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Accueil arrow newsitems arrow Even if EU is World's No 1 in Virus ID-19 Victims after China area, No EU-wide Protection yet ?

Even if EU is World's No 1 in Virus ID-19 Victims after China area, No EU-wide Protection yet ?

Ecrit par ACM
Monday, 24 February 2020

 eu_1st_in_the_world_on_virus_after_china_area_eurofora_400

 

virus_id19_world_map_eu_1st_after_china_area_29_feb_2020_hopkins_univ.eurofora_400
 

 

 *Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- Despite the Astonishing Fact that the European Union suddenly became the World's 1st region in the Number of Victims affected by the Deadly, New CoronaVirus-ID-19,  After its main Source at China's area (incl. adjacent Korea/Japan : See Graphics and Data cited Infra), Nevertheless, almost 2 Months Later than the 12/2019 Outbreak, Today's (24/2/2022) EU Commission and National Officials' Press Statements did Not Yet reveal Any important European-level Measure Focused into immediately Protecting EU Citizens from Spreading Infections, here and now..., the Public Officials' current Strategy appearing to be quite Different, in real practice, at least for the time being.

 

Indeed, even if European Countries' already Infected Victims approach the 300, (precisely 278), i.e. More than Any Other Region in the World, after China's (incl. adjacent Korea/Japan), and Nonobstant the Dangerous Fact that CoronaVirus-ID-19 Epicenter is located at Italy's North-Western area, obviously Threatening EU's CORE itself, via Adjacent key French and German areas, (See MAP and : ...), Contrary to China's, apparently, mainly Rural Origin from Wuhan, (Comp., however Ibid),

 Nevertheless, the Bulk of the Money affected against that CoronaVirus, as Announced Today in a joint Press Conference in Brussels by EU Commissioners Janez Lenarčič and Stella Kyriakides, (responsible for Emergency response and Health, respectively), goes Mainly to the World Health Organisation (WHO : 114), Repatriations from China (3), Diagnosis in Africa (15), etc., (except from a Part destinated to relevant, not specified "Research" by BioTech Companies : about 100 out of a Total of 232 Millions €), and Both repeatedly Stressed, as Priority, the "Global" level of the threat, as they said...

 

virus_eu_almoss_300_russia__india_only_3_victims__who__eurofora_400 

----------------------------

Characteristically, among the First to be Allowed to Raise Questions at that Press Conference, were ...Non-EU Medias, from the Traditional Foreign UK-USA Establishment, such as "New York Times" (USA), "Financial Times" (sic !), etc., while several European relevant Journalists appeared to be, on the Contrary, Hastily Pushed towards the End, particularly with Critical Questions, (f.ex. : - "Shall you Wait for the WHO ?", - "There is Not any EU-wide Measure ?", -Politicians ask for "those who Not Able to Protect EU Citizens" to "Resign", --What do you mean by "DesInformation", etc)...

Repeated Questions about timely Borders' Controls or even Closure, were routinely Dismissed, most of the times, with just a Brief Mention of the Fact that any such eventual "Travel Restrictions" and/or "Border Controls" are "Member States' Competence"...

To the point that, later Today, Strasbourg's local Newspaper "DNA" ironically Headlined at its Web Frontpage : - "Italy : 7 Dead. 1 Bus stoped at Lyon" (Franco-Italian Borders) ! While Other Medias reported a Popular InComprehension or even Anger for allegedly allowing Ships and other various Vehicles to come and go without any hindrance accross the two Neighbouring Countries (France and Italy') Center-Southern areas, despite the recent notorious Sudden "Explosion" of Infections at the other side. (Contrary to the Draconian Measures immediately taken by China, to Isolate Wuhan's Hotspot). Popular Anxiety inevitably Risked to Grow, when, almost at the Same Time, Medias reported a New French Minister for Health claiming that ...the Question is No more "If", but "When" a ("very Probable") Epidemic might Break out"..., while Strasbourg's "DNA" went as Far as to claim (in Big Headlines) that WHO's Director would have declared Today that the whole World, now, "MUST be ready for an eventual PANDemic" asap (sic !). But, in Practice, things went Nasty, when People saw, Nowadays, even a Big Super-Market Compagny (in France, Including Strasbourg's largest Suburb), plan and execute 2 successive, massive Promotion Campaigns of various Commercial Products for Food and EveryDay Popular use, brought, precisely, from ...China and ...Italy !!!???...

