- Trump signs Covid-19 stimulus package
- EU and UK agree on post-Brexit trade deal
- Mass vaccination against coronavirus has officially started in the EU
Trump Signs Covid-19 Stimulus Package
US President Donald Trump has signed a $ 2.3 trillion budget for the country’s 2021 fiscal year, which includes a $ 900 billion package of measures to support the economy in a pandemic, according to CNN.
The signing of the bill was confirmed by the White House spokesman Judd Deere.
Deere also noted that Trump, after the bill was approved by both houses of Congress, demanded an increase in payments to Americans and small businesses. However, he signed this package “to restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide assistance in renting housing, add significantly more money to the distribution of vaccines and much more other “.
The law provides for the payment of $ 600 per person, although Donald Trump previously demanded an increase to $ 2,000. He threatened to veto the bill if his demand was not met. Judd Deere stressed that despite the signing of the budget, the president will seek to increase payments to the Americans and exclude from the aid package, which he considers unjustified.
“I will sign the coronavirus budget and package while sending a strong statement to Congress that wasteful spending should be removed,” Trump said in a statement.
“On Monday, the House of Representatives will vote on increasing payments to citizens from 600 to 2 thousand dollars,” the president also said.
The package will also continue to pay $300 per week unemployment salaries, those who cannot pay their rent will not be evacuated from their homes until January 2021, and small businesses, airlines, and farmers will be supported.
EU and UK Agree on Post-Brexit Trade Deal
The European Union and the United Kingdom have agreed on a Brexit trade deal, DW reports.
“An agreement has been reached,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference in Brussels that it was a fair deal.
“It took time, but now we have an agreement. It was a long and thorny path. However, the result is good. This is a fair, balanced deal, and this is a correct and responsible step for both parties,” she said.
Ursula von der Leyen noted that this deal was worth fighting for.
“The European Union has a fair and balanced agreement with the UK that will protect European interests, ensure fair competition and much-needed predictability for fisheries,” said the European Commissioner. It’s time to turn the page and look to the future, she added, also noting that Britain remains a trusted partner for the EU. “We remain allies. We share the same interests.’’
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator on Brexit, said that the agreement includes several points, including the preservation of free trade, visa-free travel, balanced access to markets and marine resources, and the possibility of coordinating sanctions.
The British government noted that it has concluded the first ever trade agreement with the EU, based on the principle of the absence of tariffs and quotas.
Now the UK parliament is to vote on a post-Brexit deal with the EU. It is reported that the procedure will take place on December 30 online.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson believes that the deal will benefit not only the people of his homeland, but the whole of Europe. According to him, the signed agreement first of all “brings clarity to the aviation industry, police, border services and security services.
“I believe this deal is something that can benefit people on both sides of the strait and give them healthy, dynamic, productive and stable relationships. This is what we are striving for, ” Prime Minister said
Mass Vaccination Against Coronavirus has Officially Started in the EU
On Sunday, December 27 the mass vaccination against coronavirus officially started in the states of the European Union. News about the start of the campaign came, among others, from Italy, the Czech Republic and Cyprus. In Prague, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis was vaccinated in the presence of TV journalists.
Of the 450 million inhabitants of the EU, only adults will be able to receive the vaccine so far, in order of priority, depending on the risk group. At the first stage, people over the age of 80 and those experiencing serious health problems will be vaccinated. Gradually, the age limit will decrease and as a result, everyone will be able to get the vaccine.
With the Covid-19 vaccination program, which started on Sunday, the entire adult population is planned to be vaccinated by the end of 2021.
The vaccine, developed by the German BioNTech and the American Pfizer, began arriving in the EU on December 25. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on December 26 that the coronavirus vaccine has been delivered to all EU countries.
She called the vaccination campaign “a touching moment of unity” for the European community and a “sustainable way out of the pandemic.”
In Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia, vaccinations began one day ahead of schedule. In Germany, several dozen residents of a nursing home in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, including a 101-year-old woman, received the vaccine. In response to criticism, the director of the house said that “every day of waiting is superfluous.”
