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The Coronavirus measures imposed all across the world have affected not only businesses and leisure travels, but have also separated families, and even lovers.

The latter, have intensified their requests to the competent authorities in the country in which they or their lover is stuck, to open border for unmarried couples by excluding them from travel restrictions imposed in a bid to curb the Coronavirus pandemic.

Recently EU citizens as well, are calling on the European Union to permit their non-EU lovers to enter after three months of separation. The call has been taken to social media, where the hashtag #loveisnottourism is thriving, in particular in twitter.

We are all willing to test, quarantine, do whatever it takes etc. just to see our loved ones, something people take for granted every day! #LiftTheTravelBan, twitter user Claire Greidanus said.

Others joined her and many others in their quest to the EU institutions to make an exemption for couples and lift the travel ban.

The European Union Commission had recommended to the Member States and the Schengen Associated Countries to close the external borders of the territory in a bid to halt the further spread of the Coronavirus.

The recommendation was followed with action by the Members Countries, who did not hesitate to put in place an entry ban for third-country citizens travelling for non-essential purposes.

Affected by the ban were not only tourists, but also workers, family members, and overall, lovers. At first, it was unprecedented that the external border closure would remain in place for more than one month. It, however, did last for three and a half months, and the end of it is nowhere near.

Throughout this period, the EU suggested to the member states to exempt from the temporary travel restriction to the EU+ area all EU citizens and citizens of the Schengen Associated States, and their family members for the purposes of returning home.

According to EUs Articles 2(2) and 3(2) of Directive 2004/38/EC, only the following categories qualify as family members of an EU citizen:

Any other family members, irrespective of their nationality, not falling under any of the categories listed above, who, in the country from which they have come, are dependants or members of the household of the Union citizen having the primary right of residence, or where serious health grounds strictly require the personal care of the family member by the Union citizen, are also defined as family members.

Though point (b) of the article Articles 3(2) of Directive 2004/38/EC clearly states that the partner with whom the Union citizen has a durable relationship, duly attested is also considered a family member, even binational couples in long-term relationships and those engaged have faced difficulties in getting back together within the EU, mainly due to restrictions imposed individually by the Member States.

Border restrictions for months have also separated families and friends within the European Union as well, in particular those living in border areas.

The European Commission recommended on June 11 to all Member States and the Schengen Associated Countries to keep the external ban in place until June 30.

It, however, recommended the gradual and partial reopening of borders, starting from July, in particular for countries where the infection rates were low. It also suggested to those countries that were planning to keep the border closure beyond July 1, to at least open its borders to families.

EU citizens and citizens of Schengen Associated States and third-country nationals legally residing in the European Union, as well as their family members, should be exempted from the travel restriction, regardless whether or not they are returning home, the recommendation says among others.

It still permits the Member States can to take appropriate measures such as requiring such persons to undergo self-isolation or similar measures upon return from a third country for which the temporary restriction on non-essential travel is maintained, provided they impose the same requirements on their own nationals.

The recommendation does not contain anything specific for binational couples separated for months now.

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Love Is Not Tourism Binational Couples Separated by Borders Call on EU to Lift Entry Restrictions - SchengenVisaInfo.com

Khartoum, 24 June 2020 The World Health Organization welcomes a generous contribution of 11.5 million Euros from the European Union to fight COVID-19 in Sudan and improve the countrys overall health system. The large-scale 2-year project will benefit an estimated 42 million people in Sudan, including internally displaced people and refugees.

As part of the ongoing COVID-19 response, the project will cover health preparedness needs across the country, including coordinating the emergency response; ramping up surveillance and testing; isolating and managing COVID-19 patients; and raising awareness of the disease.

To identify cases, WHO will train and equip 400 professional and community members as rapid response teams, which will be available on a 24-hour basis to detect and respond to health events. Teams will learn procedures for specimen collection and transportation so that they can investigate cases and clusters. They will also be trained in contact tracing.

To diagnose cases, WHO will establish and upgrade 3 regional laboratories to respond to COVID-19 and other health hazards, providing laboratoty supplies and testing materials.

To treat patients, 10 isolation centres with ICU beds, oxygen, ventilators and other needed equipment will be established, and basic water services will also be set up in 12 hospitals.

