“EU Borders should reopen as soon as possible,” according to Juan Fernando López Aguilar, chair of Parliament’s civil liberties committee . Learn more in our interview.
After months of free movement in the Schengen area being suspended, Parliament is calling for a swift and coordinated return to normal. Ahead of a vote on the Schengen area situation in the June plenary, Spanish S&D member Juan Fernando López Aguilar , chair of Parliament’s civil liberties committee, discussed how to restore the borderless zone and the lessons learned from the Covid-19 crisis.
When will the internal borders in the Schengen zone reopen?
They should reopen as soon as possible, that’s my message. But apparently it’s not going to happen in full before early July. Our committee has been reminding member states that they are bound by European law, the Schengen borders code. The law says that all restrictions should be time-framed and that the grounds for suspension should be reasonable and proportional.
Now the important thing is that the [European] Commission oversee the restoration of free movement in a phased timeframe. Interior ministers need to coordinate all extensions of restrictions with the Commission. It is obvious that without Schengen there will be no recovery [from the pandemic]. In my view, without Schengen, there would be no European Union.
Does the Schengen zone need better coordination and governance?
There has been a deplorable lack of coordination. Member state governments have not lived up to their obligations, which are binding. They should have communicated before [suspending Schengen] with each other and the Commission so that the latter could ensure the suspensions are time-limited and not discriminatory to some citizens. In the process of restoring the normal functioning of Schegen, we will ensure that these mistakes become lessons learned.
If there is a second wave of infections, what should we do differently in Europe? Is closing borders the best way of preventing the spread of the virus?
Let’s face it, the pandemic took us by surprise. Unprecedented measures were taken. It challenged the liberties that we took for granted for many years. Free movement has been suspended and that’s damaging. But, precisely because the situation was unprecedented, we have to show some understanding with the errors of governments in their efforts to secure public health, which is their number one priority.
Watch the full interview, which also delved into Schengen enlargement, migration, asylum and the use of personal data in the fight against Covid-19, on our Facebook page.
The Hotel has received the recognition of the publication ‘Condé Nast Johansens’ at the World Travel Market for Europe and the Mediterranean
Hotel Botánico & The Oriental Spa Garden, located in Puerto de la Cruz on the island of Tenerife, has become the Best Destination Spa in Europe and the Mediterranean 2020, after receiving the Condé Nast Johansens award. This award, of great international prestige, recognizes, thanks to the votes of customers, the excellence of its facilities.
This award has been handed out at the World Travel Market fair and joins the other certifications with which Hotel Botánico and its complex The Oriental Spa Garden have been recognized. It values its effort to optimize its services. Among its recent accreditations are, for example, the recognition of Condé Nast Johansens as the best hotel with Spa in Europe and the Mediterranean or the prestigious TUI Holly 2019, with which it has been ranked as one of the 100 best hotels in the world.
Hotel Botánico, a commitment to excellence
The Hotel Botánico*****GL is a prestigious five-star spa hotel located in the beautiful and peaceful north of Tenerife, with privileged views of the Orotava Valley. The Hotel offers unique suites and first-class facilities that blend magically with its paradisiacal surroundings. The rooms are fully equipped with all kinds of state-of-the-art services and amenities, including a modern noise-control system that ensures a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere.
Botánico Slim & Wellness, a unique concept of dietary haute cuisine in Tenerife
Under the direction of Patrick Jarno, who has made a name for himself in Brittany with his food concept, the Hotel Botánico has launched this year its Botánico Slim & Wellness concept, a holiday that can only be possible in Puerto de la Cruz, in Tenerife, a place known for having the best climate in the world, 365 days a year.
A meticulous programme, developed together with renowned chefs from Brittany, eliminates fat, favours the conscious consumption of proteins and carbohydrates and enhances the original flavours of the ingredients and the freshness of the products. These, cooked in the right proportion, provide a feeling of satiety without compromising on the joy of eating.
