German ministers to discuss fraud at coronavirus test centers

German Health Minister Jens Spahn and his counterparts in the 16 federal states will on Monday morning discuss control mechanisms for coronavirus test centres following fraud accusations, a ministry spokesman said on Sunday (30 May). Since allegations of fraud at…

The European Commission has allocated €8 million for a project to expose the ruins of the ancient city of Serdica, located in the centre of Sofia, but an investigation from European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) shows that half of these funds…

To reduce the spread of the coronavirus, Member States have taken a wide range of measures, which have significantly affected the free movement of people in the EU. Restrictions on freedom of movement have varied in time and across countries – following generally but not strictly – successive ‘waves’ of coronavirus infections. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the EU and the Member States have been active in developing a coordinated response to the pandemic, starting from emergency measures to mitigate the effects of the sudden introduction of border controls in the early days of the pandemic to establishing common approaches on risk indicators, interoperable contact tracing apps, vaccination and digital certification. This briefing provides an overview of the main restrictions on free movement adopted by the EU and Schengen countries focusing on control measures at the internal borders introduced between March 2020 and July 2021. It then discusses the key steps taken by the EU and the Member States to develop a common approach to lifting restrictions on freedom of movement. The briefing also places the coronavirus-related restrictions of movement in the context of broader efforts to update and strengthen the Schengen system, which has been under stress for at least a decade. This is an updated edition of an EPRS briefing published in November 2020.

Source : © European Union, 2021 – EP

Britain this week hosts the first face-to-face meeting of G7 foreign ministers in two years, joined by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as world powers tackle pandemic recovery plus growing tensions with Russia and China.

On 3 September 2020, the European Commission published its 31st annual report on the fight against fraud affecting EU financial interests, covering the year 2019. In total, 11 726 irregularities were reported to the Commission, 2 % fewer than in 2018. They involved approximately €1.6 billion, 34 % less than in the previous year. Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control has adopted a report on the Commission’s annual report, which is due to be discussed and voted during the July plenary session.

Source : © European Union, 2021 – EP