Новости за 13.04.2021

Ukraine has accused the Kremlin of ignoring its request for talks between the two countries' presidents over a build-up of Russian troops near its border, but Moscow said its soldiers were on its own territory, unlike US forces in the region, Reuters writes. Kiev and Moscow have traded blame over the worsening situation in the eastern Donbas region, where Ukrainian troops have battled Russian-proxy forces in a conflict since 2014.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) in Luxembourg is to manage €5bn of the €32bn that Greece is set to get in grants and loans from the EU's pandemic recovery fund, with a focus on green and digital-sector investments, Reuters reports. "It's in fact the first EIB cooperation to implement investments by the recovery and resilience facility anywhere in Europe," the bank's vice president Christian Kettel Thomsen said on Monday.

The recession set to hit Europe after the pandemic will help organised crime penetrate legitimate business and recruit out-of-work specialists, the EU's joint police agency, Europol, has warned.

The EU has imposed sanctions on eight Iranian militia commanders and police chiefs, including the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards, over a deadly crackdown in November 2019, Reuters reports. "[Revolutionary Guard commander] Hossein Salami took part in the sessions that resulted in the orders to use lethal force to suppress the November 2019 protests. Salami therefore bears responsibility for serious human rights violations in Iran," the EU said.

The UK government opened an independent investigation after former prime minister minister David Cameron's activities on behalf of finance firm Greensill Capital raised questions, Reuters reported. The Financial Times first reported that Cameron contacted ministers directly to lobby on behalf of Greensill Capital, including sending texts and setting up private drinks. Cameron said he had not broken any rules, but admitted communications with the government should be completely formal.

EU-UK talks on how to resolve post-Brexit trade rules on Northern Ireland have been constructive, but "significant differences" still remain, according to a UK spokesman. British negotiator David Frost talked with EU Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič on Friday on the issue. Northern Ireland has seen over a week of violence, partly due to unionist disapproval of new trade barriers between the province and mainland Great Britain.

Concern over the low efficiency of Chinese-made vaccines has been mounting since China's top official said existing vaccines offer low protection against Covid-19 - raising questions for those nations relying heavily on the Chinese jabs. That includes Hungary and Serbia.

While Markus Söder, leader of CDU's Bavarian sister party, the CSU, also threw his hat into the race to replace chancellor Angela Merkel, the CDU's choice is likely to be decisive.

Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borissov has revealed that the major new vaccine supply contract the EU is seeking from Pfizer-BioNTech from 2022 will be at a significantly increased price, Reuters writes. "Pfizer's (price) was €12, then increased to €15.50. Now for 2022 and 2023 the European Union contracts are being signed for 900 million vaccines, but already at a price of €19.50" Borissov said.

Montenegro had requested the EU help pay off a loan from China, reported the Financial Times. But the European Commission says that is not going to happen.

Several industry EU lobby groups are about to be entrusted again with the privilege of co-deciding how €9.6bn of public EU research funding should be used - in research areas as essential as healthcare, transportation, energy and IT infrastructures.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken will travel to Brussels this week (13 to 15 April) as part of a wider effort to shore up transatlantic relations. "In Brussels, secretary Blinken will join secretary of defense Lloyd Austin to consult with our Nato allies and partners on a range of shared priorities," according to the US state department. Blinken will hold bilateral and multilateral meetings with European counterparts.

Ursula von der Leyen appears secure in her job as president of the European Commission. That's despite a troubled vaccine rollout in which delayed deliveries can cost lives and livelihoods.