CORONAVIRUS has exposed fundamental flaws in the European Union’s ability to tackle a global crisis, a pro-Brexit think-tank has claimed. The cross-party group raised questions over whether the European Union can actually navigate its way through the global pandemic without key interventions from its member state governments. Brexit Watch said a number of European capitals had been forced to make their own unilateral decisions to combat the deadly coronavirus because eurocrats had been slow and inefficient in their responses. Its chairman Ben Habib, a former Brexit Party MEP, said the bloc’s single market had been ignored in favour of more efficient domestic approaches to counter the impact of COVID-19 throughout the continent.

He told Express.co.uk: “The coronavirus has revealed actually how ineffectual the the European Union is on a pan-European basis.

“When push came to shove and countries that to do what was right for countries they absolutely jettisoned the foundations of the European Union – freedom of movement was jettisoned, state aid laws were jettisoned, open markets and trading of goods was jettisoned.”

With Europe now the epicentre of the disease, Brussels has been forced to allow governments to chart their own response.

The Commission has relaxed its normally harsh state aid and competition laws to allow capitals to protect up their struggling businesses and economies.

Brussels also announced an unprecedented travel ban that barred all non-essential travel into the bloc for 30 days in the hope of heads of government reopening their internal borders to allow a free flow of goods around the single market.

European solidarity has also suffered as a result of the global pandemic, with many countries imposing their own export bans on vital medical supplies.

The French government has ordered its manufacturers to seek permission before shipping medical equipment overseas.

The Czech Republic, Romania and Germany had also deployed similar export bans to keep supplies for domestic consumption.

Mr Habib added: “I think it instantly revealed the EU doesn’t work at a fundamental level.

“It’s all well and good when things are going swimmingly in the economy, but when push came to shove the system simply didn’t work.”

He also urged Boris Johnson to end the post-Brexit transition period as soon as possible to stop the reintroduction of the EU’s normally rigid rulebook from bogging down the UK’s recovery from the political and economic damage caused by coronavirus.

“We’ve got to be able to march as an independent country free from all of that,” he said.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1264099/EU-news-coronavirus-latest-europe-travel-ban-medical-supplies-trade-update

Despite 20 asylum seekers being infected with coronavirus at an asylum reception facility in the German city of Schwerin, the state’s interior minister refuses to implement quarantine measures to prevent a broader spread of the outbreak.

According to the interior ministry, five employees who work at for Malteser Werke, the operator of the facility, have fallen ill with the coronavirus sine the weekend, with three on Tuesday.

NDR reports that another 20 migrants at the facility, located in the German state of Mecklenberg-Vorpommen, have also been infected, with four having already recovered from the virus after being transported to an emergency asylum facility in Parchim.

No migrants have up until now required emergency hospital treatment and all reportedly are experiencing mild symptoms.

Although the migrants’ asylum facility is not under quarantine, workers who came in contact with the 20 infected migrants have been placed in isolation at their homes.

Other migrants inside the facility can still come and go under normal regulations, leading to the potential for additional infections to spread from the facility.

The five infected employees have been isolated in a quarantine at their own homes. They fell ill with the virus despite all employees always being required to wear masks and gloves.

Authorities report that there is currently no clear source of infection that could explain the outbreak.

German authorities may fear riots if a quarantine is put in place

German authorities reacted differently in March when one migrant tested positive for coronavirus at the Suhl asylum center in Thuringia.

When the center was placed under quarantine, riots started as other migrants tried to break out of the center. Police stated that the migrants threatened to set fires, threw objects at police, used children as human shields, and waved the ISIS flag.

Although police were successful in finally quelling the riots, the incident demonstrated that at least some migrants may react extremely to the prospect of quarantine.

Due to the spread of the disease, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has significantly limited conditions for applying for asylum. Any applicant must have a negative coronavirus test result, or spend 14 days in quarantine. The same rules apply to asylum interviews.

Despite a general entry ban in place in Germany, the country makes a controversial exception for asylum seekers. If migrants cross the border and say they are applying for asylum, German authorities must let them enter the country.

rmx.news/article/article/no-quarantine-at-german-asylum-center-despite-20-migrants-infected-with-coronavirus

A district mayor in German capital Berlin said that he “almost deliberately” infected himself with coronavirus in order to develop an immunity to the Chinese virus.