Tested by external studies sustained at the Technological Center of Catalonia (EURECAT) and the University of Navarra // It is endorsed by two patents that allow the eradication of COVID-19, as well as other viruses and bacteria, from any type of tissue // It has an efficiency of more than 99.999999%. This technology is the response to the present pandemic and future threats
Europe manufactures the iron that can be used on any type of tissue, deactivating the virus. The B&B Trends Group (Barcelona, Spain), manufacturer of the UFESA and Di4 brands, has managed to reconcile the recommendations of the health authorities regarding clothing hygiene with care so these would be free of COVID-19 or coronavirus. “With this ironing solution it is not necessary to expose the clothes when laundering at 60º, which in most cases it gravely damage the fabric. This innovation allows to iron, either vertically or horizontally, any kind of fabric at a higher temperature range and, in addition, the exclusive pulse steam ejection technology provides a higher speed when transferring this temperature to clothing without damaging it, reaching all points of the garment and ending with the COVID-19”, they assure from the company.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends washing and disinfecting tissues at 60-90º. However, the labels in the clothes do not suggest washing them above 30-40º, because according to recommendations of textile fabricants the piece of clothing reduces its size; the colors fade; wrinkles get fixed; and, if it contains any elastics, they become loose.
Healthy Program. EURECAT and the University of Navarra
B&B Trends has carried out in the laboratories of the prestigious University of Navarra a study of the Healthy Program, a technology designed in the R&D department of the company itself.
The analysis has focused on testing four types of microbes (C. Albicans; S. Aureus; E-coli; and B. Sutilis), resulting in the fact that this technology completely eliminates these bacteria.
The study in question validates that viruses with lipid envelopes, such as Sars-CoV-2, have lower resistance at certain temperatures than the E-coli type bacteria and much lower than bacteria with spores such as the B subtilis, both observed and tested in the study. Hence this, the same laboratory corroborates that its effective results can be extrapolated against COVID-19.
It is an accessible and available technology for professionals, such as dry cleaners and the textile commerce, for example, and for individuals. Two Di4 signature models equip the Healthy Program.
The Business Group
B&B Trends has extensive experience in manufacturing and developing small household appliances. It manufactures and markets brands such as UFESA, DAGA, Zelmer and Di4, as well as for other manufacturers.
As promised last month, the Frankfurt Book Fair is offering regular updates for exhibitors and hosted two online video sessions Tuesday, one with publishers in Europe, Asia and Africa, and a second with publishers in North America. The slide deck from the presentations is available for all to see.
Juergen Boos, director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, confirmed much of what he has said before: that the fair would be limited to 20,000 people at any one time; that booths would, by necessity, be larger and that upgrades would be made for free.
He said the fair was continuing to revise health and safety protocols based on guidance from the German government. Boos said that it remains to be determined if the fair will require the installation of plexiglass where there will be face to face interactions and does not yet know whether or not attendees will be required to wear face masks or face shields. “Right now, you can assume that you can do anything at the fair that you could do at a bookstore in Germany right now, which includes the ability to touch, browse and buy books,” said Boos.
There will be few if any on-site events, most of which will be moved online. On the fairgrounds, the focus will remain on trade booths, both for the German publishing trade and international guests. Several times during the update for North Americans, Boos emphasized that the fair would still be “a very international fair,” but admitted that travel restrictions likely meant that this would mean far fewer visitor from North America.
In addition to areas for collective stands and trade booths, there will be dedicated areas for exhibitors focused on audiobooks, education, and academic publishing, as well as for libraries and librarians.
Asked how Frankfurt will handle the program for Canada, the 2020 Guest of Honor, Boos said the fair will not host the traditional Guest of Honor pavilion and “their program will be mostly be virtual.”
A few more details were given as well. The Festhalle will be turned into a broadcasting center and will serve as the digital heart of the fair, a place to “connect the physical fair with digital opportunities,” said Boos. He said that the fair was in discussions with several German television stations to partner on event production.
Organizers will now be giving visitors the option of signing up for “workspaces,” which will offer a fairgoer a space at one of several long tables that will serve as quasi-co-working spaces for attendees who want a dedicated place to take meetings but do not want a booth. The price will be 495 euros per day for individuals.
