their vaccination status with a Digital Green Certificate issued by Member States’ authorities on an individual basis, or with another certificate recognised as equivalent by virtue of a Commission adequacy decision.

Until the Digital Green Certificate is operational, Member States should be able to accept certificates from non-EU countries based on national law, taking into account the ability to verify the authenticity, validity and integrity of the certificate and whether it contains all relevant data.

Member States could consider setting up a portal allowing travellers to ask for the recognition of a vaccination certificate issued by a non-EU country as reliable proof of vaccination and/or for the issuance of a Digital Green Certificate. 

Children who are excluded from vaccination should be able to travel with their vaccinated parents if they have a negative PCR COVID-19 test taken at the earliest 72 hours before arrival area. In these cases, Member States could require additional testing after arrival.

Full lifting of non-essential travel restriction from more countries

Non-essential travel regardless of individual vaccination status is currently permitted from 7 countries with a good epidemiological situation. This list is decided by the Council on the basis of epidemiological criteria contained in the current recommendation.

The Commission is proposing to amend the criteria to take into account the mounting evidence of the positive impact of vaccination campaigns. The proposal is to increase the threshold of 14-day cumulative COVID-19 case notification rate from 25 to 100. This remains considerably below the current EU average, which is over 420.

The adapted threshold should allow the Council to expand the list of countries from which non-essential travel is permitted regardless of vaccination status, subject to health-related measures such as testing and/or quarantine. As now, the Council should review this list at least every 2 weeks.

Essential travel to remain permitted

Those travelling for essential reasons, including notably healthcare professionals, cross-border workers, seasonal agricultural workers, transport staff and seafarers, passengers in transit, those travelling for imperative family reasons or those coming to study should continue to be allowed to enter the EU, regardless of whether they are vaccinated or which country they come from. The same applies to EU citizens and long-term residents as well as their family members. Such travel should continue to be subject to health-related measures, such as testing and quarantine as decided by Member States.

‘Emergency brake’ to counter the spread of variants

When the epidemiological situation of a non-EU country worsens quickly and in particular if a variant of concern or interest is detected, a Member State can urgently and temporarily suspend all inbound travel by non-EU citizens resident in such a country. The only exceptions in this case would be healthcare professionals, transport personnel, diplomats, transit passengers, those travelling for imperative family reasons, seafarers, and persons in need of international protection or for other humanitarian reasons. Such travellers should be subject to strict testing and quarantine arrangements even if they have been vaccinated.

When a Member State applies such restrictions, the Member States meeting within the Council structures should review the situation together in a coordinated manner and in close cooperation with the Commission, and they should continue doing so at least every 2 weeks.

Next steps

It is now for the Council to consider this proposal. A first discussion is scheduled at technical level in the Council’s integrated political crisis response (IPCR) meeting taking place on 4 May, followed by a discussion at the meeting of EU Ambassadors (Coreper) on 5 May.

Once the proposal is adopted by the Council, it will be for Member States to implement the measures set out in the recommendation. The Council should review the list of non-EU countries exempted from the travel restriction in light of the updated criteria and continue doing so every 2 weeks. 

Background

A temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU is currently in place from many non-EU countries, based on a recommendation agreed by the Council. The Council regularly reviews, and where relevant updates, the list of countries from where travel is possible, based on the evaluation of the health situation.

This restriction covers non-essential travel only. Those who have an essential reason to come to Europe should continue to be able to do so. The categories of travellers with an essential function or need are listed in Annex II of the Council Recommendation. EU citizens and long-term residents as well as their family members should also be allowed to enter the EU.

Following a proposal by the Commission, the Council agreed on 2 February 2021 additional safeguards and restrictions for international travellers into the EU, aimed at ensuring that essential travel to the EU continues safely in the context of the emergence of new coronavirus variants and the volatile health situation worldwide. These continue to apply.

On 17 March 2021, in a Communication on a common path to Europe’s safe re-opening, the Commission committed to keeping the operation of the Council Recommendation on the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU under close review, and propose amendments in line with relevant developments. Today’s proposal updates the Council recommendation.

In parallel to preparing for the resumption of international travel for vaccinated travellers, the Commission proposed on 17 March 2021 to create a Digital Green Certificate, showing proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19, to help facilitate safe and free movement inside the EU. This proposal also provides the basis for recognising non-EU countries’ vaccination certificates.

The Council Recommendation on the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU relates to entry into the EU. When deciding whether restrictions on non-essential travel can be lifted for a specific non-EU country, Member States should take account of the reciprocity granted to EU countries. This is a separate issue from that of the recognition of certificates issued by non-EU countries under the Digital Green Certificate.

The Council recommendation covers all Member States (except Ireland), as well as the 4 non-EU states that have joined the Schengen area: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. For the purpose of the travel restriction, these countries are covered in a similar way as the Member States.

The latest information on the rules applying to entry from non-EU countries as communicated by Member States are available on the Re-open EU website.

EU Lawmakers Pledge to Reject EU-China Investment Deal in First Meeting on Beijing’s Sanctions

Members of European Parliament have vowed to reject the EU-China Investment Agreement that was awaiting ratification over China’s human rights abuses and sanctions by the ruling communist party.

More than 30 MEPs took the floor on April 28 to denounce China for demanding that the EU stop criticism of its human rights record, saying they won’t ratify the China investment deal unless human rights are addressed first. Some have said outright that they want the deal thrown out.

The comments were made during the European Parliament’s first meeting regarding the Chinese communist regime’s counter-sanctions against EU representatives and entities who sanctioned several Chinese communist officials over human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang in late March.

But the counter-sanctions imperiled the likelihood of the investment deal being ratified.

