Euobserver.com

The European Commission on Wednesday urged member states to remain vigilant during the current phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. "It is crucial that member states maintain a high level of vigilance and preparedness for new outbreaks and variants — the pandemic is not over yet," said health commissioner Stella Kyriakides. The EU Commission estimates that between 60 percent and 80 percent of the EU population has been infected with Covid-19.

The European Commission wants to set up so-called "talent partnerships" with foreign states to help fill the labour gaps in the EU — on the condition they help prevent irregular migration.

The European Union has said that gas payments in roubles would breach the EU sanctions regime on Russia — urging companies not to accede to Russian demands.

The so-called conditionality mechanism has been invoked, for the first time in EU history, over long-standing concerns of corruption, amid allegations Viktor Orbán's allies syphoned off EU money, and over how Budapest ignored commission concerns.

Corruption, plus the Turkish economy's severe decline, is why the international sanctions are regarded as an opportunity for corrupt elites who perceive sanctions as a bargaining chip to make more money. Any EU sanctions regime must consider Ankarara's evasions.

Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, one of Africa's leading climate activists and lead of Uganda's Fridays for Future movement, describes young Africa's green hopes.

The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that Russian energy giant Gazprom's decision to halt gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland, due to the absence of payments in roubles, was "unjustified" and "unacceptable". "[This] is yet another attempt by Russia to use gas as an instrument of blackmail," her statement said, adding Russia has proven to be an unreliable supplier.

Germany has pledged to send 50 mobile anti-aircraft systems called Cheetahs to Ukraine at an arms-pledging conference hosted by the US at its Rammstein military base in Germany Tuesday, ending weeks of foot-dragging on weapons shipments to the Russia-besieged country. "Those systems will provide real capability for Ukraine," US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin said, Reuters reports. The move comes despite Russia's redoubled warnings of a nuclear confrontation with Nato.

Ukraine has every right to strike targets inside Russia in self-defence, including using Nato-supplied weapons, British armed forces minister James Heappey said Tuesday. "Ukraine is targeting what I would say are completely legitimate military targets to disrupt Russian logistics supplies," he told The Times. "They make those choices just as the Russians make the choices to indiscriminately bomb Ukrainian towns and cities," he said.

Moldova's pro-Western president Maria Sandu warned Tuesday some "forces inside Transnistria" were in "favour of war", referring to the country's Russia-controlled breakaway region. Sandu spoke after emergency meetings following explosions and rocket attacks in Transnistria Monday and Tuesday, as well as belligerent statements by Russian politicians and generals. Moldova, like Ukraine, used to be a Soviet vassal, but recently applied to join the European Union.

The UN's refugee agency predicts more than 8 million Ukrainians could end up fleeing the country, it said at a conference in Geneva Tuesday. The "UNHCR and partners are seeking $1.85bn [€.72bn] to support a projected 8.3 million refugees in ... Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, as well as other countries in the region, including Belarus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic," UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said.

Russian threats will not stop Finland joining Nato, a senior Finnish official has indicated, amid memories of its 'Winter War' with the Soviet Union.

The European Commission has raised concerns over the impact of the next winter's heating costs on the continent's economy.

German economy minister Robert Habeck said it can end its dependence on Russian oil within days, after previously saying it would take till the end of the year. He made the announcement on Tuesday after meeting his Polish counterpart Anna Moskwa in Warsaw. "A problem that seemed very big a few weeks ago is now a lot smaller. Germany has got much closer to independence from Russian oil," he said.

The ECB is under internal pressure to raise interest rates, but economists warn it will cause unemployment and economic hardship.

For a decade we have been watching the extreme, mostly from the political right, growing, or at least entrenching itself, and turning elections into democracy plebiscites. And it seems that nobody has found a convincing recipe to stop them.

Thierry Breton, the EU's commissioner for the internal market, issued a warning to Elon Musk following his takeover of Twitter. "Be it cars or social media, any company operating in Europe needs to comply with our rules — regardless of their shareholding," said Breton, in a tweet. Musk purchased Twitter for $44bn [€41.2bn]. Breton said Musk will need to "quickly adapt to the Digital Services Act."

Spain and Portugal announced on Tuesday an agreement with the European Commission to temporarily limit the price of natural gas for 12 months, Spanish media reported. The reference price of gas will be initially fixed at around €40-per-megawatt-hour, but it will have to reach an average price of €50-per-megawatt-hour throughout the period that the mechanism is in place. Spain and Portugal last month requested setting a maximum of €30-per-megawatt-hour.

The European Court of Justice has ruled against Austria for imposing and reimposing internal border controls — and fining one person €36 for refusing to show a passport. Such checks may only be introduced for six months when there is serious threat to public policy or internal security. Austria failed to substantiate those threats, but still imposed checks in violation of the Schengen Borders Code, said the court.

For peace in Europe in the short term, Ukraine must win the war. But for peace in the long term, Germany must be contained and Russia must break apart.