“We can no longer allow for us to be hostages of those who are paralyzing European foreign policy with their vetoes. Even if it means that we too may be outvoted,” he said.

He declared that the veto mechanism must be removed and that he supports the introduction of a majority vote system. The issue over the veto mechanism is meant to become a central point of discussions on Europe’s future at upcoming conferences.

Polish deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski referred to Maas’s recent statement on social media. He stressed that the veto mechanism has been protecting smaller EU states from German hegemony.

Romanowski warned that if the change proposed by the German foreign minister is introduced, then there may be serious consequences for Europe.

“The German FM stated that the EU veto mechanism should be removed. After all, this is the last remaining mechanism that blocks German hegemony. Germany clearly can no longer bear the situation in which other countries refuse to accept its vision. They’d managed to do so for a long time, anyway,” the deputy minister wrote on social media.

Germany’s Maas did not name names, but Hungary had recently blocked EU foreign policy statements. Apparently exasperated by Budapest’s stance, the junior minister at Germany’s foreign ministry, Miguel Berger, had called out Hungary on Twitter last week.

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The right for individual EU member states to veto decisions must be scrapped, Germany’s foreign minister has declared.

Heiko Maas said that the 27-member bloc cannot be hamstrung by single hold-outs.

“We can no longer be held hostage by those who paralyze European foreign policy through their vetoes,” Mr. Maas said, accusing those doing so of “playing with Europe’s cohesion”.

He added: “I, therefore, say quite openly: the veto must go – even if that means we too can be outvoted.”

Mr. Maas did not name names, but Hungary had recently blocked EU foreign policy statements.

Apparently exasperated by Budapest’s stance, the junior minister at Germany’s foreign ministry, Miguel Berger, had called out Hungary on Twitter last week.

“Hungary again blocked an EU-Statement on #Hongkong. Three weeks ago it was on the Middle East.

“Common Foreign and Security Policy #CFSP cannot work on the basis of a blocking policy. We need a serious debate on ways to manage dissent, including qualified majority voting,” Mr. Berger wrote.

In a public row in mid-May, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto slammed the EU’s “one-sided” statements on Israel as his European counterparts called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians.

Hungary and Poland had also threatened to veto the recovery fund last year along with the entire EU budget over proposals to link some fund payments to rule-of-law conditions, describing it as “political blackmail”.

Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2021/0607/1226474-germany-veto-call/

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Germany’s federal and regional governments on Thursday agreed on tougher, more targeted lockdown measures to contain local outbreaks and ward off the threat of a second coronavirus wave.

The new rules allow for a ban on travel “in and out of the affected areas” to limit the spread of the virus, according to an agreement adopted by federal and local authorities.

It comes as countries across the world are reimposing curbs on public life in response to a surge in new infections.

Germany, which has been less affected by the pandemic than many of its neighbours, aims to respond to new clusters with hyper-local lockdowns and rapid contact tracing and testing, rather than blanket lockdowns of whole
towns or districts.

The need for clear rules was highlighted last month when a Covid-19 outbreak at a slaughterhouse in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia led to Germany’s first renewed lockdowns, covering two neighboring districts.

However a local court later ruled that the lockdown was too broad, and locals from the districts on holiday elsewhere in Germany complained about being turned away from their accommodation.

Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday voiced support for travel bans in and out of coronavirus hotspots.

She said that it was “better for citizens” to have certainty rather than being denied entry to a hotel upon arrival.

READ ALSO: Germany reports over 200,000 coronavirus cases since start of pandemic

Calling in the army

The text agreed on Thursday states that a travel ban should be imposed “if the numbers continue to rise and there’s no certainty that the chain of infection has been broken” in the affected area.

Anyone wanting to leave a localized lockdown for another state must be able to show a negative coronavirus test that is less than 48 hours old, the agreement said.

Merkel’s chief of staff Helge Braun told the ZDF broadcaster that the goal was to fight the virus with “faster, smaller and more precise” curbs rather than the larger lockdowns that have caused such economic devastation.

He said the military could even be called in to help ensure locals in an affected area get tested as quickly as possible.

Germany’s Association of Towns and Municipalities (DStGB) welcomed the agreement, with CEO Gerd Landsberg calling local lockdowns “the right way forward”.

