The publicly circulated information that Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has been invited to the European Parliament for a debate on the rule of law in Bulgaria is categorically untrue.
Neither the prime minister, nor any member of the cabinet has been invited to attend the meeting of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of European Parliament on 10 September, the government press service has announced. What is more, the rules at the planned hearing of European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism do not allow for the expression of any opinion by the Bulgarian government, the announcement reads.
… EU headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. The European Union … EU headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. The European Union … BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is warning Britain that … an international agreement on EU-British relations, it …
EU leaders will ask the European Commission later this month to develop an EU-wide public electronic identification system (e-ID) to access cross-border digital services, according to the draft summit conclusions seen by EURACTIV.com
Strengthening Europe’s autonomy and sovereignty in the aftermath of the pandemic will be the main topic of the European Council to be held on 24 and 25 September in Brussels and digital initiatives will feature prominently.
As part of their plans, the 27 Heads of State and Government want to have a robust and functional digital ecosystem across the Union for citizens.
To that end, EU leaders will call for the development of an “EU-wide secure public electronic identification (e-ID) to provide people with control over their online identity and data as well as to enable access to cross-border digital services,” the draft document reads.
They will ask the Commission to put forward a proposal for a ‘European Digital Identification’ initiative by mid-2021, and member states hope that an EU-wide e-ID will be especially for cross-border digital services, a market expected to grow in the digital economy.
There has been some progress on this front over the past years at the technical level to guarantee the interoperability of national e-ID. Thanks to that, since September 2018, EU rules allow citizens to use their national e-ID also to access public services across borders in other member states.
In this context, the Commission has recently sought to update the rules on electronic identification operations in the EU, as part of the eIDAS regulation, in a bid to develop a more harmonized and resilient market for electronic identification systems on the bloc.
On the launch of the Commission’s public consultation on the plans in the summer, Commission Vice-President for Digital Margarethe Vestager said that the revision of the 2018 eIDAS regulation “aims to improve its effectiveness, extend its benefits to the private sector and promote trusted digital identities for all Europeans and create a secure and interoperable European Digital Identity which gives citizens control.”
The consultation is open until October 2, and further details on the EU’s bid to extend the electronic identification framework are set to be outlined in the Digital Services Act, to be unveiled by the Commission at the end of the year.
Recovery fund revisions
Moreover, in Europe’s future rebound from the economic aftershocks of the coronavirus pandemic, EU leaders at the end of this month will also call for dedicating a “significant part” of the recovery fund, in particular of the €672 billion allocated to the Recovery and Resilience Facility, to the digital sector.
Priority areas are supercomputers and quantum computing, blockchain, and human-centered artificial intelligence; microprocessors, cybersecurity, digital education, and 5G. The draft conclusions urge member states to submit their national plans to roll-out the infrastructure by the end of the year as planned.
The ongoing development of 5G infrastructure in Europe has been beset by a series of delays related to the trade dispute between the US and China as well as the coronavirus pandemic.
Current goals in the field include a launch of 5G services in all EU member states by the end of 2020 at the latest, as well as a ‘rapid build-up’ that will ensure “uninterrupted 5G coverage in urban areas and along main transport paths by 2025,” as outlined in the 5G Action Plan for Europe.
Competition review
The EU leaders will also focus on the importance of the review the EU competition rules to better compete with the US and China. It is a sensitive debate between those who want a major overhaul of the rules, especially France and Germany, and other governments arguing for minor tweaks.
The draft conclusions call for “adapting the European competition framework to ensure that it meets the challenges of the green transition, digital transformation as well as the global context, and provides legal certainty for economic operators and supports innovation, including in the digital sector”.
The Commission will publish the first results of their ongoing review of the competition rules next year, to better reflect the new features of the digital economy and the ‘green’ goals.
The leaders are also expected to support the Commission’s work to address the systemic role that some online platforms play (the so-called ‘gatekeepers’).
On the industrial front, leaders will ask the Commission to identify strategic dependencies and to propose measures to reduce them, including by diversifying production and supply chains.
The draft text also calls for developing a new Important Project of Common European Interest which combines EU funds and member states resources. The bloc has launched such projects for batteries, the Internet of Things, and hydrogen.
The post-pandemic industrial strategy also should develop new industrial alliances, support SMEs, and bolster the Space and Defence areas.
EU leaders will also discuss foreign affairs during their meeting in Brussels. They will hold a “strategic discussion” on Turkey and will discuss the EU-China relations, following the EU-China video-summit on 14 September, among other potential issues.
The Greek island of Lesbos has been clamped under a state of emergency, as some 12,000 migrants are at large after a fire burned down their holding camp last night. And at least 35 of them are known to have tested positive for Covid-19.
