Johnson calls on those who refuse to receive a booster dose to reduce the increase in Corona injuries

A war on immigration and wage unification What is Macron's plan for the presidency of the European Union?

With the advent of the New Year's Eve, France will assume the presidency of the European Union, and its government has appointed a package of measures targeting the most sensitive files of Europeans, while observers agree that President Macron is trying to take this matter as a ride to support his electoral campaign.

On Saturday, early January 2022, France will assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union, which it will hold until June 30. During this period, the French government has set its sights on implementing the most sensitive decisions of Brussels and its member states.

These are the files on the table of the French presidency, on top of which is the issue of immigration and the green transition, as well as finding a final solution to the shortcomings of Brexit, and strengthening the common European defense. This is what the Macron government plans to deal with, with new measures that may transform European reality.

On the other hand, this French presidency comes in light of the country's demand for a presidential election race, which is scheduled to take place next April. Observers believe that President Macron is trying to use the European presidency as a platform to support his presidential campaign.

A presidency with four principles

This French presidency of the European Union comes after a year marked by successive setbacks for the continent, which President Macron did not deny in his speech , who said in his preamble: “We are living in a moment in European history, in which we face the challenges of the health and economic crisis, the threats of hostile forces and climate change, but it is The answer has to remain European."

While this answer that the Elysee intends to provide to raise this challenge, according to its official website , is based on four basic principles: strengthening European sovereignty, achieving a green transition, supporting digitization, and strengthening the social and human aspect of the Union.

In order to strengthen European sovereignty, the first thing that the French president touched on is the issue of immigration, as he intends to tighten controls on European borders, implement the new European agreement on immigration, and amend the laws of the Schengen area so that the control of internal European borders is back. Macron expressed this, saying: "Protecting our borders is a prerequisite for ensuring the security of Europeans, facing the challenges of migration and avoiding the tragedies we have experienced."

While the work of this new European agreement is summarized in more restriction on the external border crossings of Europe, focusing on documenting refugees, taking their fingerprints and subjecting them to medical examinations, in addition to accelerating the processes for accepting asylum applications, and balancing them according to the principle of entitlement, with the text of a “quick mechanism to exclude unlikely migrants.” international protection, meaning those from countries with an asylum response rate of less than 20%, such as Tunisia and Morocco,” said Ursula von der Leyen, then-President of the European Commission.

On the environmental transition level, Macron intends to implement the provisions of the European Green Agreement, which may collide with the rejection of large parties from the European Union, not agreeing to speed up this implementation process. Including Poland and Hungary, as the first defends its exploitation of coal mines, and the second on the gas fields project.

In the same context, Macron wants to address another controversial issue, which is the unification of the minimum wage among the countries of the European Union, which may trigger long discussions between member states, and within each country between different social groups, threatening to explode a wave of labor protests in a number of them.

Macron takes advantage of the presidency

On the other hand, observers believe that the French president is trying to strengthen his electoral campaign by exploiting the French presidency of the Union, and including it as an accomplishment for his outcome. It is he who entered his first campaign in 2017 with the slogan "Make Europe strong in the world!".

Which is confirmed by Claire Domaimi, a researcher at the Marc Bloch Franco - German Center in Berlin, that "this presidency gives him (shifty) platform to highlight the favorable outcome of European and differentiation of some of its rivals and put forward new demands and new ideas."

While this could represent a double-edged sword, as it will force Macron and his government to speed up the implementation of his European promises before the elections next April, thus placing his electoral fate in the hands of other European parties that may not agree to follow him in that approach.

Johnson vows to move faster to benefit from "Brexit"

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to "bolster the benefits of Brexit" in 2022, as consumers are told to prepare for new disruptions due to new rules that will apply.

Marking the one-year anniversary of Britain's exit from the European Union (Brexit) free trade agreement, the prime minister said the government would move "further and faster" to tap the "enormous potential that our new freedoms bring" in the new year.

But with the start of the new year, new barriers to trade with the EU are being introduced, with rules requiring importers to submit a full declaration of customs on goods entering Britain from the EU and other countries.

Britain imports up to five times as much food as it exports to the European Union, so there are major concerns about huge delays and food supply problems.

“A year ago, we entered into our new relationship with the European Union through the largest free trade agreement without any fees or quotas, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union,” Johnson said.

"This was the beginning, our mission since then is to maximize the benefits of Brexit so that we can thrive as a modern, efficient and independent country."

The European Central Bank celebrates the 20th anniversary of the launch of the euro currency 

The European Central Bank is celebrating the 20-year anniversary of the introduction of the single currency (the euro) with light shows at its headquarters in Frankfurt.

According to the European Central Bank, the facade of the bank was illuminated from midnight on January 1st.

"Inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven's 'Prelude to Joy', the European anthem, the illumination will feature a 'symphony' of light consisting of blue and yellow ribbons, stripes and circles, the colors of the European Union," the bank said in a statement.

Then, until January 9, we will illuminate the building from 17:30 until 23:30 CET (16:30-22:30 GMT) to display different messages about the euro in the 15 languages ​​of the countries in the region. euro".

The single European currency (the euro) is currently the official currency of 340 million people in 19 European countries.

Macron: The coming weeks will be "difficult" for France

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed , Friday evening, that "the coming weeks will be difficult for his country due to the new outbreak of the Corona virus."

This came in a speech delivered by Macron with the aim of congratulating the French people on the advent of the New Year.

The French president explained that "the crisis may pass peacefully if people act responsibly, amid the country's record of a new record of injuries ," according to the local "France 24" website.

He added that "his country is in a better position in the face of the Corona virus, compared to a year ago, due to the number of people who received the vaccination."

The French president also urged everyone who did not receive the vaccination to get the doses.

"The country needs to join forces to avoid having to impose new restrictions that will limit people's freedoms," Macron said.

On Friday, France recorded 232,200 cases of the Corona virus within 24 hours, in the largest daily toll since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

The European continent is witnessing a fifth “ferocious” outbreak of the Corona pandemic, following the discovery of the new, fast-spreading mutant “ Omicron ” last November.

Johnson calls on those who refuse to receive a booster dose to reduce the increase in Corona injuries

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has used his New Year's message to urge the naysayers to get an anti-Covid-19 booster, as mounting pressure on the NHS threatens to undermine his strategy to bypass the omicron mutated wave.

And the Bloomberg News Agency quoted a British government statement today, Friday, that nearly a third of adults eligible in England for a third dose, have not yet received the extra dose, although it said it had achieved its goal of providing a booster dose for all adults by the end of the year.

Other UK countries set their own health policy.

Johnson said this week that about 90% of those hospitalized for Covid did not get a booster shot.

But his plan to keep the economy almost free of restrictions is being pressured by the huge number of corona infections caused by the Omicron mutant, which, although its symptoms are moderate, has begun to translate this into an increase in hospital admissions.