Health care workers will receive training on preventing and controlling COVID-19 infection. The project will also ensure community engagement activities so that people are informed and educated on how to protect themselves and prevent the disease from spreading.

Entitled Humanitarian Development Nexus: Strengthening preparedness and response of the health system addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sudan, the project is funded by the European Union Trust Fund and the Humanitarian Aid department of the European Commission, and will be implemented by the World Health Organization in support of Sudans Federal Ministry of Health.

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EU, WHO to strengthen Sudan's COVID-19 response and health system - Sudan - ReliefWeb

The European Union accused the United Kingdom Wednesday of seeking to maintain a relationship with the bloc similar to that of an EU member after Brexit. The EU said they found this idea unacceptable.

"Britain is demanding a lot more from the EU than Canada, Japan or other partners," the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier told a forum in Brussels. "We cannot and we will not allow this cherry picking."

He also said that the UK "cannot have the best of both worlds" and stressed the point that "we will never compromise on our European values or on our economic and trade interests to the benefit of the British economy."

"In many areas it is looking to maintain the benefits of being a member state without the constraints," Barnier said. "It is looking to pick and choose the most attractive elements of the [EU]single market without the obligations."

UK pandemic recession will hit hard

Barnier also expressed bewilderment that the UK remained inflexible despite the predicted economic fallout from coronavirus pandemic.

The UK has seen the most deaths in Europe andone of the longest lockdowns and is expected to see its economy hit harder than most other European countries, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The forum comes ahead of high-level talks on Friday when the European Parliament will urge the UK to "urgently revise its negotiating position" after months of talks have yielded little consensus.

'No real progress' so far

The UK officially left the EU in January 2020 and is currently in a transition period due to expire at the end of the year. The EU is open to an extension of this period if trade deals cannot be agreed; UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly dismissed the idea of an extension.

Johnson is set to hold a video conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later in the month to review talks.

Speaking last week, Barnier said he "regrets that, following four round of negotiations, no real progress has been achieved" and accused the UK of "not engaging in detailed on the level playing field."

Key sticking points in negotiations are fisheries and the issue of the land border the UK shares with the EU between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Barnier also said he hoped that the next round of talks could take place face-to-face as Europe re-opens borders closed owing to the coronavirus pandemic. This has yet to be confirmed.

ed/aw (AFP, Reuters)

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It's essentially a choice of a harder or softer Brexit. Harder prioritizes border control over trade. UK firms would pay tariffs to do business in the EU, and vice versa. The softest Brexit would see access to the single market, or at least a customs union, maintained. That would require concessions including the payment of a hefty "divorce bill" to which the UK has provisionally agreed.

Businesses have expressed concern about a "cliff edge" scenario, where Britain leaves the EU with no deal. Even if an agreement is reached at the EU bloc level, the worry is that it could be rejected at the last minute. Each of the 27 remaining countries must ratify the arrangements, and any might reject them. That could mean chaos for businesses and individuals.

If there is no agreement at all, a fully sovereign UK would be free to strike new trade deals and need not make concessions on the rights of EU citizens living in the UK or pay the financial settlement of outstanding liabilities. However, trade would be crippled. UK citizens in other parts of the EU would be at the mercy of host governments. There would also be a hard EU-UK border in Ireland.

The EU and the UK could reach a deal on Britain's exiting the bloc without an agreement on future relations. This scenario would still be a very hard Brexit, but would at least demonstrate a degree of mutual understanding. Trade agreements would be conducted, on an interim basis, on World Trade Organization rules.

Most trade tariffs on exported goods are lifted, except for "sensitive" food items like eggs and poultry. However, exporters would have to show their products are genuinely "made in Britain" so the UK does not become a "back door" for global goods to enter the EU. Services could be hit more. The City of London would lose access to the passporting system its lucrative financial business relies on.

Under the Swiss model, the UK would have single market access for goods and services while retaining most aspects of national sovereignty. Switzerland, unlike other members of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), did not join the European Economic Area (EEA) and was not automatically obliged to adopt freedom of movement. Under a bilateral deal, it agreed to do so but is still dragging its feet.

