Belgian PM @alexanderdecroo has tonight announced a ban on non-essential international travel, starting Wednesday 27 January and lasting until 1 March.

People coming in to or leaving Belgium will need to be doing so for one of these essential reasons: brusselstimes.com/news/belgium-a…
At the same time, the PM announced a schedule for a relaxation of Belgium’s 2nd lockdown, in place since 2 November.

“The coronavirus situation in our country has stabilised,” he said. “Our figures are better than in most other countries in Europe, thanks to our perseverance.”
“Let this be clear: we are not building a wall around our country,” De Croo says. “Coming and going is still possible, but there will have to be a good reason.”
The government says it is not closing its borders with EU neighbours, only forbidding non-essential travel to them.

This will mostly be checked at airports and train stations. For the moment there are not plans to actually seal off the land border as happened last Spring.

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More from @DaveKeating

22 Jan
Hungary has become the first EU country to use its ability to emergency-authorise a vaccine before @EMA_News approval.

A minister says they've approved Russian vaccine Sputnik and ordered doses from Moscow.

Sputnik is not even on radar for EMA approval.
ft.com/content/20bfa7…
This could throw both Commission's procurement process and EMA's approval process into crisis.

It's essentially a gentleman's agreement not to pre-empt those two EU-level processes. Now that one country has broken ranks, will others follow?

Germany already flirted with idea.
I was told that at last night's #EUCO video summit all prime ministers and presidents expressed continued support for the Commission's joint procurement and the EMA's regulatory independence. Even Orban 🤷‍♂️.
Read 7 tweets
21 Jan
Before tonight's #EUCO vaccine summit, here's an explainer of the EU vaccine roll-out situation, to clear up misunderstandings.

1st point is that for almost all EU countries, this isn't a supply problem. As seen in this @jfkirkegaard chart, national performance is varying widely
The chart shows best performers are using their supply. But most countries aren't even using half of what they've been supplied. Only Denmark is having a supply problem.

As of Tuesday EU countries have received 12.3m Pfizer doses and 650k Moderna doses, but given only 5m shots.
Some national politicians (and media) want to pin the blame for national distribution failings on Brussels - an old European tradition.

But when it comes to the Commission's role here, there is no supply problem - yet. We'll see if one comes later.
Read 15 tweets
19 Jan
Vice President Schinas announces EU Commission is calling on member states to accelerate their vaccine roll-outs so they can vaccinate 70% of adults by summer.

That’s a long way to go. After 3 weeks of vaccinating in EU, rates range from 2.94% in Denmark to 0.28% in Bulgaria. Image
Vaccination *roll-outs* are the responsibility of national governments, but *procurement and supply* is being managed by the Commission.

The EMA will work with manufacturers to ramp up production capacity in Europe.
ec.europa.eu/commission/pre…
The Commission is also endorsing the idea of EU coordination on vaccine certificates.

Schinas: “A common EU approach to trusted, reliable & verifiable certificates would allow people to use airports of other member states, and open door to other uses to help ease restrictions."
Read 7 tweets
13 Jan
It took a week, but the US president has finally unequivocally condemned last week's insurrection in DC.

Immediately after being impeached, he has stiffly read out a script prepared for him.

As the prospect of Senate conviction looms.
Reminder: Immediately after the Capitol Building siege, Trump praised the insurrectionists as "patriots" and told them "we love you".

This is a Trump cowed. Will it be enough to stop Senators from convicting him, preventing from ever being elected again?
“Mob violence goes against everything I believe in,” Trump reads out. "No true supporters of mine could ever endorse political violence. No true supporter of mine could disrespect law enforcement or our great American flag".

But he takes no responsibility for incitement.
Read 5 tweets
13 Jan
BREAKING: Donald Trump has become the first US president in history to be impeached twice.

This time, with 10 Republican votes, he has been impeached for incitement to insurrection. Image
However Trump will not, barring unforeseen developments, be removed from office before 20 Jan

Pence has rejected House request to #InvokeThe25th.

McConnell has rejected House request to vote on #impeachment *conviction*.

Republicans are protecting Trump from consequences.
Many Republicans said during the House debate that they do believe Trump incited what they called either an insurrection or domestic terrorism.

But they said they could not support a rushed impeachment process that would shatter norms and divide the country.
Read 4 tweets
13 Jan
Republican Congressman Tom Cole says if the House leadership withdraws motion to impeach, he'll submit a motion to create a bipartisan commission to examine what happened during the "domestic terrorism" incident last week.

But Democrats say a committee, or censure, is not enough
It's noteworthy that I haven't heard any Republican in this House debate so far try to majorly downplay what happened last week.

The Republicans are calling it an insurrection and an act of domestic terrorism.

But they say a rushed impeachment would violate norms and decorum.
Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer responds to Cole and other Republicans saying House shouldn't impeach because the Senate couldn't convict before Trump's term ends (it could actually).

"Is there little time left? Yes. But it's never too late to do the right thing."
Read 8 tweets

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