“This also means that lockdowns are not drawn out over months or weeks, but ideally last only a few days,” he told the Funke media group.

The new rules also come as Germany is anxiously eyeing the return of holidaymakers from abroad this summer, fearing they could be bringing the virus back with them.

Video footage of German tourists partying in Spain’s Mallorca – without face masks or keeping the recommended 1.5 metres apart – has caused particular alarm.

‘Reckless behavior’

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned Germans not to undo the progress made in combatting the virus.

“Such behavior is not just dangerous, but inconsiderate towards all those who would like to enjoy their holiday safely,” he told the Funke group.

“We’ve only just managed to open borders in Europe again. We must not jeopardize this with reckless behaviour.”

Meanwhile, the Tönnies slaughterhouse that was the source of the local outbreak in North Rhine-Westphalia reopened on Thursday after four weeks, prompting a protest from Greenpeace activists against mass meat production.

Germany has recorded just over 200,000 coronavirus cases to date, and 9,078 deaths, according to the Robert Koch Institute for disease control.

The country has credited early, widespread testing and its world-class healthcare system for keeping the fatality rate relatively low.

Germans have also generally complied with rules on social distancing and wearing face masks.

READ ALSO: How face masks have helped slow down the spread of coronavirus in Germany

More than 15 million people have also downloaded Germany’s coronavirus warning app aimed at alerting people who’ve been in close proximity to an infected person.

Source: https://www.thelocal.de/20200716/germany-plans-for-tougher-lockdowns-to-ward-off-second-coronavirus-wave

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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Wednesday will land in Israel ahead of his expected meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi.

The visit’s official capacity is for Maas to acquaint himself with Ashkenazi. Unofficially, Maas intends to caution Israel against its stated intentions to begin annexing parts of the West Bank on July 1.

Maas is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, and Ashkenazi. He will later also confer with Palestinian leadership over video conference after Israel cited its coronavirus quarantine orders to prevent Maas from visiting the West Bank. He will then travel to Jordan in the evening for additional talks.

This is Maas’ first trip outside of Europe since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

According to sources within the Foreign Ministry, Israel’s intent to annex West Bank settlements is a grave concern for Germany, which seeks to mediate between Israelis and Palestinians and prevent a violent escalation in the region.

Germany is a key ally of Israel in international organizations but is also a staunch defender of international law institutions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declarations that annexation will be promoted on July 1, in less than one month, have put Berlin in a major quandary. On July 1, Germany will be taking over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and will be assuming the presidency of the UN Security Council. These two roles will require the Germans to choose between their allegiance to international law and UN resolutions on the one hand and their historical commitment to Israel on the other.

• West Bank Annexation Will Harm Israel’s Relations With Germany but Berlin Will Oppose Sanctions, Officials Believe
• Trump’s Troop Cut in Germany Blindsided Senior U.S. Officials, Sources Say
• Germany’s Foreign Minister to Visit Israel, Warn Against West Bank Annexation

In late May, Germany and the Palestinian Authority released a joint statement expressing “grave concern” over Israel’s declared intention to begin annexing parts of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.

Source:  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-german-foreign-minister-lands-in-israel-expected-to-warn-netanyahu-against-annexation-1.8910253

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The German cabinet is expected to approve the step at its regular meeting on Wednesday, the sources said, adding the blanket travel warning for third countries could be removed earlier for some countries with low infection rates.

Germany is set to lift a travel ban for European Union member states plus Britain, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland from June 15 as long as there are no entry bans or large-scale lockdowns in those countries.

This will open the way to separate pieces of travel advice for given regions.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said last week Germans would be urged not to travel to Britain, for example, when not essential as long as a 14-day quarantine for tourists was in place there.

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It said a paper on European tourism that may be agreed by the cabinet on Wednesday showed the government wanted to allow travel to the 26 other European Union nations and Britain as well as the four non-EU countries in the Schengen passport-free zone – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

On May 18, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Germany was hoping to ease a travel warning on all tourist trips abroad that is in place until June 15.

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The plan is aimed at making some summer travel possible but could be derailed by a second wave of infections.

Germany plans to ease foreign travel restrictions from June 15, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Monday.