SANA’A – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a EUR 45 million contribution from the European Union (EU) to provide vital food assistance to families in Yemen facing acute food shortages as conflict, economic collapse and now the coronavirus pushes millions of people to the brink.
The EU funds will provide Yemeni families with life-saving assistance, allowing them to meet their basic food needs. With the EU’s support, WFP is already providing food, vouchers and cash to millions of food insecure Yemenis.
WFP is making cash assistance available in areas where market conditions allow so that people can purchase food and other items locally. Cash can help strengthen local markets, encouraging smallholders to be more productive and build national capacity.
“With different crises converging to threaten the lives of people in Yemen, the humanitarian situation is more alarming than ever. The EU recently increased its support to enable partners such as WFP to continue providing life-saving assistance amid funding shortfalls,” said European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič. “Yemen cannot wait. Impartial aid organisations must be given the means and unimpeded access to reach the millions of Yemenis who urgently need help.”
The EU’s support comes at a crucial moment as WFP works to maintain the current level of assistance in Yemen – the agency’s largest operation in the world – to prevent the humanitarian situation from deteriorating. An upsurge in fighting since the start of the year, coupled with a rapid deterioration in the economic situation and the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic, is undermining previous improvements in the food security situation and is set to push many more people into severe levels of hunger.
“Yemen is on a knife’s edge. Millions are sliding toward starvation at a time when resources are severely stretched,” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. “But the European Union has been a strong, consistent supporter of WFP’s work in Yemen, ensuring we have the resources to deliver emergency food assistance to the most vulnerable children, women and men.”
WFP’s food assistance throughout Yemen’s five-year civil war has saved millions from starvation. Since 2015, WFP has massively expanded its operation in the country from feeding around 1 million people at the start of the conflict to nearly 13 million now. The EU has been a strong supporter of WFP during that period, contributing a total of EUR 216.8 million while always emphasising emphasised the need for independent targeting and beneficiary registration to guarantee the transparency, accountability and efficiency of aid delivery.
Responding to the acute humanitarian crisis in Yemen requires the support and action of many partners. Resources remain stretched and WFP may have to reduce its operations if additional funding is not secured soon. Without WFP food assistance, even more Yemeni people would face crippling levels of hunger. WFP needs $703 million (around EUR 594 million) to maintain this vital safety net for the next six months.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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Digital health is a broad category encompassing electronic health, mobile health, telehealth and health data, among others. It offers solutions that can strengthen health systems, such as bringing health services directly to people’s homes and to underserved communities, helping to map outbreaks of disease, and integrating digital tools that make health care more responsive and productive.
But in addition to providing opportunities, digital health raises some important questions. Can digital health ensure that people receive high standards of care? How can we ensure that those without access to or knowledge of digital devices are not left behind? How can we guarantee that sensitive health data is properly secured so people feel safe using services?
Answering these questions is an important part of the future of health in the WHO European Region. This is why the European Programme of Work identifies digital health as a flagship alongside immunization, mental health, and behavioural and cultural insights.
Digital health has been seen as an emerging, strategic health priority for years. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of digital health technologies to make health systems and services more effective was widely recognized. Countries have also indicated the importance of digital health.
Linked to WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work, the European Programme of Work commits to ensuring better access to health for people throughout the Region through universal health coverage, and recognizes digital health as key to realizing this vision.
The term digital health may conjure images of advanced, futuristic technology, but in fact it can include a range of interventions, including:
electronic health records and standards underpinning the exchange of data;
mobile health apps for monitoring and prevention;
public health portals that provide transparent access to an individual’s personal health records and contacts with the health system;
telemedicine;
integrated care delivery;
clinical decision-making support tools in primary care;
robotics;
personalized medicine;
nanotechnologies; and
artificial intelligence.
Digital health links to other flagships, including behavioural and cultural insights and mental health, while seeking to build a partnership model to identify best practice and opportunities.
COVID-19 as an accelerator
The role that digital health can play has come under the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of digital tools such as contact tracing apps to monitor outbreaks and online consultations to help keep health professionals and patients safe while providing continued care are some of the ways that the potential of digital health has been harnessed.
These digital methods of delivering health care are here and will very likely stay. Greater leadership and knowledge sharing in this area are important to ensure that individuals are well served and that health systems benefit from new technologies.
Digital health in practice
A symposium on digital health organized by WHO/Europe in 2019 helped to showcase how governments and organizations can use health technologies to reduce inequities and improve health and well-being. On the ground, digital health continues to make inroads into the way health services are delivered.