For business-to-business attendees, Frankfurt is looking at implementing a digital rights platform, most likely powered by IPR License, as well as facilitating matchmaking, something which has been available in a limited fashion through the fair’s mobile phone app for several years, as well as virtual meetings.
At present, anyone who is signed up for this year as an exhibitor has until August 15 to cancel and ask for a full refund. After that, the normal penalties will be applied.
While Boos admitted that he “can’t predict the future,” he said that should the situation in Europe change and the German government demand that the fair not proceed due to a second wave of Covid-19 infections, they have a plan. “We’ll move entirely to a virtual fair and refund everybody,” he said.
Eating contaminated food has caused an estimated 600 million people in the world, or almost one-in-ten individuals, to fall ill – 420,000 of whom die every year, two UN specialized agencies highlighted on Sunday, World Food Safety Day.
Joining forces, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) flagged that “food safety is a shared responsibility” with a role for everyone to play, from governments, industry and producers to business operators and consumers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also shined a spotlight on the importance of monitoring and addressing food safety; adapting food safety systems to respond to supply chain disruptions; and ensuring the continued access to safe food.
The Head of FAO’s Food Safety and Quality Unit attested that in these challenging times, this year’s motto – food safety is everybody’s business – is “more pertinent than ever”.
“No matter what else is going on, every single person still needs safe food every day”, said Markus Lipp. “We cannot let up in our vigilance to ensure that our food is safe”.
Safe food is not only critical to better health and food security, but also for livelihoods, economic development, trade and the international reputation of every country.
“Millions of people around the world depend on international trade for their food security and livelihoods”, the heads of FAO, QU Dongyu, WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Roberto Azevedo, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said in a joint statement.
“As countries move to enact measures aiming to halt the accelerating COVID-19 pandemic, care must be taken to minimize potential impacts on the food supply or unintended consequences on global trade and food security.”
The agencies maintained that each year, an estimated 700,000 people die around the globe because of antimicrobial-resistant infections.
“Improving hygiene practices in the food and agricultural sectors helps to reduce the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance along the food chain and in the environment”, they explained.
Emphasizing the need for better data to understand the far-reaching impacts of unsafe food, WHO and FAO upheld that an investment in consumer food safety education has the potential to reduce foodborne disease and return savings of up to ten-fold for each dollar provided.
“We must ensure that our response to COVID-19 does not unintentionally create unwarranted shortages of essential items and exacerbate hunger and malnutrition”, the FAO, WHO, WTO chiefs stated. “Now is the time to show solidarity, act responsibly and adhere to our common goal of enhancing food security, food safety and nutrition and improving the general welfare of people around the world”.
Food production
Infections caused by contaminated food have a much higher impact on populations with poor or fragile health, impacting infants, pregnant women and elderly and sick people more severely, and sometimes even leading to death, according to WHO.
Meanwhile, throughout the various stages of today’s complex supply chains, opportunities for food contamination prevail, from on-farm production to slaughtering or harvesting and during the course of processing, storage, transport and distribution.
Moreover, the globalization of food production and trade is making the food chain even longer, complicating foodborne disease outbreak investigations and emergency product recalls.
And the effects of food contamination reach far beyond direct public health consequences. It undermines food exports, tourism, food handler livelihoods and economic development, in both developed and developing countries.
To improve food safety, WHO advocates for different governmental departments and agencies – encompassing public health, agriculture, education and trade – to collaborate with each other as well as to engage civil society, including consumer groups.
Addressing the issue
To help ensure food safety and quality control, systems must be strengthened at national, regional and international levels, says FAO.
Among other things, this requires:
Leadership in assessing and developing food control systems, including policy and regulatory frameworks.
Institutional and individual management, including the management of food safety emergencies.
Sound scientific advice to underpin standards at national, regional and international levels.
Platforms, databases and mechanisms that support dialogue and global access to information.
Collection, analysis and communication of food chain intelligence.