The District Mayor for Mitte in Berlin, Stephan von Dassel, defended his decision to purposefully catch the COVID-19 virus, saying that it would mean he would be able to continue working, while other politicians in the city would be forced to take sick leave.

“I was ill longer than I thought. I got infected almost on purpose to develop immunity and thought I’ll be a bit sick for three days and then I’ll be immune — I can’t catch it and won’t pass it on to anyone, but it was a lot worse than I imagined,” the German Green Party politician said per Deutsche Welle.

The 53-year-old added that he believed his decision to self-infect would act as a “contribution” to the goal of flattening the curve of infections in the country.

The move by Von Dassel drew criticism, as it directly contradicted the advice from the government to practise social distancing to slow the rate of coronavirus hospitalisations.

Von Dassel later claimed that his public statements were “misleading”, claiming that his decision was prompted after his partner, whom he lives with, caught the virus, adding that he will remain in quarantine until he is no longer infectious.

On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that the country’s social distancing measures would continue to be in place through the Easter holiday. The emergency measures were initially set to end on April 5th will now extend until at least April 19th.

“A pandemic doesn’t take a vacation,” Merkel said of the decision, adding that it is “much too early to think about loosening the restrictions”.

According to Johns Hopkins University, Germany has the fifth-most coronavirus infections in the world, with 80,641 confirmed cases and 997 deaths.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/04/02/berlin-district-mayor-intentionally-infected-himself-coronavirus/

After weeks of delay and defiance from authorities, German Health Minister Jens Spahn appears to have implemented a ban on flights from the Islamic Republic of Iran to Germany.Spahn tweeted on Wednesday: “The new Infection Protection Act now makes it possible: Flights from Iran to Germany are prohibited with immediate effect.

“We are placing strict restrictions on the epidemic in Germany – we cannot allow flights from this high-risk area.”He justified his decision because “the actual events in Iran are very non-transparent.”Germany has permitted scores of Iran Air flights to enter the federal republic. The US Department of Treasury sanctioned Iran Air in 2011 for “providing material support and services to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” and Defense Ministry and Armed Forces Logistics.The Trump administration reimposed sanctions on Iran Air after the 2015 nuclear deal lifted economic penalties on the airline.The Jerusalem Post reported in March that German airports and authorities defied an announcement from Transportation Minister Andreas Scheuer to bar flights from the coronavirus-infected hotspots of the Islamic Republic of Iran and China.

German-Iranian dissident Kazem Moussavi tweeted at the time: “Shame on Appeasement! Politics allows the Corona-Mullah-Airline to land in Germany.”

https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/German-health-minister-stops-flights-from-Iran-623229

The Dutch government paid social media influencers to tell people to stay at home to limit the spread of Covid-19. They do not want to say how much money was spent on the campaign however.

Dutch blogger GeenStijl found out that the amount was between 60 and 100 000 euros, paid to only 8 influencers. Clearly, the government does not trust the mainstream media to relay the message of confinement and social distancing.

During the Corona debate, FvD MP Thierry Baudet asked Premier Mark Rutte on Wednesday which influencers were being paid for the lockdown campaign #AlleenSamen.

Rutte reacted in a hostile way (and in this crisis rather out of character) to a very normal question from Baudet. It appears that the influencers all come from the Talpa stable.

Why would the government pay €7500 to €12 500 per influencer to communicate a lockdown, at a time when the whole of the Netherlands have to stay indoors anyway?

Jaap van Dissel, the RIVM epidemiologist, told MPs on Wednesday that it was still crucial to follow the government’s instructions on social distancing. Models showing the spread of the disease have become more realistic, “but they are just estimations which help us to take the right steps,” he explained.

The government on Tuesday said it was extending the Dutch virtual lock down until April 28 and would reassess the situation on April 21.

freewestmedia.com/2020/04/02/dutch-government-pay-influencers-to-make-people-stay-at-home/

Week 1 in a country in complete shutdown. Austria has been at the forefront of forcing its citizens to “shelter in place” by enacting measures so severe that even the country’s elderly cannot remember anything similar.

To snuff out a virus that originated in China in November and has since made its way around the world, roughly a month ago, the Austrian government, led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, thankfully heeded a dire warning by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, took hard a look at Austria’s neighboring country, Italy, and immediately enacted a first set of measures, followed by the drastic rules mentioned above, that were first extended until April 13 and stepped up on March 30.