>>> On the Contrary, however, Far Away from such a ...Fatalist Globalism, (Comp. Supra), WHO's Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at his Opening Remarks in Today's Media Briefing on CoronaVirus ID-19, stressed that :  - "There is No 1-size-fits-All approach. Every Country must make ITS OWN risk assessment, for ITS OWN context". Because, until Now, "What we see are Epidemics in DIFFERENT Parts of the World, affecting Countries in DIFFERENT ways, and requiring a TAILORED response".

- F.ex., inter alia, Chinese reportedly "found that the Fatality rate is between 2% and 4% in (contained) Wuhan, and 0.7% outside Wuhan", he pointed out.

+ In Addition, the Latest WHO-China joint Mission has just Revealed, in a Report published Today, that in Fact, "the epidemic Peaked and plateaued between the 23rd of January and the 2nd of February (2020), and has been Declining steadily Since then".

=> So that, even if "this Virus" "has" a "Pandemic Potential", nevertheless, "from our (WHO's) Assessment, we are NOT yet there !", This "does Not Fit the Facts" "now", he underlined.

>>> In consequence, "WE MUST FOCUS ON CONTAINMENT, while doing everything we can to PREPARE for a POTENTIAL Pandemic", WHO's DG Advised.

*** Indeed, at least for "Eurofora" and Most objective People, when we see so Crystal-clear Facts such as the EU already Suffering from almost 300 Infections and 7 Deaths, (Comp. Supra), while, at the Same Time, among others, f.ex. RUSSIA and INDIA, have reported Only ... 2 and 3 Infections, with ZERO Deaths, despite their Long Borders to China, the Conclusion is Obvious : Containment apparently works, if there is a real Political Will !

Conerning, precisely, "Containment", Journalists asked the 2 above-mentioned EU Commissioners Today whether Brussels Planned any concerted Suspension of Shenghen's system nowadays, or not.

- EU Commissioner Lenarčič replied that "We (EU) are Not going for that, at the Moment, but we are Working on Various Contingency Planning, on various Scenarios; However, these are Contingency Plans", (and Not Decisions), apparently Not Excluding a priori, totally or partially, something of that kind in the Future...

 + As for EU Commissioner Kyriakides, (who was the 1st to evoke a Possible Review of Contigency Plans and Risk Assessments, particularly After the current Joint Visit of EU's  "Disease Prevention" Watchdog, "ECDC", together with WHO, in Italy, (Comp. Supra), withOut excluding a priori anything, she obviously tried to Downplay that issue :  

- In fact, concerning "Evolving situations", "It's Not Just Looking at points of Entry in one Country, because wa canNot Detect Everyone at Risk of developing a Disease", she claimed, (apparently Skiping the simple Closure to Dangerous Origins). In Addition, "this is only a small Part of the Action that needs to be taken (sic !), when we are looking at Risks for Virus to be Spreading into the EU", since we must "Also" coordinate "with Member States on the "ways they are giving Information, Early Detection, Contacts Tracing, Location of cases, Efficiency of Laboratories", etc.

-  And, "for the Moment, we need to be Vigilent, see how ECDC will Assess the Situation, when they return from Italy,  Tomorrow", she Carefully added, (Comp. Supra + Infra).

=> "if we need to Re-Assess and Change any of the Actions, ...we shall Not Hesitate to do so ! ", EU Health Commissioner Kyriakides promised, at least for the foreseable Future, (but Avoiding to Explicitly specify).

- Meanwhile, "we are looking at the situation, how it's Evolving, (and) it's Changing very Fast", she Aknowleged.

- In particular, f.ex., "we (EU) need to make sure that  Member States are able to cope with an eventual Increase of Cases, Before it happens : That's what we have being doing these last days", she Limited herself into saying in Fine, (i.e. something which obviously risks to be interpreted as a kind of Fatalism, if it was Isolated from the rest : Comp. Supra).

