Draghi stabs one of the EU’s star measures

The drafting of conclusions of a European council It is a huge balancing act in every sense. A fine art perfected over decades that allows the heads of State and Government to agree on a text that is sufficiently vague and ambiguous so that everyone can support it, even if their interests, hidden or expressed, be almost contrary sometimes. On Thursday, the leaders stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between member states and avoiding disproportionate measures, without communication. But the text talks about avoiding a scenario that has already come true.

In Brussels, Paris, Berlin and Madrid there are voices showing concern as the new variant spreads, omicron, and fear that their expansion will again provoke panic, improvisation and unilateral measures, which have been seen since the beginning of the pandemic and until vaccination has spread. Now diplomatic sources admit that there is a feeling that the achievements made in recent months are being reversed.

Freedom of movement is the jewel in the crown of Schengen, one of the sacred measures for the European Union. And it has suffered greatly since March 2020. The Commission tried, unsuccessfully, to keep it protected in the worst of the pandemic, putting heavy pressure on Member States that applied tough travel restrictions in the autumn of last year. That enormously fractured map of national and unilateral measures following particular criteria that worried Brussels so much was only fixed when the Commission brought forward the idea of ​​a vaccination passport or a digital green certificate, a common document for all European partners that would allow vaccinated citizens to travel without restrictions. In the community capital, after a first and resounding success, it was already felt that this proposal was beginning to become very tense due to the increase in cases.

It is precisely for this reason that the European Commission has an effort to save the initiative by proposing the expiration of the passport nine months after receiving the full schedule, to encourage the injection of the third dose from six months on and also so that the Member States continue to support the tool and thus avoid exactly what has happened in recent weeks . While Brussels tries to save the vaccination passport, some Member States are stabbing him repeatedly.

European leaders fail to coordinate in front of omicron in full ‘for himself who can’

Nacho Alarcón. Brussels

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First they were Portugal and Ireland, two relatively small countries, one of them being an island. They did not generate too much concern in Brussels, although it was not a movement that liked. But this week it was the Italian government that announced that it will request a PCR test from anyone who wants to enter the country, regardless of whether they are vaccinated. Hours later, Greece announced similar measures, setting off the alarms in the community capital and in other European countries.

The Italian measure has had a lot of weight because it is one of the main Member States and because in Brussels a domino effect is feared as cases increase in the coming weeks, fracturing the map of the Union again, with each country asking for different requirements for the arrival of travelers. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, stated this week before the Plenary of the European Parliament that the new variant will be dominant in the European Union in mid-January 2022.

What’s more, Rome took the measure without prior noticeor, without notifying the Community Executive or his colleagues, despite the fact that that same day the ministers and secretaries of State for European Affairs were meeting in Brussels throughout the day. That feeling of one-sidedness and unexpected measure on the part of the rest of capitals also feeds the feeling of a return to a spirit of ‘may he be saved’ that dominated national reactions in the early stages of the pandemic. Nor did the Italian Government inform the Community Executive, despite the fact that the capitals had adopted the commitment to inform in case of taking measures.

“Sadly I have to say: the coronavirus vaccine should be mandatory”

Maria Zornoza. Brussels Video: Patricia Seijas

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Diplomatic sources from several countries and some leaders have insisted in recent hours on the need for restrictions to be followed when establishing restrictions. a strategy “by people” and not “by territories”. Although in the Italian case the test is applied to anyone, regardless of the epidemiological situation in the region from which the traveler comes, the truth is that when asking anyone for testing, whether or not they are vaccinated, there are Member States that consider that that logic is breaking to take measures for the particular situation of each traveler.

The debate dedicated to the coronavirus during the meeting of Heads of State and Government lasted, in fact, longer than expected, since several leaders showed their discontent with the decision made by the Executive led by Mario Draghi. The former president of the European Central Bank (ECB) defended the measure before his colleagues, ensuring that was guided by the precautionary principle. Draghi defended that Italy is better than other countries at the moment, and that after being one of the hardest hit in 2020, it has to take advantage of this relatively good situation with respect to the rest of European partners to try to limit the expansion of omicron in the country . The prime minister’s explanations did not convince many of his colleagues.

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Javier Brandoli. Roma

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In his entry into the meeting Alexander de Croo, Belgian Prime Minister, already indicated his position, although the liberal leader himself applied last year some of the toughest travel restrictions in the European Union when the vaccination campaign had not yet started. “If each country goes back to doing things separately, things will get much more difficult. We have to commit to the same approach across Europe,” explained the Belgian before the meeting. But the summit certified that no matter how much the conclusions ask for coordination, that common approach, that guaranteed the use of the vaccination passport, is no longer in the debate.

At their first joint press conference after a European Council, a Franco-German tradition of recent years, Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor, and Emmanuel Macron, French President, insisted on the need to protect freedom of movement in the European Union. Macron spoke out directly against asking vaccinated travelers for additional tests, noting that the movement of people and the smooth functioning of the internal market go hand in hand.

The French president also insisted on an idea that has been repeated in recent days in Brussels: putting many obstacles to freedom of movement now because of the appearance of omicron makes little sense. “The moment a certain variant is found in one of the European countries, it spreads very quickly to others “explained the French leader at a press conference.

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Jana Randow and Alessandro Speciale

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Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, also spoke about another key that have always been mentioned when promoting vaccination: giving the right incentives. “If you don’t no difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated people because they need a PCR test, I think it is a wrong idea, “he said before entering the meeting.

The European Commission hopes that the renewal of the document, making it expire at nine months and thus ensuring that people who have it are recently immunized, help keep that common focus alive and cut the domino effect which many fear may have started from Rome. In addition, they hope that this will encourage the injection of the third dose, which at this time seems key to fighting the omicron variant. Past experience shows that the Commission’s efforts have not been very helpful when a good number of Member States have panicked at the escalation of infections. The good news is that for now only four countries apply restrictions in a high transmission scenario. The vaccination passport is injured after the measures announced by Italy, but not dead. At least for the moment. The next few weeks will be key.

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