EU leaders feel mounting pressure over handling of Covid pandemic
EU LEADERS were set to meet on February 25 under pressure to speed up Europe’s coronavirus vaccine rollout, and divided over border closures and what introducing vaccine travel certificates could mean.
The video summit for the leaders of the 27-nation bloc comes a year into the Covid-19 crisis, as most of the EU is experiencing a second wave of cases – or a third wave for some – that stubbornly won’t diminish.
And the member states now face outbreaks of more contagious variants from Britain and South Africa.
Brussels has warned six governments,includingGermany’s, about unilateral border restrictions, while tourist-dependent countries are piling on the pressure to lift travel barriers in time for summer vacations.
After a sluggish start to the EU vaccination rollout – largely because the EU’s plan was dependent on the vaccine from drugs giant AstraZeneca, which under-delivered – European capitals hope supplies will surge from April as PfizerBioNTech and Moderna ramp up production.
A one-shot vaccine by Johnson & Johnson could also be approved by mid-March.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told the German regional daily Augsburger Allgemeine that, despite the friction with AstraZeneca, “vaccine manufacturers are our
partners in this pandemic”.
Her goal is to have 70 per cent of adults in the EU vaccinated by mid-September.
Just four per cent of the bloc’s 450 million people have received at least one jab, according to an AFP tally of official figures – and only two per cent have been fully vaccinated with two jabs.
But thoughts are already turning to vaccine certificates.
Several EU officials and diplomats warned on February 24 that, while they back a verifiable vaccination record, it is too early to look at using “vaccine passports” to permit easier travel.
One senior EU diplomat told journalists: “We still do not have advice from the health authorities [about] what the vaccine does and does not do – Can you still contaminate others if you have been vaccinated? I don’t know.
“What happens to those who have not been vaccinated? What procedure do they have to go through to be able to enter a country? I think this is still under discussion.”
France and Germany, notably, are opposed, fearing a travel schism between a minority of vaccinated haves and a majority of unvaccinated have-nots.
However, preliminary EU talks have already started with the International Air Travel Association (IATA), which is about to launch its IATA Travel Pass, an app that stores vaccine data.
Meanwhile Greece has indicated it is ready to move faster than its EU peers, and has already struck a bilateral travel agreement with Israel, the world’s vaccination champion.
It is reportedly in similar talks with former EU country Britain, where bookings of low-cost flights to Greece, Spain and Turkey soared on February 23 after London said curbs on foreign leisure travel could be lifted as early as mid-May.
The senior EU diplomat acknowledged that all EU countries were “eager” to find a safe way to reopen travel in time for the June-to-September tourist season, but said: “We have to move this forward together.”
An EU official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, was blunter, saying the EU wants to avoid “a new death season”.
Brussels is also concerned the emergence of worrying variants could require retooled booster shots, which would in turn mean vaccine certificates would have to be constantly updated.
A more pressing problem than the certificates, though, are the severe border restrictions put in place by several EU countries to curb the virus variants, which the commission sees as disproportionate.
It has written warning letters to Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary and Sweden about their measures, giving them until late next week to respond.
Another EU diplomat said: “In this instance we needed to underscore the rules we have collectively signed on to.”
The EU official said that, without the commission’s intervention, such restrictions “could be worse than what we see today”.
He added that he expected “quite a lively discussion between the member states” on that issue.
NEARLY 140 NGOs from 31 countries signed an open letter on February 24 calling for the UN Security Council to urgently impose an arms embargo on Myanmar after the military coup there earlier this month.
The letter said: “The United Nations Security Council should urgently impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar in response to the military coup and to deter the junta from committing further abuses.”
It went on to say: “Governments that permit arms transfers to Myanmar – including China, India, Israel, North Korea, the Philippines, Russia and Ukraine – should immediately stop the supply of any weapons, munitions and related equipment.”
Three of the named countries are currently members of the Security Council: permanent members China and Russia – who both hold veto power in the body – and nonpermanent member India.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) director Kenneth Roth said in the letter: “Given the mass atrocities against the Rohingya, decades of war crimes, and the overthrow of the elected government, the least the UN Security Council can do is impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar.”
The signatories, which also included dozens of Asian NGOs, said: “The Security Council should also impose targeted sanctions, global travel bans, and asset freezes on the leadership of the junta and militaryowned conglomerates.”
INDONESIAN Vice-President Ma’ruf Amin has, on various occasions, asserted that Indonesia has great potential for developing a sharia economy. This optimism is based on the achievements Indonesia’s sharia economy made last year.
The State of Global Islamic Economy Report 2020/2021, which covers various sectors including Islamic finance, halal food and beverages and halal cosmetics, ranks Indonesia fourth globally. And Indonesia is ranked second for the country with the most developed Islamic finance industry in the ICD-Refinitiv Islamic Finance Development Report 2020.
