Domestic Politics
Italy ordered 156 migrants, mainly from Africa and the Middle East, on board a German rescue ship to be transferred to another vessel, where they will undergo health checks and be quarantined. The German ship was refused access to Italian and Maltese ports over fears of the coronavirus. [BBC]
Health
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that normalcy will only return once a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available. She also said that the most promising teams in Europe aimed to start trials “soon”. [Politico]
Fifty crew members on the Charles de Gaulle, France’s only aircraft carrier, tested positive for COVID-19. On Friday, the French armed forces ministry said that parts of the ship were under lockdown and that three sailors had been evacuated by air to a hospital. [Al Jazeera]
Economy
Following a discussion on the issue of a joint debt for the EU, the union’s finance ministers announced a €540 billion package to help the bloc’s economy recover from the damage caused by the pandemic. However, the statement made no mention of “corona bonds”. [Politico]
Technology
Following a long legal battle, France will become the first country where publishers will receive licensing fees for press content from Google. Google’s refusal to pay for press content was previously criticised by President Emmanuel Macron who said, “Some actors, such as Google, wish to free themselves from those [copyright] rules. We won’t let them.” [Politico]
The spread of COVID-19 in Greece led to rapid and long-overdue digitalisation of the Greek government and businesses. Previously, the Greek economy resisted moving to online platforms, primarily due to the burden it would place on small businesses. [Al Jazeera]
Society
43 people were arrested on Saturday following riots in Brussels. The violence began after a 19-year-old allegedly evaded police checks on Friday and died after crashing with another police van. [Politico]
Denmark announced a gradual relaxation of its lockdown. After witnessing a stabilisation in the number of admissions and deaths due to COVID-19, the government plans to reopen daycare centres and primary schools on April 15. [The Times]
Image Source: Voice of America
Western Europe and Scandinavia in Review: April 13, 2020
Read more about the latest events from Western Europe and Scandinavia.
April 13, 2020
