Euobserver.com

The European Commission on Tuesday launched an online public consultation on increasing the EU's 2030 climate target - a key proposal of the Green Deal. The commission will put forward an impact assessment to increase the target from 40 percent emission-reduction to at least 50 percent and towards 55 percent, compared with 1990 emission levels. The online consultation will be live until 23 June, 2020.

A 12-year old girl died from the coronavirus on Saturday in Belgium, Steven Van Gucht, head of the country's scientific team made public on Tuesday. He added she had no previous medical record. She attended her school's daycare until Friday. In China a 14-year old boy has died, in France a 16-year old girl. Spain has recorded deaths in the 10-19 age bracket, according to Reuters.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday issued a statement warning emergency measures imposed by member states to combat Covid-19 must be limited to what is necessary and strictly proportionate. "They must not last indefinitely," she said, in a comment aimed at Monday's move by the Hungarian state giving prime minister Viktor Orban sweeping new powers to rule by decree.

EU states should take in sick people from Italy and Spain in a show of solidarity amid foreign propaganda attacks, MEPs have said.

"If the numbers remain stable for the next two weeks, then the government will begin a gradual, quiet and controlled opening of our society again", Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen announced on Monday. Denmark was one of the first countries in Europe to close its borders, on 13 March. It has recorded 77 virus-related deaths to date.

According to data released by the Johns Hopkins University and corroborated by the World Health Organisation, the US has become the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak with more than 163,000 confirmed cases in the country and a death toll of more than 3,000. Spain has seen 7,340 coronavirus deaths, Italy 11,591. Globally, there are more than 780,000 confirmed cases and there have been over 37,000 deaths.

The virus shutdown is costing EU states 3 percent of their GDP each month and will cause "a deep European recession this year", the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) European director Poul Thomsen has said. But "the determination of euro area leaders to do what it takes to stabilise the euro should not be underestimated," he added, referring to EU plans to ease fiscal discipline and unlock an anti-financial crisis fund.

EU states should let seasonal farm labourers cross borders, as well as healthcare or other essential workers, the European Commission said in new crisis recommendations out on Monday, as Europe heads into its fruit-picking season. France and Germany alone take in some 500,000 migrant farm workers each year. And Europe's farming associations have said domestic workers cannot be recruited quickly enough to fill the need.

Former Slovak foreign minister Miroslav Lajčák is to become the EU's new special envoy for Kosovo-Serbia talks on 2 April after member states' ambassadors give the green light, RFE/RFL reports. His task will be "comprehensive normalisation of relations" under a "legally binding agreement that addresses all outstanding issues between the parties in accordance with international law and contributing to regional stability", his draft mandate, seen by the news agency, said.

Ushering in a new era for Hungary - and for the EU - the central European country becomes the first to be ruled by decree, after Orban's party forced virus emergency laws through parliament.

Italy and Spain, the most-affected countries in the EU, have tightened their response to the coronavirus outbreak - as the pair together now account for more than half of the world's death toll.

The European Commission has gone into damage control after president Ursula von der Leyen reportedly dismissed coronabonds.

Commissioner for values and transparency, Věra Jourová, says Brussels will vet moves in Hungary to give prime minister Viktor Orbán scope to rule by decree and urges Facebook and Google to push official health advice to WhatsApp and YouTube.

World food supplies - an urgent message from the director-general of the UN's Food & Agriculture Organization.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban's government received sweeping new powers after its two-thirds majority in parliament passed a law on Monday allowing it rule by decree for an unlimited period of time. The government argues it needs the special powers to fight the coronavirus pandemic, but critics worry that Orban exploit the crisis to grab more power. The law also sets jail terms for spreading misinformation, sparking press freedom concerns.

Unlike most other EU countries, public life in Sweden has not yet stopped, despite the country's 3,700 coronavirus cases, and 110 deaths, Deutsche Welle reports. The government has not imposed social restrictions or confined people to their homes. Shops and restaurants are still open. EU citizens are still allowed to enter the country and large public events are still taking place, albeit with no more than 50 people.

Campaigners fear that EU citizens who have made their homes in the UK are at risk of becoming illegal residents as the government diverts resources to fight coronavirus, the Guardian writes. Under current rules, all EU citizens have until June 2021 to apply for 'settled status'. However, there are concerns that the pandemic might reduce government support to help EU citizens and also delay campaigns to reach vulnerable people.

Former EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana has appealed for EU unity on counter-pandemic measures, writing from his hospital bed in Spain after contracting Covid-19. "EU member states ... need to commit to do whatever it takes," the 77-year old said. "We must ensure that the socioeconomic landscape that emerges from this metaphorical war is in no way akin to those left behind after a real one," he added.

A 14-year old boy from Portugal became the youngest victim of coronavirus in Europe after he died of Covid-19. Vitor Rafael Bastos Godinho, from Over in northern Portugal, was a keen footballer and had no underlying health problems, other than an irrelevant skin condition. He was hospitalised on Saturday, tested positive, and died on Sunday.

EU countries continue to wrestle with economic shock of pandemic and with sharing of medical resources, posing deep questions on solidarity in the bloc.