To predict the future of Indonesia’s sharia economy, we must ask an important question: Does Indonesia’s sharia economy have enough energy to grow sustainably?
In my opinion, four energy pillars are important to Indonesia’s sharia economy.
The first and foremost pillar is the moral values of the sharia economy. This is the most precious source of energy for growing the sharia economy. In this context, the sharia economic system must be developed not only in critical opposition to the capitalist system, but also because the sharia economy aligns with human nature. The sharia economic system treats people as full human beings.
To avoid degrading the value of the sharia economy, the system should not be understood only as regards its technical aspects. To illustrate, if the mudharabah-musyarakah (profitand-loss sharing) system is understood only as a substitute of the interest-based system without understanding its moral value, it will not be able to eradicate human exploitation. Further, consumers will refer to the system’s material and financial benefits as their main consideration in daily transactions, instead of the moral value behind it.
Therefore, Islamic economics scholars must continue to explore the moral values of the sharia economic system and disseminate them the public through a simple yet strong message. Understanding of the sharia economy’s moral values will strongly influence human behaviour, including financial behaviour.
The sharia economic system teaches people to be honest, to avoid greed, fraudulent transactions and excessive consumption, as well as to not harm others. Hence, people would uphold
these values, even without external acknowledgement or recognition. It is not because of legal compulsion, but because people are consciously aware of the noble values of the sharia economic system.
The most important value of the sharia economic system is “the vision to benefit others”. Each party should hold to a vision to benefit others. Regarding this value, the main goal of sharia economy players should be “to maximise benefits”. This is fundamentally different from the primary goal of conventional economy players, which is “to maximise profits” in their transactions. If this value can be extracted optimally, it will provide a limitless source of energy for strengthening Indonesia’s sharia economy.
The second energy pillar for the sharia economy is its interconnectedness across sectors. In the perspective of Islam, this interconnectedness implies realising every potential of the sharia economy. If virtue is uncoordinated, it will be defeated by misdeeds that are coordinated. Therefore, the interconnectedness between sharia economic sectors must be coordinated.
Another view is that this interconnection is a congregational manifestation.
So many virtues are attached to congregational activities. For example, the reward for congregational prayer is up to 27 times greater when compared to praying alone. It is also said that Allah is present in a congregation (yadullah fauqal jamaah).
In these contexts, the interconnectedness between the sharia economic sectors has an important role to generate value-added for each sharia industry sector. It also has a strategic role in boosting growth of the sharia economy through the snowball effect.
The third energy pillar for the sharia economy is government commitment to supporting sharia economy development. In the Pancasila democratic system, the Indonesian government has a broad role in taking the initiative in developing the sharia economy. Government support is very important for accelerating sharia economy development through policy, budget intervention, infrastructure and other means.
Two of the most important government initiatives are the establishment of the National Islamic Economics and Finance Committee (KNEKS) and the merger of sharia banks into Bank Syariah Indonesia. These initiatives are strategic and also prove that the Indonesian government
is strongly committed to developing the sharia economy.
The fourth energy pillar for the sharia economy is public participation. The public has a vital role as the market of the sharia economy. The sustainability of the sharia economy is strongly dependent on public participation. The public is the place for sowing the values of the sharia economy. If the values are the soul, then the public is the physical body. The soul cannot exist without a body. Combining its moral values and the very large Muslim population will produce a massive amount of energy for growing Indonesia’s sharia economy sustainably.
Today, the sharia economy has valuable support from Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, the Sharia Economic Community (MES), the Ansor Youth Movement, pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) and various educational institutions. On another level, there is a behavioural shift in society toward religiosity, which has had a significant impact on increasing the demand for sharia economy products and services.
SLOW-COOKED honeybarbecued free-range chicken with fire ants as a condiment and water mimosa salad with herbs and peanuts was once served daily at Cuisine Wat Damnak on a tranquil street behind the eponymous Siem Reap pagoda.
Every day of the week, they would serve Mekong langoustine (these langoustine are giant freshwater prawns rather than lobsters) with sour clear curry, pumpkin fruit and leaves, rice paddy herb, tamarind shoots and a cream of rice-field crab soup.
Known for serving Cambodian food with a refined presentation and unique flavours derived from the freshest seasonal produce – with everything on the menu depending on its availability from the traditional markets – Cuisine Wat Damnak has been a star culinary attraction in Siem Reap for years now and listed among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants since 2016.
Sadly, due to the global pandemic and the collapse of international tourism, Cuisine Wat Damnak has had to drastically cut back its hours in Siem Reap.
“International travel deferment has of course severely impacted the restaurant turnover in Siem Reap, and we had to limit our operating hours to weekends only,” remarks Nguon Vengchhai, the restaurant’s specialist in hospitality and restoration development, and also a partner.