In Kyrgyzstan, for example, a safe delivery app provides midwives with guidance to deal with different birth scenarios – including some that may require an emergency response. The app itself, in use in more than 40 countries around the world, was developed by the Maternity Foundation in Denmark. It helps midwives provide care, particularly when faced with a difficult situation.
In Finland, a patient-oriented digital health-care service known as Health Village was set up by different university hospitals. The online platform enables people to plan and manage their own care using simple medical devices to send readings to health professionals. It allows for a more streamlined approach to health care that takes into account the lives of patients, who may struggle to find time to attend routine appointments. It also naturally raises some questions, particularly among those who have less experience or struggle with digital technologies. Some elements of coaching are therefore integrated to ensure that patients feel able to use the services.
These are just some of the ways in which digital health can empower individuals, make health systems more effective and provide greater health coverage.
The number of global under-five deaths dropped to its lowest point on record in 2019 – down to 5.2 million, from 12.5 million in 1990. However, there are fears the numbers could rise on back of COVID-induced disruptions to child and maternal health services, new estimates released on Wednesday, indicate.
Services experiencing disruptions include health checkups, vaccinations, and prenatal and post-natal care. Reasons include resource constraints and a general uneasiness with using health services due to a fear of getting COVID-19, according to the UN agencies.
Over the past 30 years, health services to prevent or treat causes of child death such as preterm, low birth weight, complications during birth, neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, as well as vaccination, have played a large role in saving millions of lives, added the agencies.
The estimates, contained in the report Levels and Trends in Child Mortality: Report 2020, were issued by UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the World Bank Group.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, recalled the feat and outlined the challenges.
“The fact that today more children live to see their first birthday than any time in history is a true mark of what can be achieved when the world puts health and well-being at the centre of our response,” he said.
“Now, we must not let the COVID-19 pandemic turn back remarkable progress for our children and future generations. Rather, it’s time to use what we know works to save lives, and keep investing in stronger, resilient health systems.”
UNICEF and WHO surveys
Surveys conducted by UNICEF and WHO in 77 and 105 countries, respectively, found high numbers of countries reporting disruptions in health services critical to prevent new-born and child deaths.
The UNICEF survey found that almost 68 per cent of the countries faced disruptions in health checks for children and immunization services; 63 per cent had disruptions in antenatal check-ups; and 59 per cent in post-natal care.
WHO findings showed 52 per cent of countries had disruptions in health services for sick children; and 51 per cent in services for management of malnutrition – equally important to safeguard healthy lives.
Challenges included parents avoiding health centres for fear of infection, transport restrictions, suspension or closure of services and facilities, fewer healthcare workers or shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), and greater financial difficulties.
Afghanistan, Bolivia, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Libya, Madagascar, Pakistan, Sudan and Yemen are among the hardest hit countries.
UNICEF/Ilvy Njiokiktjien
A mother holds her seven-day-old baby daughter, who was born at a health centre in Peru’s Paruro province.
World has come too far to stop
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, called for urgent investments to restart disrupted health systems and services.
The global community has come too far towards eliminating preventable child deaths to allow the COVID-19 pandemic to stop us in our tracks – Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director
“The global community has come too far towards eliminating preventable child deaths to allow the COVID-19 pandemic to stop us in our tracks,” she said, adding:
“When children are denied access to health services because the system is overrun, and when women are afraid to give birth at the hospital for fear of infection, they, too, may become casualties of COVID-19.”
Urgent action needed
The surveys also highlighted the need for urgent action to restore and improve childbirth services, and antenatal and postnatal care for mothers and babies, including having skilled health workers to care for them at birth. Working with parents to assuage their fears and reassure them is also important.
Muhammad Ali Pate, Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank, underlined the need to protect the vital, life-saving services that are key to reducing child mortality.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has put years of global progress to end preventable child deaths in serious jeopardy … It is essential to protect life-saving services which have been key to reducing child mortality. We will continue to work with governments and partners to reinforce healthcare systems to ensure mothers and children get the services they need,” he said.
Redress inequities
John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, also drew attention to address inequalities within societies that impact health.
“The report demonstrates the ongoing progress worldwide in reducing child mortality … While it highlights the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on interventions that are critical for children’s health, it also draws attention to the need to redress the vast inequities in a child’s prospects for survival and good health,” he said.
Sanctions on Iran: Mike Pompeo on Tuesday claimed that Iran’s nuclear deal, JCPOA, has gone in the history and requested European countries and other states to join the United States for imposition of ‘Strong Sanctions’ against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
He showed reaction to the increase of Iran’s enriched uranium reserves to 10 times more than that of authorized limit as set in JCPOA.
