The EU states are discussing how to proceed in the corona pandemic.
Issues are border controls and the introduction of a vaccination pass.
Security policy is also an issue.
An online EU summit will take place on Thursday and Friday - the corona pandemic and security policy are central topics.
On Friday morning, for example, the focus was on cooperation with NATO
(see update from February 26, 10.17 a.m.).
After the first day of the meeting, Chancellor Merkel * commented on the EU vaccination
pass,
among other things
(see update from February 25, 8:35 p.m.).
This news ticker is updated regularly.
Update from February 26th, 3:15 p.m.:
The EU wants to take its defense into its own hands more strongly without competing with NATO.
The EU must “take on more responsibility for its security” and expand its ability to “act autonomously”, declared the EU heads of state and government on Friday after the summit discussions on security and defense policy.
At the same time, however, the Union wants to continue to cooperate “closely with NATO” and the USA.
On the second day of their video conference, the heads of state and government took stock of the development of EU defense policy.
At the end of 2017, the EU countries launched closer cooperation here.
French President Emmanuel Macron had brought the subject into focus again at the Munich Security Conference last Friday.
A strong partnership needs strong partners, said EU Council President Charles Michel.
“That is why I am convinced that a stronger European Union is also a stronger NATO.” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pointed out that 22 of the 27 EU countries are also in NATO.
EU summit: Merkel is thinking of joint armaments projects with Biden's USA
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) can also imagine that the EU and the USA will work together on European armaments projects.
Close cooperation between the EU and NATO could "also include cooperation between the EU and the United States in structured cooperation," said government spokesman Steffen Seibert.
Meanwhile, it is still unclear what exactly the EU will do with strengthened defense capacities.
The EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell informed the heads of state and government about the work on a “strategic compass”, which, according to the summit declaration, should be adopted in March 2022.
The basis is a threat analysis completed in November.
According to this, the EU countries must now "identify specific goals for what will determine our work in security and defense in the coming years," said Borrell.
"We have to forge a European strategic culture."
EU summit: NATO Secretary General visits - Merkel and Co. discuss defense
Update from February 26th, 10.17 a.m.:
After discussions about the corona pandemic, the EU heads of state and government will devote themselves to defense and security policy on Friday, on the second and last day of the video summit.
Guest Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, advocated even closer cooperation between the EU and the defense alliance.
"More than 90 percent of the people who live in the European Union live in a NATO country," he said.
This shows that they have a very large common population and are largely confronted with the same neighborhood and the same challenges.
Stoltenberg named increasing the resilience of critical infrastructures, cyber attacks and combating the consequences of climate change as relevant topics for the cooperation.
In addition, it is still about stabilizing the Western Balkans or, for example, dealing with migration in the Aegean Sea.
EU Council President Charles Michel tried to dispel possible worries about an excessively strong EU.
“I am convinced that strong partnerships require strong partners,” he said.
"That is why I am convinced that a stronger European Union is a stronger NATO."
Consultations with EU heads of state and government: Close cooperation with NATO desired
Update from February 26, 8:39 a.m.:
On the second day of their video conference, the EU heads of state and government deal with issues of security and defense (9 a.m.).
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has also been invited to the meeting.
According to the draft of the summit declaration, the EU states want to once again express their will to “cooperate closely with NATO”.
At the same time, however, the goal of “increasing the EU's capacity” to “act autonomously” in the defense sector should be affirmed.
The EU states launched increased cooperation in this area in 2018.
This was partly a reaction to the unclear course of then US President Donald Trump towards NATO.
The new administration in Washington under Joe Biden is likely to make demands on the Europeans to make a greater contribution to their own security.
Another topic of the summit is EU cooperation with southern neighboring countries, for example in Africa.
EU summit on the corona pandemic: Merkel on possible controls on the border with France
+
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) comes to a press conference after the online EU special summit on the corona pandemic.
© John Macdougall / dpa
Update from February 25, 9:03 p.m.:
After the EU summit, Merkel also commented on possible controls at the border with France.
Despite the worrying Corona situation in the French region of Moselle, the Chancellor does not expect stricter controls like at the borders with the Czech Republic or the Austrian state of Tyrol.
"Border controls are currently not on the agenda," said the CDU politician on Thursday after the first day of the EU video summit.
The Moselle department borders the Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate.
In the past few weeks, the corona situation there had worsened.
The increased occurrence of dangerous corona variants is of particular concern.
France has already tightened its entry rules for this region in consultation with the German side.
Cross-border commuters who do not want to enter for professional reasons must submit a negative PCR test from March 1st.
EU summit: Merkel announces vaccination card - Chancellor announces first details
Update from February 25, 8:35 p.m.:
Chancellor Angela Merkel * assumes that the EU vaccination certificate can be developed by the summer.
"The political requirement is that this can be achieved in the next few months, I was talking about three months," said the CDU * politician on Friday after the EU video summit.
