World last week: Finding a way out of internal deadlocks

America is in crisis

In July, scientists predicted that 250,000 deaths in the US from Covid-19 would occur by the end of the year. But that grim milestone has now been passed sooner than expected. A quarter of a million Americans have died, and the country is in the midst of aCovid-19 "storm"more terrifying than anyone expected. The rate of infection is increasing as the US enters the cold winter.

People line up outside to get tested for Covid-19 in New York. Photo: AFP

All of this comes as President Donald Trump is distracted by his battle to overturn the election results. A new peak of more than 184,000 new cases was reported in just one day, six times the total number of cases recorded in South Korea since the pandemic began.

About 1,500 Americans are dying every day from Covid-19-related causes, with the rate rising steadily in 30 states. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Montana, the Dakotas, Colorado and Georgia are reporting that their hospital systems are in crisis, doctors are struggling to care for patients, and the death rate is rising. Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research in San Diego, described the mood among scientists as the US passed the record death toll: “These numbers are devastating. The numbers are unprecedented in terms of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths.”

A Factbase analysis of Mr Trump’s tweets in the week after the election found that, of 202 posts, more than 80% were related to his loss to Joe Biden. Only 10 of thosereferring to Covid-19, and there was no mention of the rising cases, the concerns, or what Americans should do right now. At the same time, about 900,000 Americans were sick and 7,500 had died. Yet Mr. Trump completely ignored those numbers.

Health care workers in the US are increasingly stressed and exhausted. Photo: Getty

All of Trump’s energy seems to be spent trying to hang on to the presidency. “Trump seems desperate, even defeated, to keep a job that he doesn’t care to do responsibly,” said CNN analyst Jake Tapper. “The cost is clear,” said Michael Carome, director of Public Citizen’s health research group. “Delaying the transfer of power means more Americans will suffer and die.”

Joe Biden is pressing Trump to accept the election results, warning that the president is undermining democracy and endangering lives by blocking the transition of power during the Covid-19 pandemic. Biden’s advisers are currently unable to receive important documents on the Covid-19 pandemic and national security.

Amidst the gloom, Americans at least have some glimmers of hope, as two vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have been reported to be 95% effective in preventing the disease.fight against Covid-19These vaccines could be rolled out to treat people as early as next month.

Empty chairs are displayed to represent those killed by the pandemic at the US Covid-19 Memorial. Photo: AFP

Disagreements cannot be resolved

At the end of the online summit on November 19, President of the European Council Charles Michel warned that the EU faces serious obstacles inthrough budget package1.8 billion euros, as Hungary and Poland said they would veto the aid, citing concerns about the conditions attached to the aid.

The impasse began when Budapest and Warsaw objected to the adoption of a rule-of-law mechanism that would require EU monetary payments to comply with European values. This has temporarily frozen the EU's overall financial package, including the medium-term budget and the economic recovery package, and it cannot be sent to the European Parliament for a vote next week as planned. Mr. Michel said that in the coming days, there must be a positive determination to overcome difficulties and come up with many progressive solutions to overcome the impasse.

EU member states reached a deal this month to access funds based on respect for the bloc’s principles, including the independence of the judiciary, a move that supporters say will give the EU powerful tools toagainst illiberalismin some member states.

The EU summit took place online on November 19. Photo: DW

However, Poland and Hungary - two countries that have recently been investigated by the European Commission for alleged violations of many principles of the rule of law - have vetoed the approval of the bloc's budget in protest against this mechanism. The opposition of the two member states has left EU officials struggling to find ways to restore and revive the bloc's recession-hit economy.

Before the summit, the Polish parliament even passed a resolution supporting the government’s position in the negotiations. It unanimously rejected “any solution that does not ensure that EU member states respect their rights, as enshrined in the bloc’s treaties.” The resolution also reiterated the Polish government’s criticism that the EU mechanism would pave the way for politically motivated attacks on Warsaw if it were approved by a majority of member states.

There is a growing call within the EU for sanctions against Poland and Hungary. In a statement, the European Parliament said it would not accept any reductions in the provisions relating to the mechanism that requires the allocation of EU financial resources to be conditional on the rule of law.

The deadlock between the EU and Poland has yet to be resolved. Illustration photo: Emerging Europe

However, Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said that Europe does not want to threaten Poland and Hungary, and will continue to talk to the two member states to find a solution. Talks to break the rift will begin soon, and she rejected any suggestion that the EU is facing “threats” from Budapest and Warsaw. “For us, the word ‘threat’ is not appropriate in this context. We have an obligation to try to find a way out, because this is a serious problem, and we need to deal with it seriously,” Merkel stressed.

Failure to resolve the dispute and approve the EU's next seven-year budget in the coming weeks would have serious consequences for member states, including Poland and Hungary themselves.