The European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans has admitted that mistakes were made in Brussels when COVID-19 vaccines were being ordered and suggested taking stock “at the end of the pandemic” of what went wrong and what was done right. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
One of the most vocal critics, Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, accused the EU on Friday (12 March) of unfairly distributing COVID-19 vaccines among member states, highlighting that certain EU countries have several times more vaccines than others.
“It is true that mistakes were made in the ordering of vaccines both in Brussels and in the member states,” Timmermans told the Tagesspiegel.
March 02, 2021
Coal-fueled power plant, Germany.
BRUSSELS Brussels announced on Tuesday that it has launched an in-depth probe into plans by Berlin to compensate coal-fired power plants for their early closure.
Germany has planned to phase out coal from its energy mix by 2038. As part of this, it has proposed to give €4.35 billion to plant operators to compensate for lost profits due to the early closures.
But the European Commission believes the funds proposed by Berlin may constitute state aid and violate EU rules. The phase-out of lignite-fired power plants contributes to the transition to a climate-neutral economy, in line with European Green Deal objectives.
Brussels probes Germany s €4 35 billion coal plant pay-off plan euronews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from euronews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
There can be no return to business as usual after the pandemic and no amount of economic pressure should force us to compromise on people’s health and the health of our planet, Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius said in an interview about the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and young people’s demands for a greener future.
He spoke to EURACTIV ahead of ViacomCBS and EU40’s ‘BEYOND 2020 – Global Youth: voices and futures!’’ virtual summit.
How does the Commission want to make sure that young people don’t fall victim of the recession that might be looming post-COVID?
Young people deserve all possible opportunities to develop their full potential to shape the future of the EU and to thrive in the green and digital transitions. However, we also know that young people often face a difficult start in the labour market, and this has been emphasised by the pandemic.