Budget passed
Luxembourg’s parliament passed the 2021 budget on Thursday morning with a slim majority of 31 in favour and 29 against. The budget includes a generous aid package equivalent to €4,928 per capita, a lifeline for businesses that will push the deficit to €2.7b. By 2021 the country’s public debt will reach 29.5% of GDP, the lowest in the EU. Delano, chd.lu
Bettel in quarantine
Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel is in quarantine as a precaution after French president Emmanuel Macron tested positive for covid-19. The two participated in European Council meetings on Thursday and Friday of last week. The government announced on Thursday that Bettel, who is awaiting test results, is symptom-free and will continue carrying out his functions by working remotely. Luxembourg Government
Covid figures
434 people tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 on Wednesday, with the ministry always posting the previous day's statistics. 3.39% of tests carried out came back positive (down from 4.28%), the equivalent of 69.32 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Seven more people have died after testing positive, bringing the total number of fatalities to 428, the government said on Thursday. 230 people were being treated in hospital (from 235 the previous day), including 47 patients in intensive care. The reproductive number was reported to be at 0.89, below the threshold of 1. Delano rolling coverage
Subsidised training
The Luxembourg government should introduce targeted, subsidised training for blue-collar workers who are disproportionately impacted by the current crisis, the Luxembourg Institute for Socio-Economic Research has said in a report. Training would boost skills and improve job prospects for people working in lower-skilled positions who face salary cuts or unemployment. Delano
School’s out, but for how long?
Schools have been told to be prepared to start the new year digitally in an education ministry letter, RTL reports. The circular comes after pressure to extend the Christmas break or return to nationwide homeschooling amid rising infection rates in Luxembourg. A similar message was, however, also issued before the October half-term break after which schools continued to operate as before. RTL
EU vaccine strategy
The European Medicine’s Agency is expected to approve the Pfizer vaccine on 21 December, and three days later the European Commission will likely greenlight the vaccine. Euroactiv quoted an EU source as saying that then it will be up to member states to handle the logistics of administering the vaccine to their populations. Euractiv
Swedish King
King Carl XVI Gustaf said Sweden has failed in its covid-19 response. The comments came after the Swedish regions of Stockholm and Skane were forced to postpone non-emergency operations to tackle the second wave of covid-19 infections. The Guardian
Dieselgate ruling
Europe’s highest court on Thursday ruled that Volkswagen’s use of emissions defeat devices was unlawful, potentially extending the fines the manufacturer will have to pay. The firm hid the NOX emissions of 12 million diesel cars in the scandal that was dubbed dieselgate. The European Union’s Court of Justice ruled in July that Volkswagen owners affected by dieselgate can sue in any of the EU’s 27 member countries. Forbes, Thomson Reuters Foundation
France Facebook feud
Social media giant Facebook has alleged that people connected to France’s military ran a coordinated disinformation campaign in Mali and the Central African Republic in a bid to undermine a digital operation tied to a Russian oligarch. The campaign across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube allegedly promoted French interests and posted viral memes and anti-Russian material designed to sway online audiences. Politico, AP, France 24
US advisors approve Moderna vaccine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday endorsed emergency use of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, assuring a second option for protecting against covid-19 in the nation which has had over 17.5 million cases and 317,000 deaths. US president elect Joe Biden meanwhile tested negative for covid-19 after an aide tested positive. Reuters
Kidnapped boys released
344 boys kidnapped by Islamist militant group Boko Haram from a boarding school in north-west Nigeria have been released. It was unclear if all the abducted boys had been released or how the release came about. BBC News, The Guardian, Reuters
Agenda
Luxembourg’s parliament will host its last public meeting of the year on Saturday when it will examine a bill to extend aid for companies impacted by the pandemic until 30 June 2021, and another bill to freeze rent increases on private accommodation. Chd.lu
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On Saturday evening catch the Robert Schuman speech contest (online) with local Toastmasters organisations.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Jess Bauldry.