As part of the European Economic Area, Norway has accepted freedom of movement something that no Brexit-supporting UK government would be likely to do. Norway still has to obey many EU rules and is obliged to make a financial contribution to the bloc while having no voting rights. Some see this as the worst of both worlds.

Turkey is the only major country to have a customs union with the EU, as part of a bilateral agreement. Under such an arrangement, the UK would not be allowed to negotiate trade deals outside the EU, instead having the bloc negotiate on its behalf. Many Brexiteers would be unwilling to accept this. It would, however, help minimize disruption at ports and, crucially, at the Irish border.

Author: Richard Connor

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Brexit: EU accuses UK of trying to maintain economic benefits amid coronavirus recession - DW (English)

EU Air Bridge to Sudan

The ambassadors of France, Sweden and the European Union welcomed the first flight of the European Humanitarian Air Bridge to support Sudan to tackle the impact of the COVID 19. The event was attended on the Sudanese side by a government delegation led by Undersecretary Mr Mohamed Elshabik of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development as well as colleagues from the Ministry of Health and Foreign Affairs.

The EU Humanitarian Air Bridge to Sudan consists of two flights and is the single largest operation of the European global Air Bridge initiative. The second flight, bringing in cargo and humanitarian aid workers is scheduled to arrive in Sudan on 24 June next.

At the event tonight, 10 June, a European Boeing 747 carrying some 90 tons of cargo touched down at Khartoum International Airport. The cargo contained medical equipment, vaccines, water purifiers, medical kits, medicine, and medical staff protective equipment.

All the equipment will be distributed and used by the international organizations of Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and International Medical Corps (IMC), in coordination and cooperation with the federal and local health authorities of Sudan.

Mr Mohamed Elshabik, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development thanked on behalf of the government and people of the Sudan the European Union, Sweden and France for their generous support and commitment to helping Sudan to fight the COVID 19.

Ambassador Robert van den Dool, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Sudan, told the press the launching of the European Humanitarian Air Bridge to Sudan is a very tangible illustration of how the European Union is supporting Sudan on fighting COVID 19. This is one of the largest humanitarian cargo planes which has landed in Khartoum Airport since the beginning of the COVID 19 crisis. We have been supporting the Sudanese Government through a partnership with WHO on the COVID 19 response until now and we plan to further strengthen this partnership. We are proud to help organizations such as UNICEF, UNFPA, MSF and IMC to assist and accelerate their humanitarian work to save lives and ease the suffering of vulnerable people, especially those in the remote states and regions of Sudan.

Thanks to Sweden, France and the EUs Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid

Ambassador Van den Dool thanked wholeheartedly Sweden for taking the lead and working with EU humanitarian colleagues in the facilitation and coordination of this Humanitarian Air Bridge with the Sudanese authorities. He also commended France for all their efforts and support in making this important Air Bridge possible. Finally, he stated this unique Air Bridge would not have been possible without the support of the EUs Humanitarian Aid office in Khartoum.

Team Europe support

Being a part of the Team Europe approach, the EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operations are part of the EU's global response to the coronavirus pandemic. Team Europe's support to the whole African continent in the fight against COVID 19 amounts to 3.25 billion, reaffirming that the EU is the leading partner of African countries. This funding is helping countries strengthen their health systems, support their economies in these challenging times, train health staff and reinforce social support systems.

Khartoum, 10th June 2020.

Link:
European Humanitarian Air Bridge arrives in Sudan as part of the EU's Global Response to tackle COVID 19 [EN/AR] - Sudan - ReliefWeb

PARIS (AP) The world faces the worst global recession in nearly a century, a key economic body warned Wednesday, while in Europe, restrictions to fight the spread of coronavirus portend a bleak summer tourism season even as more nations announced plans to welcome visitors again.

Beginning June 16, Austria will open up to all European neighbors with the exception of Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Britain, meaning that visitors from 31 countries will no longer be required to undergo a two-week quarantine upon arrival. Greece, another European holiday hot spot, will allow tourists to fly to Athens or the main northern city of Thessaloniki beginning on June 15.

But thats hoping people have money to spend.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Wednesday that global economic output could fall by as much as 7.6% this year if a second wave of infections emerges, with the pandemics economic impact expected to be even harsher in Europe because of the continents strict and relatively lengthy coronavirus lockdowns.