Food – Members of the Baha’i inspired educational program called Preparation for Social Action (PSA) have taken steps to confront the possibility of food shortages in their communities due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The PSA program, implemented in 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific, raises capacity in young people to apply knowledge drawn from both science and religion for the development of their communities.
Many participants in this program are expanding personal gardens and planting crops that can be harvested quickly, so as to create reliable sources of food over the coming months of uncertainty. A group of participants in Uganda is making use of local radio to promote awareness about food production.
A joint task force has been established by WHO/Europe and the Central European Initiative (CEI) to respond to COVID-19 and step up regional coordination to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
by WHO Europe
Comprising key health officials from the 17 CEI member states, the task force will serve as a strategic platform for updating member states, exchanging information, and sharing experiences, best practices and training. The goal of the task force is to encourage a coherent response and anticipate any unfavourable consequences that may stem from the pandemic while shifting towards easing of restrictions and recovery.
With the CEI Executive Secretariat providing coordination and support, and WHO/Europe contributing scientific advice to the discussions, the twice-monthly meetings will serve as a forum for CEI countries to express their needs and priorities, and establish a common understanding of internationally recommended strategies that are rooted in science and are evidence-based.
Health at the centre of recovery
During the coming weeks, the task force is set to focus on economic and socioeconomic recovery, the recovery of health systems and the safe easing of restrictions. Working groups will be set up as needed to help outline the functions and priorities of the task force, taking a closer look at thematic areas, such as COVID-19 implications for border management and tourism as summer approaches.
The importance of keeping health at the centre of socioeconomic recovery, identifying and evaluating potential risks during the transition phase, easing restrictions safely, and preventing the virus from resurging was stressed by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, in his address to the member states during the Extraordinary Virtual Meeting of CEI Heads of Government on 15 May 2020.
Through the task force, WHO/Europe, the CEI Executive Secretariat, the countries in the region and experts in various health fields will work together to equip the member states with robust mechanisms to tackle common challenges and strengthen their COVID-19 response, with tangible results for the entire region.
Penguin Random House is the last of the Big Five American trade publishers to announce they will not attend this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair.
“As a long-time annual participant in the Frankfurt Book Fair, who believes in its enduring value and importance, Penguin Random House greatly regrets it will neither exhibit at this year’s Fair, nor attend in person, to protect the health and well-being of our employees, authors, and partners,” said the company in a statement. “Our companies will strive to support the Fair’s virtual activities this October.”
Late last month, the Frankfurt Book Fair revealed plans for a smaller event, one limited to 20,000 people at a time, with larger booths spread out over a greater area on the fairgrounds. The fair is also developing a full slate of digital events. “This will not be the same book fair as before,” said book fair director Juergen Boos. “But the changes we make and tools we implement now will help us have a better book fair in the future.”
Previously, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster all said they would not attend the fair, but did not rule out taking part in online programs.
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — As conflict, pollution and a pandemic plague the world, a new document issued by Pope Francis on Monday (June 1) – imposing transparency and efficiency measures within Vatican finances – may seem unimportant. But for observers within and outside the walled city-state, the pope’s move is a “game-changer.”
The document completely overhauls the way the Vatican invests its money. As veteran Vatican reporter John Allen put it, “nothing Pope Francis has done prior to Monday has greater potential to truly remake the Vatican’s conventional ways and means.”
In the new document, Pope Francis wrote: “In order to allow for a more efficient handling of resources, I have decided to approve a series of norms aimed at promoting transparency, control and competition in the awarding of contracts for goods and services.”
The main takeaways are the creation of a register of vetted contractors who can bid to supply goods and services to the Holy See and the Vatican. Also, the acquisitions are centralized under the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which oversees the Vatican’s real estate and financial dealings, or the Government of the Vatican City State, the executive branch at the Vatican.
In an interview published by Vatican News, Vincenzo Bonomo, dean of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, said the centralization proposed in the document aims at reducing inefficiencies and waste at a time when the world – and the Vatican – are struggling financially due to the pandemic.
“We will be able to eliminate the plague of wastes, losses, and also prevent corruption in all its forms,” Bonomo said.