The certificate is intended to create the possibility of granting vaccinated persons advantages if necessary.
“Everyone pointed out today that this is currently not the issue with the low level of vaccination among the population.
But you have to prepare, ”stressed Merkel.
But that does not mean that in future only those who have a vaccination certificate will be allowed to travel.
"No political decisions have been made about this at all."
EU summit on the corona pandemic: several countries urge travel relief for vaccinated people
Countries such as Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Austria are urging people who have been vaccinated to make travel easier.
Greece and Cyprus have already concluded agreements with Israel on the future entry of vaccinated persons.
Some EU countries such as Poland and Romania already grant vaccinated persons advantages, for example when entering the country.
The agreement at EU level is far from that far.
So far, the 27 EU countries have only agreed that there should be mutually recognized proof of vaccination.
A database for registering vaccinations and a personalized QR code for vaccinated people are planned.
However, Germany, France and others have concerns about attaching advantages to the document - among other things because it is unclear whether people who have been vaccinated can pass the virus on.
EU summit in Brussels ended: primarily corona vaccinations and virus variants issue
Update from February 25, 8:25 p.m.:
The EU special summit on the corona crisis ended on Thursday evening.
A spokesman for EU Council President Charles Michel announced this on Twitter.
The main focus of the summit was on how corona vaccinations can be accelerated and the feared virus variants can be combated.
There was also debate about the introduction of a common EU vaccination pass in connection with possible advantages when traveling.
It was announced in advance for the evening that Chancellor Angela Merkel would comment on the summit after the summit.
The press conference had been postponed because of the long meeting.
EU summit: dispute over vaccination passport and border controls
First report from February 25th:
Brussels - On Thursday afternoon (
February 25th,
2021) the Chancellor Angela Merkel and her EU colleagues will discuss the joint fight against the corona pandemic from 3 p.m.
In this context, the acceleration of the corona vaccinations and the slowing down of virus mutations should be discussed in particular.
In addition, the dispute over stricter border controls in Germany and other countries should be settled.
The creation of a standardized EU corona vaccination pass is also to be discussed.
First and foremost, the video summit will be about speeding up vaccinations and remedying the vaccine deficiency.
Vaccination against the coronavirus is currently progressing much more slowly in the EU than, for example, in Great Britain, the USA or Israel.
This is mainly due to a lack of vaccine.
Therefore, the heads of state and government want to discuss a faster approval of the funds.
Production and deliveries are to be increased.
Manufacturers are expected to fulfill their commitments, wrote EU Council Chairman Charles Michel in his letter of invitation to the EU summit.
EU summit: disagreement over border controls and criticism of Germany's solo effort
The controversial topic of the EU summit is likely to be the tightened border controls of Germany and other countries.
In fact, a few weeks ago the EU states agreed on a uniform procedure at the borders.
Germany has broken this agreement by introducing stricter controls on the borders with the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria.
This has caused criticism from the EU Commission, as commuters and important goods are being held up at the borders and the internal market is therefore likely to suffer.
Finally, the heads of state and government will be discussed at the EU summit on the introduction of a European corona vaccination pass.
So far, the 27 member states have only agreed that there should be mutually recognized proof of a corona vaccination.
This should work via a database for registering the vaccinations and a personalized QR code for vaccinated persons.
The member states disagree as to whether there should be advantages associated with proof of vaccination.
No agreement: will the corona vaccination pass for EU citizens come?
Germany, France and others have reservations because it is unclear whether people who have been vaccinated will pass the virus on.
The opponents also fear mandatory vaccination through the back door.
Opinions on this subject differ widely.
The Vice-President of the European Parliament and former Federal Minister of Justice, Katarina Barley (SPD), considers the discussion to be premature.
However, she also explained to Südwestrundfunk that a restriction of basic rights could no longer be justified if people who had been vaccinated could no longer transmit the virus.
The FDP politician Nicola Beer - also Vice President of the EU Parliament -
has already
pleaded with the
German Press Agency
for a debate about a European Corona vaccination certificate.
The Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) has already announced that he is campaigning for a European vaccination pass, which is supposed to be based on the “Green Pass” in Israel.
In Israel, people who have recovered from a corona infection and have been vaccinated against the virus with the “Green Pass” have been able to visit gyms, theaters and sporting events as well as stay in hotels.
Promotion of freedom of travel: especially important for tourism countries
A similar vaccination certificate is to be introduced in the EU, according to Kurz, "preferably digitally on the mobile phone".
In this way, the vaccinated should "get back all the freedoms that we value so much".
In this way, freedom of travel could be restored in Europe.
Especially countries like Greece and Cyprus, which are dependent on tourism, therefore also require such an EU vaccination certificate.
The heads of state and government of the EU member states discuss cooperation in the Corona crisis about once a month.
Another summit video conference on foreign and security policy issues is planned for Friday.
(dpa / afp / at)
List of rubric lists: © John Macdougall / dpa