-----------------------------------

>>> But a Crucial "Moment of Truth", appears to arrive Fast, (if it hasn't already been missed, given a series of such Strange Delays to take Drastic Measures, visible since EU Parliament's First hesitant Steps after the Deadly Virus' OutBreak in China)...

=> Indeed, according to the Latest ECDC's Report, the "Risk" for Contamination from Italy, and its "Impact", inside the rest of EU area is Upgraded up to "moderate or High", Because "evidence ...indicates that, once Imported, the virus causing COVID-19 can Transmit Rapidly", with a particularluy "Severe" impact on "Vulnerable" persons, as the "Elderly", in cases of Contaminanation inside "Hospitals", (as it has just happened at nearby Italy), etc.

Obviously, since the Epicenter now is at Nearby North-Western Italy, the adjacent French and German parts of EU's Core are the most immediately Threatened, (See: ..., etc).

=> In such Circumstances, inevitably one Wonders whether EU's strange Delays to take Decisive Action, particularly on Urgent Containment at the Borders, (Comp. Supra), will prove Scandalously Fatal to several innocent EU Citizens, or not...

---------------------------

The (Partial : Comp. Supra) Pretext that, in principle, individual Borders' Control would be a "Member States"' Competence, (Comp. Supra), is InSufficient.

>>> Indeed, mutatis-mutandis, f.ex., Already as early as Since October 2008, i.e. at the Beginning of the latest big Global Economic and Financial Crisis, European Leaders held the 1st in History €uroZone's Summit for Heads of State/Government, at France's Presidential "Elysée" Palace in Paris, which Negotiated and took the Political Decisions to Synchronously Launch a Series of Big Financial Moves by the Countries involved, All Together, aiming at Boosting Economic Growth in Europe : It worked quite Well, Despite the Absence of Any Legal Status and/or Competence, then, Neither for holding such a Summit, Nor for Taking such Collective Measures...

Indeed, a Legal Possibility and Framework for such €uroZone's Summits was Created Only much Later-on, after 2011-2012, When a relevant "EuroZone" Treaty was Drafted, Signed and Ratified... But, Meanwhile, Europeans had Already Succeeded, acting by pure Political Will, to Collectively take certain Decisive Measures to Boost their Economy against the International Crisis, (Later-on Followed Also by the Creation of "G-20" Summits, at a Global Level, seeking a Similar Aim).

=> In other Words, to put it in a nutshell : If there is a real Political Will, almost Everything may become Possible in Europe ! F.ex., mutatis-mutandis, in the Present Case, EU Governments might Agree, Collectively between them, (even withOut the existence, yet, of an adequate EU Legal Competence for that purpose), to Take this or that Measure concerning Borders' Control, etc., in order to Timely Succeed that Vital "Containment" of Deadly CoronaVirus ID-19, if they act Before it Starts to slyly Kill even more Innocent European People !

Unless, those Strange Delays, (Comp. Supra), have Already provoked Irreversible Damage and/or Threats, (which, in that case, would have to be Faced Otherwise, including by bringing everybody in front of his Responsibilities)...

 

(../..)

 

("Draft-News")

 

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ECHR's President to "EuroFora" on Journalists Gongadze and Adali murders : Principles must apply to all States, without discrimination.


+ ECHR's Statistics on Freedom of Expression (See below).


 European Court of Human Rights' President, Jean-Paul Costa, questioned by "EuroFora" on Journalists' murders, as in Gongadze and Adali's cases etc., strongly stressed all CoE Member States' obligation to make efficient Investigations to find and punish those responsible, and underlined that ECHR's case-law's principles must apply to all without any discrimination.

His call was clearly supported by various Top MEPs who denounced a risk of "Double Standards" if some Journalists' murders are investigated, while others don't.

To avoid such risks, CoE's Parliamentary Assembly adopted a Resolution, on the occasion of Ukranian Journalist Gongadze's murder, "stressing", as a matter of general Principle, "the importance it attaches to the safety of Journalists and political activists, especially those linked to opposition groups, in ALL member states of the CoE". All "crimes against journalists and political activists must be investigated ... as a matter of priority, without political interference".

