EU leaders confront US over vaccine patent waiver demands - by Sam Fleming, Jim Brunsden, Mehreen Khan and Michael Peel and Guy Chazan

EU leaders have confronted the Biden administration over its calls for Covid-19 vaccine patent waivers and urged the US to export jabs directly if it wants to help poor countries in need.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after a two-day EU leaders’ summit in Porto, Portugal, that suspending intellectual property rights was no solution to supply shortages and called for a focus on ramping up production instead.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron and top EU officials echoed the German premier’s rhetoric as the union scrambled to respond to this week’s surprise US move. Both powers are attempting to fend off accusations they are hoarding vaccines as much of the world sees few or no shipments.

“I don’t think waiving patents is the solution to supply the vaccine to more people,” Merkel told reporters after the summit concluded on Saturday. “I think that we need the creativity and innovation of the companies — and for that we need patent protection.”

Read more at: EU leaders confront US over vaccine patent waiver demands | Financial Times

European Song Festival: Eurovision makes Covid-lite return in the Netherlands

The glamour of Eurovision is back, with the Dutch hosting a scaled-down, coronavirus-safe version this week after the song contest was cancelled last year.

Delegates will be officially welcomed at the grand opening of this year's week-long event on Sunday afternoon, which includes a glitzy "Turquoise Carpet" event where contestants will strut their stuff, organisers said.

But four teams have already been nixed from the opening ceremony after a Polish and Icelandic delegate tested positive for Covid-19 and Malta and Romania are staying away as a precaution because they are staying in the same hotel.

French singer Barbara Pravi is the bookmakers' favourite to win the Eurovision song contest

Good news for U.S fans of the Eurovision Song Contest. Ahead of Tuesday’s first semi-final, it has been confirmed that the Peacock streaming platform https://www.peacocktv.com/ will air all three shows in the United States. It is set to be available to users of both the premium and free option of the site. Netflix US streams the contest on delay. Pre-qualifying contests are on May 18 and May 20 starting at EST 15.00hrs and PT 12.00hrs. The Grand Final will be on Saturday May 20 starting at EST 15.00hrs and PT 12.00hrs.

Read more at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/eurovision-makes-covid-lite-return-in-the-netherlands/ar-BB1gMseX

EU-Economy: European Commission upgrades economic forecasts - by Sam Fleming

The European Commission has sharply raised its economic forecasts for the coming two years, as an accelerating vaccination campaign helps the eurozone recover from the historic blow delivered by the pandemic.

The euro area will expand by 4.3 per cent this year and 4.4 per cent in 2022, Brussels said on Wednesday, compared with previous forecasts for 3.8 per cent growth in both years. As a result, all member states are now expected to regain their pre-crisis output levels by the end of next year, following a historic 6.6 per cent slump in 2020.

The stronger outlook was driven by the rising vaccination rates and the prospect of lockdowns easing across the region, as well as improving export demand driven by a global rebound. Brussels for the first time fully factored in the impact of the €800bn Next Generation EU economic relaunch package, which is expected to begin paying out in the second half of the year.

“The shadow of Covid-19 is beginning to lift from Europe’s economy,” said Paolo Gentiloni, the EU’s economics commissioner. “After a weak start to the year, we project strong growth in both 2021 and 2022. Unprecedented fiscal support has been — and remains — essential in helping Europe’s workers and companies to weather the storm.”

Read more at: European Commission upgrades economic forecasts | Financial Times

The Netherlands: Dutch tulip farmers are hoping for a post-pandemic boom

The Netherlands, which produces some 90 percent of the world’s tulips, has seen its renowned floral market wilt before. The most famous instance was back in the 1630s, when tulpenmanie (tulip mania) meant the value of a single flower bulb soared up to 10 times the average worker’s annual income before the market suddenly crashed in 1637.

Prices didn’t exactly bottom out in the spring of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced borders to snap shut. But lockdowns and market closures meant the worldwide demand for the country’s famed flowers and bulbs dropped significantly. Dutch growers had to destroy hundreds of millions of tulips, daffodils, and other blossoms or sell them at far cheaper prices than in past years.

“A total of 11.4 billion flowers and plants were traded in the Netherlands in 2020, a decrease of 7.8 percent compared to 2019,” says Michel van Schie, a spokesperson for industry conglomerate Royal FloraHolland. The country’s international export market wilted from 6.235 billion euros (7.583 billion U.S. dollars) in 2019 to 5.974 billion euros (7.266 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020.

Read more at: Dutch tulip farmers are hoping for a post-pandemic boom

Shipping Industry: Netherlands Will Vaccinate Seafarers Working on Dutch Ships

Seafaring organizations have been highlighting the challenge of vaccinating seafarers during the pandemic calling for special programs and considerations that recognize their role as key workers in the global supply chain. Responding to the need, the Netherlands announced that starting in mid-June all seafarers regardless of nationality who work on seagoing vessels under the Dutch flag or under Dutch management will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations under a program managed by the Royal Association of Dutch Shipowners (KVNR).

Read more at: Netherlands Will Vaccinate Seafarers Working on Dutch Ships

Netherlands - Calvinists: In the Netherlands, traditional Calvinists refuse vaccines and social distancing

In the Netherlands, Protestants make up around 16 percent of the population and a small group of traditional Calvinists are opposed to vaccination and social distancing. Most of these believers, who live in a region known as the "Bible Belt", were never vaccinated as children and are opposed to the idea of injecting sickness into a healthy body. Despite surging case numbers, they continue to attend Sunday services without face masks. But amid some of the country's highest Covid-19 infection rates, some of them are starting to shift their mindset. Our regional correspondents report.

Read more at: In the Netherlands, traditional Calvinists refuse vaccines and social distancing - Focus

The Netherlands: Record number of people euthanized in Netherlands in 2020: report

A record number of people were euthanized in the Netherlands last year. Some who died suffered from psychiatric issues, according to Dutch News NL. Both the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium are known for their progressive euthanasia laws that have expanded the scope beyond patients suffering from a terminal disease.

Each year, the RTE Regional Euthanasia Review Committees analyze all deaths by euthanasia to check whether they met the six criteria dictated by the law for euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide. In total, 6,938 patients died in this manner in the Netherlands last year. The RTE determined that two cases didn't meet the six requirements.

Read more at: Record number of people euthanized in Netherlands in 2020: report | World | The Christian Post