Decision to hold the meeting by videoconference is linked to the beginning of the third wave of pandemic in Europe
Summit of the Heads of States and Governments of the European Union (EU), scheduled for 25-26 March, will be held in online format due to the third wave of the new pandemic coronavirus engulfing Europe. This was announced on Sunday by Barend Leites, a spokesman for European Council President Charles Michel, on Twitter. The main topic of the upcoming summit is expected to be a review by EU members of relations with Russia.
“The President of the European Council has decided to hold a summit on 25-26 March via video conference due to an upsurge in the incidence of COVID-19 in the Community. President Michel will continue consultations with leaders in preparation for the summit”, – he said.
Michel has repeatedly stressed that EU leaders prefer to hold the most difficult discussions in person, which makes it easier to negotiate on issues where there is no unanimity among EU countries. Such difficult issues include discussions on relations with Russia.
On Friday, the European Commission acknowledged that Europe is in the third wave of a new coronavirus pandemic.
In Belgium, where all institutions in Brussels live under sanitary regulations, there has been a 38% increase in the last seven days in the incidence of COVID-19. A strict quarantine, a mask regime, a ban on foreign travel and a curfew have been in place here since October. A gradual relaxation of the quarantine was expected to begin in April, but the third wave of the pandemic, as many note, will probably not allow this to happen.