The new measures include wearing compulsory masks when grocery shopping, which, in due course, will be extended to the wearing masks when outdoors at any time. In addition, vulnerable men and women, that is, those whose immune systems are compromised, are required to stay home, with their salaries covered by the government. The chancellor warned the population that “what we are witnessing right now is the quiet before the storm” and added that if measures are loosened, they will start with the opening of shops and some restaurants; universities and schools will follow at the very end of this process. Schools in Austria are therefore unlikely to reopen before the fall, although there are already extensive course online.

Noteworthy findings turned up, however, such as what public issues matter and what do not:

Borders matter. For many years, Europeans have been told by their leaders that borders could not be closed to curb illegal migration due to the Schengen Agreement, to the detriment of security in European countries. Suddenly, with the numbers of COVID-19 deaths rising, and with the spread of the virus traced across Europe, border controls, barriers and other measures were swiftly introduced. The United States followed suit in closing its borders with Canada and Mexico. Strict border security helps to stop the virus from spreading. In the 14^th century, Polish King Casimir III knew what to do in order to save his country from the plague, which had spread from China to Europe and killed countless millions of people. Poland was less affected by the plague because King Casimir isolated his country, closed borders and quarantined the border regions. Border security is health security.

Freedom of speech matters. The Austrian government has installed a “ministry of truth” in the office of the chancellor, staffed by police cadets. In times of crisis, the search for the truth is more challenging than ever. Abundant propaganda, fake news and rumors are disseminated, even by the governments (here and here). But a cow remains a cow even if it is called a sheep. The Austrian government and the UK government have set up special task forces to weed out so-called fake news and “‘defend the country’ from misinformation” with respect to anything concerning Covid-19.

Andreas Unterberger, Austria’s most widely read political blogger, notes:

“It is absolutely stunning that a large police unit has now started to officiate in the Chancellery….The government acts as if it were in possession of the absolute truth amid a sea of lies and half-truths. On the contrary, the opposite is true… whenever a government got its hands on truth control, it has massively abused it within a very short time to gag and ban critical and oppositional voices. Once they have the power to control opinion, it is a massive temptation for those in power to use it in the self-interest of a government. The government ministers fail to realize the most important connection: the more a government carries out opinion control, the more people inevitably trust alternative sources of information, and not the government officials or those financed by the government.”

Sadly, not just the government but also Amazon, has discreetly eliminated a sizeable list of books from its listing, citing “dubious” information or even “conspiracy theories” on the defense against or even cure for Covid-19. Who decides what is a conspiracy theory? Amazon? Where has the marketplace of ideas disappeared to? Where, in fact, is the marketplace?

Sovereignty and nationalism matter. The president of the American Freedom Alliance, Karen Siegemund, notes:

“Notice how each country – country! – took upon itself its right to sovereign action to protect its citizens.
Italy imposed quarantines; Austria closed its borders and implemented various restrictions on gatherings and mandated closures of entertainment venues, restaurants etc. Even Germany has now closed its borders.
Borders in the context of Europe is an astounding thing, and it’s heartbreaking that it took a virus, and the deaths it’s left in its wake, rather than the years-long invasions for [the countries] to assert sovereignty, and to finally, finally, turn to protecting their citizens.

“‘Europe’ in the form of the European Union has been silent. The United Nations does not even seem to be speaking out although, in a rational world they would — and should — be calling for “Crimes against humanity” charges to be brought against China. That silence under these circumstances is simply further proof of the UN’s uselessness at best, and of the EU’s utter irrelevance.

“It is nations putting the health, safety and security of their people above all else that will stem the spread of this virus; the nightmare is that it took this pandemic to wake governments up to the primacy of their people as the core of their responsibility.”

Leadership matters. Whether the greatly differing measures taken by continental Europe or those in the United Kingdom are successful remains to be seen, but leadership in times of crisis is crucial. In the UK, it is prime minister Boris Johnson who on March 3 launched a four-step plan to combat the outbreak in the UK, later backing away from herd immunity. New and tough measures, including a lockdown, were later implemented. In Austria, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz exhibited tough leadership. It is too early to assess whether the government is taking the “right” steps; however, remaining calm and in control are key to garnering support even among his critics. Kurz is adept at team-building, by including all members of his government as well as by keeping the political opposition informed. This approach has led to bi-partisan support for all implemented measures. In the United States, President Donald J. Trump has been personally leading an extremely popular daily televised press briefing with members of his Covid-19 task force.

