In the spotlight: crisis summit in Brussels, as the Omicron wave sweeps the world
Audio 05:19
The European Council was held on December 15, 2021 in Brussels, as the Covid crisis worsens in Europe and tensions increase at the Ukrainian border.
© REUTERS / JOHANNA GERON
By: Véronique Rigolet Follow
4 min
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"
It's a wave that can no longer be stopped
", headlines the German daily
Die Welt
, which emphasizes that "
less than a month after the announcement of the first cases in South Africa, the virus has already spread in the world at a disconcerting speed
”. "
Every two days, the number of new infections doubles in Great Britain
", also alarms the
Guardian
, which reports the warnings of the European Agency of the diseases for which "
the Christmas meetings will have to be reduced, whereas it is now very likely that Omicron will increase the number of deaths in Europe
”. And "
vaccination alone will not be enough
", "
urgent action is necessary to implement more restrictions
”, further pleads the European Agency, notes for its part
La Repubblica
. And this justifies, according to the Italian daily, the measures which have just been taken by Rome to "
restrict the conditions of entry on Italian soil
". From now on, “
even vaccinated travelers from the European Union will have to present a negative PCR test
”, specifies
Il Messaggero
for whom “
Italy is closing its doors to anti-vax
”.
The meeting of the European Council today in Brussels is therefore likely to be agitated, "
while unilateral measures multiply
", the 27 will try to coordinate better, explains
Die Welt
, who underlines that it will nevertheless be a question of better than "
to slow down the wave of infections
".
"
Italy, but also Portugal, Greece and Ireland
", have already set the rule for PCR testing at their borders, notes
La Repubblica
, who believes that the next step will undoubtedly be "
the need for a compulsory vaccination
”, as Germany and Austria are already planning.
The Ukrainian crisis is also coming to the top of the 27
According to the
Guardian
, EU leaders will today display "
a united front
" to warn Moscow that the invasion of Ukraine would have "
massive consequences and a high cost
". A message of firmness which "
will be the subject of a press release this afternoon
", specifies the British daily, even if "
European officials refuse to specify the measures that could be taken
".
The 27 want to avoid "
giving Moscow a pretext to take action
", analyzes the
Süddeutsche Zeitung,
while
Berliner Morgenpost
believes that "
the great diplomatic challenge now is not to let the thread of dialogue break while showing a clear position
”, the daily which highlights the serious threat to Germany“
of a hot war in Europe, less than a thousand kilometers from Berlin
”. This shows all the concern of Europeans, while Vladimir Poutine "
massed 175,000
men on the Ukrainian border
", underlines the
Guardian
.
Facing the Western camp, Putin and Xi display "
their perfect unity
"
A one-and-a-half-hour video summit yesterday between the two leaders, which came at the right time to display "
an unfailing friendship
", both united in their denunciation of "
Western interference
", reports the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
, which notes that Vladimir Poutine gave "a
dear friend
" to Xi Jinping, who gave him "an
old friend
". "
As the pressure mounts on Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, Xi Jinping promises China's support for Russia
", headlines the
South China Morning Post
, the Hong Kong newspaper, which points out that in return "
Putin expressed support for China's position on Taiwan
”.
A message of firmness sent to Westerners and in particular to Washington, with whom relations continue to grow strained.
The Chinese nationalist daily
Global Times
is even clearer and denounces "
Washington's historic mistake (which is) to threaten and coerce at the same time the two great powers of Russia and China
".
"
It's a nightmare for Washington when China and Russia join hands,
" warns the columnist for the
Global Times
.
Denmark exports its prisoners ... to Kosovo
No more room in Danish prisons, that's no problem!
Denmark has simply decided to "
rent cells abroad
".
In this case in Kosovo, reports the
Guardian
, where Copenhagen intends to send some 300 detainees, "
foreigners sentenced to deportation at the end of their sentence
", specifies the British daily, which underlines that "
Norway and Belgium have already resorted to this solution by renting prison cells in the Netherlands
”.
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