Speaking to reporters after a videoconference with foreign ministers representing popular EU summer destinations, Maas said that given the improving infection numbers in many countries, a general travel warning covering the whole world is no longer merited.

The German interior ministry last week announced that quarantine rules would no longer apply from June 15 to people arriving from EU countries, the U.K., and the Schengen area.

“We hope that on June 15 we will be able to replace the general travel warning with travel advice,” Maas said, adding that any such advice would be coordinated with the respective countries while “the top priority is the health of guests and hosts.”

The minister’s remarks follow increased speculation as to whether Europe’s summer holiday season would be possible given the coronavirus pandemic.

Maas said that while there would be some summer travel within the EU, this year’s holiday trips “probably won’t have much to do with the vacation you’ve known.” He warned that travelers should expect restrictions everywhere, from bars and restaurants to beaches and city centers.

He also said that certain restrictions would be reimposed if there were signs of a second wave of infections.

Responding to questions, Maas said Germans should not take June 15 as the “date when everyone should go on vacation,” but rather a cautious benchmark aimed at making planning easier for prospective tourists.

On a visit to the German-Austrian border, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said that if there was continued improvement in combating infections “we will strive to achieve the goal of completely eliminating border controls after June 15.”

“This requires that we remain disciplined and careful,” he said.

Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-lift-coronavirus-travel-warning-end-border-checks-on-june-15/

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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has accused European Union member states of not doing enough to solve the continent’s migrant dilemma.

Speaking at an online conference hosted by re:publica and the Media Convention Berlin, Maas said the manner with which European states approach refugees and migrants is “the greatest sign of inadequacy for the EU.”

Read more: Opinion: EU needs a clear refugee policy

He added that the bloc still had not solved Europe’s migrant issue since 2015 when millions of asylum-seekers poured into the continent fleeing poverty and conflict in northern Africa and the Middle East.

Maas said Europe needed a distribution mechanism for asylum-seekers among states willing to take people in. Countries that do not accept migrants for political reasons, like Hungary, must take responsibility in other areas — for instance, helping with the conflicts in Africa that leads to mass migration towards Europe.

Read more: Syrian refugees in Lebanon more scared of starvation than COVID-19

Migration policy in Europe has been a divisive issue in recent months after Turkey decided in February to stop preventing migrants from entering the European Union, going against a refugee pact it made with the bloc in 2016. The decision prompted thousands of migrants in Turkey to head towards the border with Greece, which has struggled to deal with a large influx of migrants in recent years.

Read more: Are Germany and the EU prepared for a new influx of refugees?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted in March that the EU is committed to its refugee deal with Turkey, one in which the bloc provided funds to Turkey in exchange for it taking back refugees who cross into the EU illegally.

Germany was also one of seven EU states who recently committed to taking in 1,600 migrant children from Greek refugee camps, which are over capacity and short on food, clothing, and medical supplies.

Yemen

Yemen is home to roughly 3.6 million internally displaced people. With much of their health and sanitation system destroyed by war, these IDPs are highly vulnerable to coronavirus while living in cramped conditions. Volunteers trained by UNICEF are raising awareness on how to keep the disease from spreading.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/refugee-policy-eus-biggest-inadequacy-says-germanys-heiko-maas/a-53365319

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“As Europeans, we have tried and tested and resilient channels of communication on all sides, which we must make full use of in this situation,” Maas said in a statement.

Maas has proposed to EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell that a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers be brought forward to this week to agree on a common approach.

Maas also said Germany would speak to the Iraqi government after the country’s parliament on Sunday backed a recommendation by the prime minister that all foreign troops should be ordered out.

“Our overriding interest is that Iraq’s stability and unity should not fall victim to the recent escalation,” he said.

Germany has around 120 troops deployed in Iraq under the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve.

“We are ready to continue our support if it is desired and the situation allows it,” Maas said.

“We are now discussing this intensively with our partners, in the NATO Council, in the European Union, in the anti-IS coalition, and above all with our contacts in Iraq.”

In the meantime, Germany has decided to postpone an upcoming switch out of its troops in Iraq, the defense ministry said in a post on Twitter on Sunday.

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Jurgen Trittin has chimed in on the comment thread that followed President Macron’s words about NATO’s “cerebral death”, calling to wake up to reality and not ignore objective truths.

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