Receding into the background have been topics such as climate change, Greta Thunberg, and Fridays for Future. Health measures have clearly taken precedence over kids cutting school. Nevertheless, many have always been adept at “never letting a crisis go to waste” (Rahm Emanuel) and at using one to do things that could not be done before; they will probably be back to doing their best to see what they can land in their “dream catcher”.

Armed forces matter. Germany has mobilized its military to assist in maintaining public order, with German Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer reassuring Germans that “in these difficult times, the citizens can rely on their Bundeswehr.” Despite being financially starved in recent years, the Austrian armed forces were mobilized early on in the crisis to assist the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in repatriating Austrians from abroad, providing support in logistical tasks such as stocking grocery stores, and relieving police by protecting foreign embassies in Vienna. The move proved right the rejection of the 2013 referendum to end conscription and introduce a professional army.

Civil vigilance matters. A particularly worrisome trend is having politicians using crises to increase the power of the state — a terrifying thought. Although in this instance, people actually did need to be quarantined to prevent the rolling spread of the virus, the widespread lockdowns in the United States, Europe and in Israel — which, in Austria’s case, took place after unprecedented accelerated parliamentary discussion — are likely bound for even more debate after the return to normalcy. Also potentially problematic is the British Coronavirus Bill, which “will enable the police and immigration officers to detain a person, for a limited period, who is, or may be, infectious and to take them to a suitable place to enable screening and assessment”. In a different situation, the words “may be” could be ominous in their broadness. For now, however, we should be thankful to our governments for trying to contain a runaway virus to which we have no immunity until some form of limiting its medical and economic harm can be found.

Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff is an Austrian human rights activist fighting for the right to freedom of speech as enshrined in the U.S. First Amendment. In 2009 she as charged for incitement to hatred and later found guilty for denigrating the religious teachings of a legally recognized religion. Her case was later accepted at the European Courts for Human Rights. She is the author of the book, “The Truth is No Defense.”

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15835/austria-coronavirus-chronicles

Boris Johnson has been warned not to delay the end of the transition period and distance the country from the eurozone to avoid being caught up by an economic fall out triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. A pro-Brexit lobby group warned of the repercussions to Britain of any major shock to the European Union’s ailing economy in the coming months. Brexit Watch said the mountainous piles of toxic debts built up by the bloc’s government could easily spill over into the British economy as a result of a new financial crash. Former Brexit Party MEPs Ben Habib and Brian Monteith established the pressure group to hold Mr Johnson to account while he negotiates the UK’s future relationship with Brussels.

They believe the fragile eurozone could be on the brink of a major implosion triggered by the global economic and political fallout of coronavirus.

The Prime Minister was urged to leave the EU’s single market and customs union at the end of the year to limit the UK’s exposure to the impending crisis – which is expected to hit the bloc much harder than the 2008 financial collapse.

Brexit Watch chairman Mr Habib told Express.co.uk: “This is much worse than 2008. Those countries who recover first will do the best.

“I think it’s absolutely imperative if the United Kingdom wants any semblance of a sensible economy as we come out of this we have to be one of the first to recover – only by being one of the first to recover will you avoid the worst of what will be a very, very back recession.

“As the Spanish have rightfully identified, the European Union, or parts of it, are going to be hit much harder than other parts of the world because they go into it with very high unemployment and very high national debt levels – particularly in Italy, Greece, France and Spain.”

But the UK must continue to distance itself from the EU to avoid being dragged into the looming Eurozone financial crunch via liabilities of around £439 billion to the European Investment Bank and other agreements with Brussels.

Mr Habib added: “It is something we’ve not negotiated away as part of the Withdrawal Agreement.

“That could be a massive hit, and it will be the rich countries that pick up the tab, if or when, Greece, Spain or France go bust – it will be Germany and the United Kingdom that pick up that tab.”

The UK’s estimated bill would be at around £150billion, around half the amount of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s package to fight the effect of coronavirus on the economy.

The Treasury has pledged at least £350billion as part of the Government’s coronavirus rescue packages for the economy.

Mr Johnson has vowed not to let coronavirus derail his plans to secure a trade deal with Brussels by the end of the year.

Trade talks ground to a halt after Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, tested positive for COVID-19 and David Frost, the Prime Minister’s top Europe adviser, self-isolated after developing mild symptoms.

