International Relations
The Chinese embassy’s statement accusing Western democracies of recklessness during the COVID-19 outbreak, including the allegation that French health care workers were leaving aged patients to die in nursing homes, led to French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drain summoning Lu Shaye, China’s ambassador to France. The ambassador continued to defend China’s “goodwill”, but criticised media houses and journalists for distorting the narrative against China. [Politico]
Several European politicians expressed regret over American President Donald Trump’s decision to cut the funding to the World Health Organisation. This included the EU’s foreign policy chief, Finland’s foreign affairs minister, and several MEPs. [Euronews]
Law
The trial of 69 members of Golden Dawn–a Greek far-right political party accused of orchestrating murder, arson, assault, and weapons possession against migrants–which was scheduled for this spring, has been pushed forward owing to the COVID-19 outbreak. [Politico]
Amazon came under the scrutiny of French courts after the French union ground, Solidaries Unitaries Democratiques (SUD), claimed that over 100 Amazon workers were being forced to work in unsafe work conditions that make social distancing impossible. The court said that Amazon must restrict deliveries until an investigation into these claims is completed. [BBC]
Society
According to a report by McKinsey, more than a quarter of jobs in Europe could prospectively be impacted due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The report suggests that up to 59 million jobs are vulnerable to a reduction in working hours, temporary furloughs, or permanent job losses. [Politico]
Denmark is preparing for a partial relaxation of its lockdown rules after its government announced guidelines for professionals such as dentists, tattooists, hairdressers, physiotherapists, dentists and beauticians to reopen for business on Monday. [The Local]
According to the Norwegian Correctional Service, Norway released over a hundred convicts to reduce crowding in prisons, allowing them to serve their sentence at home after being fitted with electronic ankle monitors. [The Local]
Technology
Friction emerged between the French government and the parliament over the state-supported “StopCovid” contact-tracing app over concerns about the potential for data abuse and privacy violations. [Reuters]
Image Source: Washington Post
Western Europe and Scandinavia in Review: April 20, 2020
Read more about the latest events from Western Europe and Scandinavia.
April 20, 2020