Once the document is enacted at the end of the month, Vatican departments, such as the Secretariat, will have to file an explicit request for the investment to APSA and the government.
The document also excludes any contract with operators who have a conflict of interest in the deal or have ever been convicted for corruption, fraud, money laundering, financing terrorism or partaking in human trafficking.
Operators may also be excluded from entering a deal with the Vatican if they have evaded taxes in their country of origin, if represented by a trust fund (which allows for the concealment of the identity of participants) or if they reside in a tax haven. Any attempt to acquire advantages or confidential information, any attempt to provide false information, or commitments of grave violations against the environment are also cause for being excluded from providing goods and services to the Vatican and Holy See.
Pope Francis delivers his blessing from his window at the end of the Regina Coeli noon prayer on May 24, 2020, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. For the first time in months, well-spaced faithful gathered in the square for the traditional Sunday papal blessing, casting their gaze at the window where the pope normally addresses the faithful, since the square had been closed due to anti-coronavirus lockdown measures. Photo by Vatican Media
Francis’ new norms could prevent the Vatican from entering into deals like the $200 million investment into prime real estate in London that made headlines in 2019 and was described as a “scandal” and “opaque.”
In that deal, the Secretariat for the Economy acquired the services of Gianluigi Torzi, who according to leaked documents earned over $10 million in service fees. Torzi was also flagged by Roman authorities last year for “crimes of false invoicing and fraud.”
All future deals will have to be approved by a judicial committee and any real estate deal must be preceded by an evaluation by APSA or the Government of the Vatican. The president of the Vatican City State Tribunal, Giuseppe Pignatone, appointed by Pope Francis with a background of fighting mafia and corruption, explained in a commentary for Vatican News that the document charges the Vatican judiciary with the responsibility of upholding the new norms.
“This new competence is a manifestation of the trust the Holy Father places on the Vatican judges,” Pignatone wrote. “I can guarantee there will be the utmost effort on our part to deserve it.”
The office of the auditor general, the Financial Information Authority (Aif) and the Secretariat for the Economy will also be charged with identifying fraud and corruption. In the previous weeks, the Vatican announced that its accounting division, the Data Processing Center (Ced), would be placed under the supervision of the Secretariat for the Economy instead of APSA.
As with the decision to move CED under the jurisdiction of the Secretariat for the Economy, the new document applies changes that Cardinal George Pell pushed for in 2017, before he was called back to his native Australia to answer historic sex abuse charges, which he was acquitted from in April.
The document issued on Monday “was born in the Secretariat for the Economy during Cardinal George Pell’s tenure,” a source who participated in the Pell-directed reforms told Religion News Service.
“Various revised drafts of what could be the final document were produced up until Pell’s departure for Australia in the summer of 2017,” the source, who wishes to remain anonymous, said. “In fact, having understood its importance, His Eminence, Cardinal Pell, wrote to the Secretary of State, Card. Pietro Parolin, in June of 2017 to transmit a copy of the latest draft of the proposed document, stress its great importance to the Holy Father’s reforms, and to invite him to coordinate its further development, involving representatives of various other Vatican organisms and entities.”
According to the source, it was the prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, the Rev. Juan Antonio Guerrero, who “provided the final support and push needed to bring the project to fruition.”
“A major milestone has been reached in the Holy Father’s reforms,” the source added.
EEAS: Kosovo: Joint statement by High Representative/ Vice-President Josep Borrell and Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi on the new government.
The European Union congratulates the new Kosovo government led by Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti and looks forward to our joint work to advance EU-Kosovo relations.
The coronavirus pandemic will remain a shared challenge for the foreseeable future and the EU will continue to stand by Kosovo and its people. We also want to see Kosovo advance on its European path. This will require determined reform efforts to strengthen the rule of law, in particular the fight against corruption and organised crime, and to promote socio-economic development.
A swift resumption of the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, with the support of EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajčák, is essential to achieve a comprehensive normalisation of relations with Serbia. The EU-facilitated Dialogue is the only way to turn Kosovo’s European future into a reality for its citizens