Brussels is attempting to pressure the UK into considering to extend the transition period beyond the end of the year.

The European People’s Party, the EU Parliament’s largest political bloc, said the UK should do the “responsible thing” and seek to delay its exit from the single market and customs union.

But the Government rebuked the request and insisted they are still on track to complete the Brexit process this year.

A UK spokesman said: “The transition period ends on December 31, 2020, as enshrined in UK law, which the Prime Minister has made clear he has no intention of changing.”

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1263545/Brexit-latest-news-Boris-Johnson-transition-period-update-coronavirus-EU-economy-update

European Union member states must release as many migrants as possible from detention centers amid the coronavirus pandemic, demanded Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic in a plan that could present both grave security and public health threats to Europe.

In her statement from March 26, Mijatovic writes that these facilities “provide poor opportunities for social distancing and other measures to protect against COVID-19 infection”.

“I call on all Council of Europe member states to review the situation of rejected asylum seekers and irregular migrants in immigration detention, and to release them to the maximum extent possible,” the commissioner wrote.

Mijatovic offers no guidance or recommendations on where migrants should be released to or what should happen to them after their release, and in reality, a mass release of detained migrants could present significant challenges

In Germany, after one migrant tested positive for coronavirus in Suhl asylum center, it led to mass riots after migrants attempted to break out from an imposed quarantine. When police intervened, migrants threatened to burn down the asylum center, used a child as a human shield, and threw objects at officers.

Germany is already short on housing and services are stretched thin due to fighting the coronavirus. Simply letting migrants in detention centers enter the general population may not even be legal.

The issue is no different in Greece, where thousands of migrants are currently locked down in migrant camps. Greek islanders, even before coronavirus, were protesting against overflowing migrant camps and the constant arrival of thousands on their shores.

NGOs and medical workers have reportedly left the Greek migrants camps over coronavirus concerns andreports of migrants aggressively attacking some staff, which means testing inside the camps is limited. Any mass release of migrants could serve to further spread the coronavirus to the general populace, both in Greece and elsewhere.

Releasing illegal migrants present public health risks and challenges during coronavirus crisis

According to Mijatovic’s statement, “releases have been reported in several member states, including Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, with the latter country having just announced a review of the situation of all those in immigration detention.”

The commissioner also points to the current coronavirus pandemic. She considers the detention centers unsuitable for social distancing and other measures aimed at protecting the centers’ staff, as well as migrants, against COVID-19 infection.

Moreover, Mijatovic wrote that many countries have suspended deportation procedures due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Therefore, according to the commissioner, holding people in detention is unlawful since deportation often cannot actually take place.

In Belgium, there were concerns in migrant detention centers that social distancing guidelines could not be followed due to overcrowding, prompting authorities to release 300 illegal migrants who had no documentation and were not applying for asylum. The Brussels Times writes about the dilemma facing authorities who choose such measures:

In such cases, the sans-papiers, as they are known, are not forcibly placed on a flight to their homeland, but simply allowed to go out of the front door of the detention centre.

It is to be expected that many will disappear into clandestinely. Since they are without papers, tracing them from now on will be difficult if not impossible.

It is also unclear if any migrants released in Belgium were first tested for coronavirus before their release.

Mijatovic, for her part, is urging EU countries not to issue new detention orders against illegal immigrants or unsuccessful asylum seekers.

In Great Britain, there has been a similar push to not only release migrants in detention but also have taxpayers pay for the accommodations of all illegal migrants during the coronavirus crisis. An estimated 800,000 to 1.2 million illegal migrants live in the country but Migrants’ Rights Network and over 50 so-called “charities” demanded housing and support for all of Britain’s migrant population in an open letter to local councils across the country.

The letter demanded hardship funds be made available from Britain’s central government to “ensure that everyone, regardless of immigration status, can access self-contained accommodation and self-isolate safely”. The government should also book hotels, use empty houses, and turn university dorms into domiciles for illegal migrants.

The plan goes farther than any proposal put forward by Mijatovic but also underlines how much money and resources would be required to accommodate migrants in Europe during the coronavirus crisis. The Migrants’ Right Network letter also does not address what should be done with migrants who are set for deportation for violent and sexual crimes.

rmx.news/article/article/coronavirus-crisis-eu-commissioner-s-push-to-release-detained-migrants-in-europe-could-present-major-security-and-health-threat