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Hard lock is coming, just when?
The reins are tightened again, that’s true: schools are closed, perhaps the prohibition of alcohol in the street or even the curfew at night. Meanwhile, the heads of government of the countries that have not yet been so affected by the second corona wave – Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – advocate tightening the measures previously applicable in the fight against the virus. The lockdown light, which has been in place since early November, hasn’t changed the number of infections.
The only questions are: When will the total lockdown come? How difficult is it getting? And how long does it last? Answers to this will likely be available this week, possibly on Sunday the prime ministers will speak with the chancellor.
Angela Merkel on Wednesday in the Bundestag he once again strongly defended that something must happen. Merkel has rarely been seen so excited at the lectern, observers agree. Almost beseeching, he called on people to take responsibility for themselves, while at the same time his extended vacation calls, business closings and other contact restrictions made it clear that he doesn’t want to rely solely on personal responsibility.
Both are also an admission of their own failure: Politicians have no real strategy against the virus. Rather unprepared, she ran into the second wave. With the closing of November, the federal and state governments relied on the principle of hope. But the hope was not fulfilled and the extension did not have the desired effect. Meanwhile, people mourn the promised Christmas and New Years exceptions, and are gradually returning them.
Well a harter lock press the infection numbers, in keeping with the old Christmas motto: this time we give each other nothing. Will that work? Perhaps temporarily. But the winter is still long, the virus persistent, the vaccine is scarce at the moment. The vaccine is perhaps the only sustainable strategy against this pandemic. And politics did not invent that.
On Thursday morning, the Robert Koch Institute will again provide information on the current situation; it should provide new arguments for early tightening of measures. In addition, the ministers of education of the federal states meet in the afternoon. Then it will also be a question of whether an extension of the Christmas holidays is justifiable from your point of view.
Enmity ends money
The 27 heads of state and government are expected to come to Brussels on Thursday last EU summit this year together. And it looks like Angela Merkel could bring her six-month presidency to an orderly end, if her colleagues agree to the compromise that Germany stubbornly agreed to at the last minute in the tedious budget dispute. Hungary and Poland has negotiated.
They wanted the following Seven year budget and the Corona support package block the planned Mechanism of the rule of law to prevent. With this mechanism, the EU should be able to reduce the funds of member states in the future if they violate the rule of law.
Now Hungary and Poland should be able to make an “interpretative statement” on this. It is not legally binding, but above all it will ensure that the mechanism is not applied so quickly, only after the European Court of Justice has verified its legality. That could take a while, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán would probably have nothing to fear at home until the next elections in 2022. That’s important to him.
After all, the mechanism as such remains intact. The ultimatum of the German Council Presidency to Poland and Hungary is likely to have had an effect: no compromise, no carbon. Under the threat, the € 750 billion crown reconstruction package could also be split among 25 members. There was also a massive funding cut.
Suddenly, the stubborn were flexible again. When it comes to money, the hostility ends in the EU. The fact that the Hungarians are now celebrating their “victory” should be taken in stride in Berlin and Brussels.
Brexit decision in four days?
Should have been “lively”, the joint Brexit dinner of Ursula von der Leyen Y Boris johnson. After all. Unsurprisingly, the head of the EU Commission and the British Prime Minister did not reach an agreement in the fight for a Brexit deal in the “food fight” (“The Sun”). The positions were still far apart, both camps let him know.
The chefs at the Commission’s headquarters in Brussels did their best to symbolically charge for the dinner. For starter there was pumpkin soup with scallops, possibly as a little reminder of how British and French fishermen once attacked each other in the fight for mussel fishing grounds offshore.
Next, the main course: Steamed turbot, mashed potatoes with wasabi and vegetables. The turbot is common in waters off the British coast, and if European fishermen still have access to these waters if the Post-Brexit transition phase Ending the year is one of the issues at stake in trade negotiations.
The teams on both sides are supposed to continue negotiations this morning until von der Leyen and the British government announced on Sunday that they want to reach a “decision. It cannot be ruled out that this decision means giving a few more days.
An application…
… in our own name: My colleagues in the video department don’t just want to remember the year in a negative way, even if good news is rare. Hence the following request from my colleague Andreas Evelt: »What personal memories do you take back from 2020? Feel free to send us a video statement (landscape format, maximum 30 seconds). “Your adress: [email protected].
“And if you still want to get rid of something: if you could really voice your opinion again for 2020, what would you say?” (Also in the video by email, maximum ten seconds). In Andis and on my behalf: Thank you for participating!