French MEP Emmanuel Maurel told parliament of the CCP’s sanctions, “If we want to show, once and for all, that the EU is not just a supermarket but rather has principles … we have to come up with some tangible action, and that means we need to reject the investment agreement.”

Vice-Chair of the EU Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and German MEP Hannah Neumann said, “This is a regime arbitrarily shooting a shotgun targeting our freedom of expression, our freedom of research, and our rights as members of parliament.”

She told Parliament that human rights need to be addressed before moving forward with the investment deal, adding “I am not willing to let a foreign country dictate to me how to do my job.”

German Greens MEP Reinhard Bütikofer, Chair of the European Parliament’s China Delegation, who was targeted by Beijing’s sanction list, said that if the sanctions Beijing has imposed on the EU parliament are not lifted, the “EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, or ‘CAI’, is in the deep freeze as far as the European Parliament is concerned.”

He said the sanctions marked “a new height of China’s aggressive claim to power.”

“Instead, we will put pressure to use new instruments to better protect our economy against unfair Chinese practices, be it in access to procurement markets, the fight against illegal subsidies, or against products made using forced labour,” he added, according to a statement.

Maria Arena, a MEP from Belgium, added, “If pro-democracy rights in Hong Kong or Taiwan cannot be discussed in this parliament, then nothing can be discussed in this parliament.”

Five leading EU MEPs whose votes are needed to ratify the EU-China investment deal were included in the sanctions.

Focus on Trade, Not Human Rights: Beijing

Meanwhile, Chinese leaders have continued trying to push for the deal, calling the EU to focus on trade and not human rights.

Xi Jinping on April 16 urged the EU to ratify the investment deal in a video conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of the world leaders’ summit on climate issues.

On April 20, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with business leaders from major EU countries in Chengdu’s China-EU center to seek support for the investment deal.

Then, on April 28, in a virtual meeting for the sixth German-Chinese government consultations, Li told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Germany should focus on trade and not China’s “internal affairs” that include human rights issues, Politico reported.

The EU-China investment agreement has been championed in the EU by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for its promise to open up more sectors of the Chinese economy to EU investment and benefits for European carmakers manufacturing out of China. French President Emmanuel Macron has supported Merkel’s efforts, despite several EU country’s objections.

The agreement was signed last December after seven years of negotiations but it must be ratified by EU Parliament to take effect.

Merkel is stepping down in September and her SPD has slumped in recent election polls, with the opposition Greens party enjoying a polling lead.

The Greens recently said in statement: “Trade is a powerful lever to defend and strengthen human rights and fundamental democratic values. Unfortunately, the EU-China investment agreement, hastily concluded by the German government at the end of last year, contradicts this very goal.”

Macron is also facing strong backlash against the CAI domestically ahead of next year’s presidential election.

The EU on April 24 also took action to condemn the Chinese regime’s aggression in South China Sea that it said was endangering regional peace.

On April 21, EU President Ursula von der Leyen had also said in “progress report” on China that “fundamental divergences” between the EU and China about “economic systems and managing globalization, democracy and human rights, or on how to deal with third countries” were becoming a reality that are “set to remain for the foreseeable future and must not be brushed under the carpet.”

EU Commissioner for Employment Hopes for Agreement on EU Minimum Wages by June

Member States will hopefully reach a common position on the definition of EU minimum wages before the end of Portugal’s presidency of the Council, which runs until June, European Commissioner for employment, Nicolas Schmit, told Lusa.pt, highlighting the “efforts” made by Portugal to that end.

“I have my wishes and that would mean reaching an agreement on a common position in the Council … as soon as possible, but it would be good if it could be during the Portuguese presidency,” Schmit told Lusa in Brussels.

He stressed that he did not want to “speculate on when there might be a common position” between member states, but noted that “the Portuguese presidency is making a lot of effort in this area” to achieve an agreement.

“I do not want to interfere in discussions at Council level, so we will see,” he said.

Alluding to Portugal’s objective of reaching a compromise text in the Council on the new directive on European minimum salaries, Schmit stressed that “the process is moving forward” towards that end.

“We have a report on minimum wages, or at least a draft report, and we have discussions at the Council level and especially in the Council’s working group,” he said.

When asked if any kind of compromise could be reached during the Social Summit scheduled for 7 May in Porto, the commissioner said he did not expect “a solution on minimum wages or other issues that are under discussion” to be reached so soon, speaking rather of a “political signal” to be given in this policy area.

The definition of a fair and adequate European minimum wages is one of the elements of the negotiation of the action plan for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, which Portugal wants to see approved during its EU Council presidency, despite differences among the 27 member states.

The Social Pillar is a non-binding text to promote these rights in the EU in which reference is made to pay, among other issues, with the argument that “Workers have the right to fair wages that provide for a decent standard of living.”

Last October, the European Commission presented a legislative proposal on European minimum wages, but there have been difficulties in the negotiations in the Council. As a result, the commission has stressed that it does not want to impose amounts on countries, but rather indicators to ensure a decent quality of life for workers.

EU treaties recognise the competence of each member state in setting wages, but the commission has used a flexible interpretation that includes wages in working conditions – which are covered by EU law.

Currently, 21 member states have a minimum wage defined by law, while in the remaining six – Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden – such benchmarks are set through collective bargaining. It is mainly these six countries that oppose the concept, but employers’ associations are also against the proposal, arguing that the directive could jeopardise the viability of businesses already badly affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

The commission has already completely ruled out the idea of a single minimum wage applicable in all 27 states.

Figures released by Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office, show that at the beginning of this year, the gross minimum wage in the EU ranged from €332 in Bulgaria to €2,202 in Luxembourg. Portugal’s ranks 10th at €776 (recalculated to take account of the fact that the actual minimum salary is paid in 14 instalments). Ana Matos Neves/Euractiv