Euobserver.com

Some 277 million passengers travelled by air in the EU in 2020, a decrease of 73 percent on the previous year, according to statistics published by Eurostat on Monday. All EU countries registered a reduction of air transport last year, but the highest drop was observed for Slovenia, Slovakia and Croatia. The aviation industry was severely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, after countries imposed strict travel restrictions.

The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that the EU is "the biggest donor of Covid-19 vaccines in the world", after it shared more than 350 million doses with the rest of the world. She also said that the majority of these vaccines, around 300 million, where shared via the international aid programme COVAX. Some 44 percent of the world population is currently vaccinated, she said.

The majority of EU citizens are worried about the increasing role of digital tools and the internet in the society, a new Eurobarometer survey showed Monday. 56 percent of respondents are worried about cyber-attacks, 53 percent are nervous about their children's safety and 46 percent are concerned about the use of private data. 41 percent expect that the internet and the use of digital tools will bring them advantages.

The European Central Bank said Monday it plans to redesign the euro banknotes, after 20 years since their creation. The process will end in 2024, and will involve public opinion. "Euro banknotes are here to stay. They are a tangible and visible symbol that we stand together in Europe, particularly in times of crisis, and there is still a strong demand for them," ECB president Christine Lagarde said.

Work ministers reached a common position over EU draft law on minimum wages in Europe, without the support of Denmark and Hungary. The agreement comes after months of negotiations - and strong opposition led by Scandinavian countries.

Slovenia's anti-corruption commissioner Robert Šumi said the country misses out on €3.5bn a year due to corruption, while the EU chief corruption prosecutor Laura Kövesi visited the country.

Lithuania has asked for EU solidarity against China's "economic coercion" over its backing for Taiwan.

Although legal instruments have been developed, no universally-agreed definition of gender-based violence against women online or via technology exists - and this Council of Europe recommendation aims to fill that gap.

However, data from the European Defence Agency shows that since 2016 there has been "significant reduction" in joint defence procurement.

European Parliament president David Sassoli is demanding justice, following an attack against a Belgian MEP seemingly by anti-vaxxers. "Those responsible must be brought to justice," Sassoli said in a tweet.

Belgian police fired water cannon at violent anti-vaccination protesters outside EU buildings in Brussels for the second weekend in a row on Sunday. More than 40,000 people also protested against lockdowns in Vienna Saturday. Several thousand people also protested in Utrecht, in The Netherlands, as well as in Berlin and Frankfurt, where German police used batons and pepper spray after being attacked by a radical minority in the demonstration.

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden are scheduled to hold talks by video conference on Tuesday, the Kremlin said, AFP reports. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the conversation will take place in the evening Russia-time and the two leaders will determine the duration. Biden said Friday he would make it "very, very difficult" for Russia to launch any invasion of Ukraine.

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi has been jailed for four years for incitement and breaking a natural disasters law, The Guardian writes. It is the first sentence to be handed down to Myanmar's ousted leader since the junta seized power. Aung San Suu Kyi, 76, has been accused of a series offences, such as unlawful possession of walkie-talkies. Her lawyer has previously described the cases as "absurd".

Austria plans to swear in immigration hardliner Karl Nehammer as its new chancellor on Monday, after its former one, Sebastien Kurz, quit politics amid corruption allegations. Nehammer is a former soldier and communications adviser, who said fighting covid would be his main priority. Kurz quit as head of his party last week, after saying that having had a newborn child had clouded his judgment in the occupation affair.

A new report shows that the world's top 100 arms producers have continued to increase sales - even in the pandemic year of 2020 and despite the global economy contracting, Deutsche Welle writes. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) calculated that the sales of the top 100 arms manufacturers totalled €469 billion in 2020, more than the economic output of Belgium.

French far-right presidential contender Eric Zemmour said in a campaign speech Sunday "if I win this election, it won't be another rotation of power but a reconquest of the greatest country in the world", echoing the military expulsion of Muslims from medieval Spain in the so-called Reconquista. He also pledged to cut taxes and pull France out of Nato, amid violent scuffles with anti-Zemmour protesters in the Congress hall.

Europe was "torn by nationalist egoism" instead of being an "engine of solidarity" to help refugees, Pope Francis said on a visit to Greece this weekend, including to its island-based migrant camps, notorious for bad conditions. The European community "continues to temporise" and "appears at times blocked and uncoordinated", he added on Saturday, at a meeting with EU migration commissioner Margaritis Schinas and the Greek president and prime minister.

The leaders of 21 countries and the EU said Sunday they were "deeply concerned" over alleged killings and "enforced disappearances" of former, pro-Western security personnel by the the Taliban in Afghanistan. France also evacuated over 250 at-risk Afghan nationals on Friday, while French president Emmanuel Macron said Saturday "several European countries" were looking for a "common location [embassy] ... which would allow our ambassadors to be present," in Kabul.

Far-right politicians failed to agree a new EU Parliament group at a summit in Warsaw, but vowed to "align votes" in future.

Croatian police tried to withhold incriminating evidence of likely pushbacks, documented in a hand-written logbook, from the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe human rights watchdog.