Eurotopics.net

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is predicting 5.6 percent global growth for this year. The main drivers are China with 7.8 and the US with 6.5 percent, but the Eurozone is also on trend with an expected plus of 3.9 percent. However, this is still not enough to allay the concerns of the commentators.

After the incident on Sunday another rally against police violence with around 5,000 demonstrators was held in Nea Smyrni on Sunday. Around 200 of the demonstrators clashed with police, and one officer was hospitalised with head injuries. The police used tear gas and water cannons and made several arrests. Observers are dismayed by the growing frequency of such incidents.

Italy is to become the first EU country to produce the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V. The Italian-Swiss pharmaceutical company Adienne has announced that it will manufacture the vaccine at its plant in Caponago in Lombardy starting from July - regardless of whether or not the vaccine receives EU approval. Commentators view the move with scepticism.

Starting April 1, everyone who buys a smartphone or hard drive in Latvia will have to pay a one-off media fee of a few euros. The Latvian Ministry of Culture initiated this legal amendment in December to generate additional income for the music industry, which has been hard hit by the pandemic. Commentators take a dim view of the move.

Swiss citizens voted by a slim majority for a ban on face coverings on Sunday. In future, Muslim women will not be allowed to wear burqas or niqabs in public. Protesters and hooligans who hide their faces will also face fines. Such bans apply in several European countries. Europe's press is at odds over the decision.