Belgium

Germany will soon authorize the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday, the same day Belgium authorized its rollout to seniors.

The countries - both criticized for the slow pace of their inoculation drives - had previously said there was insufficient data about the effect of the vaccine on older age groups.

The Ministry of Health (MS) informed on Tuesday that permission was granted by the Vienna-based AKH Hospital for the transfer of a second man who has sustained burns following the fire occurred in the village of Inotesti, Prahova County.

Romania's Ministry of Health (MS) informed on Tuesday that for one of two men injured in a fire at Inotesti, Prahova County, permission was granted for his transfer to the Reine Astrid Military Hospital in Belgium, while permission for the second patient for treatment at the Vienna-based AKH hospital was being sought.

The European Commission will present a proposal in March on creating an EU-wide digital Covid-19 vaccination passport that may allow Europeans to travel more freely over the peak summer holiday period.

Reuters reports:

EU leaders have agreed to introduce vaccine passports by the summer in a boost to Britons planning holidays on Europe's beaches.

European leaders are looking for ways to step up their inoculation drives in talks on Thursday, with the 27 member states lagging behind countries like Israel and Britain in the vaccination race against Covid-19.

Ljubljana – The more virulent variants of coronavirus appear not to be very widespread in Slovenia yet. Two labs which conduct genetic sequencing have so far identified 35 cases of the UK variant and not a single case of the South African or Brazilian variant.

Nuclear power plants in the EU produced about 26% of the total electricity generated in the Union in 2019, according to data from the specialized Eurostat survey.

Thirteen Member States, including Bulgaria, operated a total of 106 reactors, which generated 765,337 GW/h of electricity.

NATO's annual advanced anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare exercise began on Feb. 22.

The Dynamic Manta 2021 will continue through March 5 off Italy's Sicily Island, the alliance's Maritime Command said in a statement.

Brussels – Dutch MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld (Renew) has invited PM Janez Janša to Brussels to take part in a discussion on the media in Slovenia that is expected to take place in March, public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported on Monday.