In his twitter account, Pompeo wrote, “According to reports, Iran’s uranium reserves have reached more than 10 times the limits set in JCPOA. The three European countries and others must turn their eye to the fact that Iran’s nuclear deal has gone in the history and they should accompany US for imposition of strong and tough sanctions against Iran.Comprehensive dialogues and pressure is the only way forward.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in its latest report to members of the Board of Governors last Friday, had confirmed that Iran’s enriched uranium reserves had reached more than 10 times the limits set in the nuclear deal.
After withdrawing from JCPOA in May 2018, Washington has resorted to provocative and tense measures against Iran in line with the so-called “maximum pressure” policy.
In its reaction to this move, Islamic Republic of Iran put a year of “strategic patience” on the agenda and gave the parties to the nuclear deal, especially European countries, that promised to compensate for the withdrawal of the United States, to fulfill their obligations under the nuclear deal.
One year after the lack of fulfillment of Europe‘s promises under JCPOA, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) warned the parties in a statement on May 7, if European parties involved in the talk fail to fulfill their obligations in the field of oil and banking within 60 days, Islamic Republic of Iran will reduce its commitments under JCPOA.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has reduced its obligations under the nuclear deal in five steps. Iran’s first step in reducing its obligations was to exceed 300 kg limit of 3.67% enriched uranium reserves, lack of selling heavy water and a surplus of enriched uranium which was announced on May 7.
The announcement last week of a landmark agreement between Israel, Serbia and Kosovo to normalize economic relations drew no condemnation from Arab nations, but the European Union has criticized the deal because the two Balkan states will move their embassies to Jerusalem.
Serbia will become the first European nation to open an embassy in Israel’s capital city, a step that only the United States and Guatemala have taken. The EU has made the city’s disputed status a part of its Middle East policy, creating new tension with the Serbs as they try to join the 27-nation trade and economic bloc.
Although Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of their own future sovereign nation, and oppose all efforts to legitimize Israel’s control of the entire city, the rest of the Arab world has taken a wait-and-see approach.
“This deal is not really thought about much in the Arab and Muslim world at all,” said Luke Coffey, a national security and foreign policy expert at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. “Even though Kosovo is a Muslim majority country, it is not an Islamic state like most are across much of the Middle East. Most in the region see this as a very niche European matter.”
President Donald J. Trump participates in a signing ceremony with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in the Oval Office of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
Most people in Arab countries “do not care one way or the other where these two relatively small Balkans countries have their embassies in Israel,” he said.
Turkey, traditionally a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, quickly condemned the agreement. Turkey’s foreign ministry expressed “deep concern” over the future Jerusalem embassies.
The Trump administration, with one foot in governing and another in re-election campaigning, is already emphasizing the president’s acumen brokering deals between nations. The fundamentals of the agreement, which the president calls a “major breakthrough,” include cooperation to bolster investment and job opportunities.
Serbia and Kosovo now also say they will make an effort to follow Israeli law and decriminalize homosexuality in their jurisdictions, a move that is unlikely to meet with approval from conservative Arab governments.
Richard Grenell, the openly gay former ambassador to Germany, is pushing to overturn laws in nations that make homosexuality illegal. The Human Rights Campaign, America’s most prominent LGBTQ lobby group, has condemned Grenell for serving Trump, whom it accuses of being hostile to the gay community.
The new accord follows a separate Trump-brokered diplomatic deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
Serbia has long pointed with pride to Israel’s refusal to recognize Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Belgrade deployed troops into the territory in the late 1990s to quell unrest by ethnic Albanian separatists, and the two countries have since been at odds.
As part of the accord announced September 4, Kosovo agreed for one year to halt its campaign to join significant international organizations. Serbia agreed, also for one year, to curb its efforts to coerce countries into “derecognizing” its former territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has embraced the new ties with Kosovo, but the Jewish state has more at stake in its alliances with other Muslim-majority and Arab countries.
The new accord’s stated intention is to focus on economic cooperation, but Israel stands to gain in other ways. For example, the agreement calls on Serbia and Kosovo to officially designate the Lebanon-based Hezbollah a terrorist organization and block its economic activities in their countries.
The deal represents the end of the Kosovo war, “which was really the last major security crisis for the U.S.” before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and is “an important symbolic win for the Trump administration,” said Matthew Schmidt, a political science professor at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.
President Donald J. Trump participates in an expanded bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, in the Oval Office of the White House. (White House)
Beyond the opening of embassies, additional details are “still to get worked out,” he said.
Coffey, of the Heritage Foundation, said that “some points in the agreement were concrete proposals and others are merely aspirational.”
“Both countries have a long way to go before they fully normalize relations,” Coffey said. “Overall, these talks were a significant foreign policy success.”
(Edited by Judy Isacoff, Stephen Singer and David Martosko.)