Costa was replying to "EuroFora"s question on the fact that, after CoE's Committee of Ministers, also CoE's Assembly had just adopted a Resolution on Gongadze murder case, based on an ECHR's judgement of 2005, asking a full Investigation from Ukraine, who has found and condemned  in 10 years of jail 2 executants, but not yet the instigators.

While nothing similar was yet done for dissident Turkish Cypriot Kutlu Adali's murder, with 5 bullets shot at his head out of his Family's home in the territories of Cyprus occupied by Ankara's army, despite another ECHR's judgement of the same year 2005, and despite Turkey's claim that nobody was found among those responsible for the murder, and that there was nothing more to do..

In order to be credible and efficient, CoE's mechanisms shouldn't find a way to at least ask for full investigations of all Journalists' murders anywhere they might be committed, without exceptions ?

adali_gongadze


- "On the larger question that you raised, I'd like to say, since we are in a period of stock-taking on ECHR's 50 Years, that the Court's case-law developed certain concepts ....such as the Positive obligations of States, part of which are also the procedural obligations", started to reply ECHR's President.

 - "Whenever Journalists, Lawyers, Defenders of Human Rights, or even simple Citizens are murdered, the States are held responsible, not only if its their own security forces' agents who committed these murders, but also if they didn't make sufficiently substantial and efficient Investigations", he stressed.

- "I want to strongly underline that we (ECHR) have found in many cases numerous violations of Articles 2 and 3 against States, ....(about) murders or torture, ...because they didn't make enough Investigations in order to try to find and punish those responsible".

- "We (ECHR) do that vis-a-vis all 47 (CoE) Member States, without any discrimination".

"Naturally, the circumstances in each particular case may be differend, and we can't ommit to apply the rules of proof, or the rules of criminal procedure".

"But we try, by all means, to apply these principles of our case-law, to all States", he concluded.

imag0335_400


      Costa's call was strongly supported by several Top CoE MEPs, from various Political areas


- "To investigate the murder of one Journalist, and not of another, looks like Double Standards", denounced the President of EuroLeft Group in CoE's Assembly, Dutch MEP Tiny Cox.  

- "What is the reason ? Politics or specificity of a case ? Of course, if Cyprus and Turkey are involved, it's always a Political case"..

- "Murders of Journalists should always be fully investigated, because killing Journalists is not only killing persons, but also killing Free Press".  "We (CoE's Assembly) should do our outmost to help People who are working on Free Press and they are under threat or murdered".

Because for Free Politics, Free Press is a pre-requisitive : Parliamentarians  cannot  function without a Free Press. Not investigating, is not protecting ourselves".

So we should investigate all Journalists' murders : We are talking about Gongadze, about the Cypriot man (Adali), about the Journalist murdered in Moscow one week ago, etc", Cox concluded

- "CoE can' look at these cases differently. CoE can't wear Blinckers  !".
- "If the one is investigated, so has to be also the other. Why there wasn't full investigation ? Why's that ?", wondered British  Socialist MEP, Alan Meale.

- "A good idea" would be to "make a Motion for Resolution", and "join all Journalists' murders. Adali and Gongadze etc", said to "EuroFora" EU Parliament Political affairs Committee's President, Goran Lindbland, ChristianDemocrat MEP from Sweden.


(See also earlier News at "EuroFora" on similar issues).
-------------------------------

ECHR's Statistics on Freedom of Expression :


    Almost Half of condemnations by ECHR for violations of Freedom of Expression in 2008, concern Turkey : 20 out of a total of 48 for all CoE's Member States.

    Russia, Poland, France and Moldova were condemned only 3 times. Romania, Greece, Portugal, 2 times, and the other CoE Member States only 1 time, or none.
--------------------
    During the last Decade : 1998 - 2008, Turkey was condemned for violating Freedom of Expression in ..169 cases, while Austria only in 24.

    France and Moldova in 14 and 13, respectively, closely followed by Russia and Poland with 11 and 10, respectively. The rest of CoE Member States had less than ten condemnations.    
    

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