In the eurozone, which includes the 19 European Union nations that use the common euro currency, GDP is expected to plunge 11.5% this year in case of a second wave and by over 9% even if another round of infections is avoided.

Now were in the midst of perhaps the most global health, economic and social crisis and its simply the most severe any of us have ever witnessed, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said during the presentation of the report in Paris. He named tourism and air travel among the critical sectors hard hit by the pandemic and urged countries to cooperate in developing and fairly distributing a vaccine for the virus.

As long as a virus is widespread somewhere, the threat will remain everywhere and economic costs will persist as some borders remain closed, Gurria said, with the report predicting that the crisis would leave long-lasting scars, including lower living standards, high unemployment and weak investment.

READ MORE: WHO chief warns virus is worsening globally

The virus has infected 7.2 million people worldwide and killed nearly 412,000, about 180,000 of them in Europe, according to official figures tallied by Johns Hopkins University. The true toll is believed to be much higher because many people died without being tested.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said the border with Italy to the south would be open without conditions on June 16 but that a travel warning for Austrian citizens was still in place for Italys northern region of Lombardy. That region, the epicenter of Italys epidemic, has still been showing triple-digit growth in daily infections while much of the rest of the country counts a handful or fewer.

While Italy opened its own borders on June 3, Austrias reluctance to open their shared border has been a sore spot between the two.

Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said restrictions would remain in place for Spain because its own borders remain closed until July 1 for most tourists and for Portugal due to an increase in infections in recent days.

Please pack your bags, but dont forget the situation at home, Anschober said, emphasizing that the virus remains in circulation. Please consider every trip, whether with the family and on business, and when possible dont travel.

Italys Coldiretti farm lobby said the Austrian border opening was critical to Italian tourism, which normally registers summer holiday visits by 3.4 million Austrians and 7 million Germans who cross Austria to reach Italy. Coldiretti called Austrias move an important signal. Foreign visitors spent 167 billion euros ($190 billion) last year in Italy, a third of it on food.

Contract workers from Frances all-important food, catering and events industry held a protest Wednesday between the Louvre Museum and Champs-Elysees, saying the virus pandemic is killing their jobs. The symbolic flash mob demonstration included about 30 people dressed in black, simulating strangulation with their ties and putting signs reading sentenced to death into a coffin.

To the south, Spains sunny, beautiful Balearic Islands will allow thousands of German tourists to fly in for a two-week trial that tests out how to balance the needs of Spains vital tourism industry with new regulations to curb the countrys coronavirus outbreak.

The trial that begins June 15 comes before the archipelago and the rest of the country re-open to international tourism on July 1. The Spanish government is under heavy pressure to re-activate an industry that generates 12% of Spains GDP and provides 2.6 million much-needed jobs.

Hungary said beginning Friday it would fully reopen its borders with Croatia, whose beaches on the Adriatic Coast are a favored destination.

Greece will allow international flights to land at regional airports beginning July 1. Visitors arriving from airports not on the European air safety agency list of at-risk regions will be subjected to random spot coronavirus tests but will not face the mandatory testing and quarantine now in place for all international travelers.

In some other countries, uncertainty about the tourist season remained.

Germany announced it is prolonging its travel warning for more than 160 countries outside Europe until the end of August even as it ends border controls for most EU citizens. Last week, Germany downgraded its travel warning for the rest of the 27-nation EU, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland and Britain.

Britain said Wednesday it was planning to re-open zoos, safari parks and drive-in theaters next Monday as it eases lockdown measures. But that is mostly for local tourists only, since this week the government slapped a 14-day quarantine requirement on all arrivals, a move that health experts say comes too late and tourism officials fear will be devastating to their industry.

Britain has nearly 41,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, the highest death toll in Europe.

In Buglaria a rise in infections prompted the government to prolong its state of emergency to the end of June, while in Moscow, the mayor said it will take the Russian capital about two months to lift all of its coronavirus restrictions.

Barry reported from Soave, Italy and Gorondi reported from Budapest, Hungary. Other AP journalists contributed across the continent.

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Europe reopens borders amid worst global recession in memory - PBS NewsHour