As sad as that news is for diners in Siem Reap, the good news for residents of the capital is that the same vibe and flavours will inspire a soonto-be launched restaurant in downtown Phnom Penh.
Cuisine Wat Damnak is planning on opening its Phnom Penh branch next month located at No 29 Samdech Mongkol Iem (Street 228) in Daun Penh district.
“We were actually thinking of expanding to the capital well before the
Covid-19 pandemic”, says Vengchhai.
“However, the crisis happens to give us a further incentive to diversify our range and reach out to the Phnom Penh market with new offers, all within the framework of Cuisine
Wat Damnak’s unique culinary style,” says Vengchhai, who – despite his youthful appearance and energy – is a veteran of the hospitality industry with time spent working in Fiji, Macau and other international tourism destinations.
As one of the few restaurants in the Kingdom selected for the worldwide gourmet ranking La Liste, which is compiled from thousands of media publications, hundreds of guidebooks and millions of online reviews, Cuisine Wat Damnak’s crew have earned an all-star reputation internationally while remaining firmly rooted in Cambodian culinary traditions.
Chef Riviere and his team have delighted enthusiastic patrons from all around the world – as well as their many loyal local customers – with an authentically traditional Cambodian cuisine enhanced with a highbrow touch that results in an elegant presentation for each dish.
Born and raised near a small French town known for its gastronomy, Riviere worked for a restaurant managed by his father before continuing with his culinary career, first in school and then in the US for a few years.
The culinary school graduate first landed in Cambodia in 2003 as a volunteer, teaching the skills of his profession at the French NGO-run Sala Bai Hotel and Restaurant School in Siem Reap.
During his stay, he was inspired by the rich history, culture and food traditions from Cambodia’s golden age, a simpler time when each day’s fare for every family was made up of herbs and vegetables from their garden along with fish and game from the surrounding fields.
Riviere, who would eventually publish some of the secrets that he learned here as the author of the cookbook “Cambodian Cooking”, opened his restaurant Cuisine Wat Damnak in 2011, and he later added Vengchhai as a business partner in 2018. “The dishes we serve
here are seasonally based and cater to the tastes of the local people. Our [chef] has been living in Cambodia for nearly two decades, and he is always thrilled to learn more about the rich seasonal ingredients and local recipes with local meats, vegetables and herbs and combine that with his own creative interpretations,” Vengchhai explains.
According to Vengchhai, what is unique about Cuisine Wat Damnak’s approach is the teamwork. It starts with everyone brainstorming together about creative food ideas – then shopping for seasonal ingredients
from the local market as a group – and it continues all the way through to the final preparations in the kitchen before serving each meal.
“At the start of every week, Joannes sits with the eight members of the kitchen team to set up the weekly menus,” explains Vengchhai, who has been a partner at Cuisine Wat Damnak for just a few years but whose association with Riviere goes back to the early 2000s, when they worked together at Siem Reap’s Hotel de la Paix.
“Each and every team member will suggest some dish he or she would like to include, and then the menu lists are combined together to achieve a well-balanced culinary experience.
“As a finishing touch, Joannes then adds some clever idea for a particular cooking technique or perhaps a dessert combining French and Cambodian inspirations,” Vengchhai says.
Riviere’s innovative menus at Cuisine Wat Damnak’s original location are inspired by the food traditions of Cambodia’s golden age and
entirely sourced from nearby farms or foraged wild from around Siem Reap Province: Ambarella and kuy fruits, edible flowers, water lily stems, and freshwater seafood from the Mekong and Tonle Sap.
“In Siem Reap, we mostly use the products from around the land of Angkor. The fruits, vegetables and herbs are grown by local communities.
“However, we have to use imported milk, chocolate, garlic, dried mushrooms and certain kinds of cooking oil. The same practices will also be implemented at our branch in downtown Phnom Penh,” Vengchhai says.
Lunch time offers – particularly attractive for gourmets working or shopping in the area – include the a-la-carte option where patrons can compose their own meal with selections from the two weekly set menus.
“Cuisine Wat Damnak Siem Reap updated its lunch and dinner menus every week based on the availability of fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats and fish.
“For now, we’ll have to wait and see how it works in the
capital. For the Phnom Penh branch, which is scheduled to open in early March, the menu will be updated every two weeks depending on the produce available from the local markets in the city,” Vengchhai explains.
The design of the new restaurant includes a private dining room decorated with soothing reminders of the Siem Reap establishment. The rest of the interior design is intended reflect Phnom Penh’s vibrant and modern energy.
That same vibrant energy will be infused into the rest of Phnom Penh’s Cuisine Wat Damnak operations along with the high-quality service they are known for in Siem Reap – such as personalised reservations in which clients can state food allergies or preferences and a highly satisfying wine and spirits selection.
While Cuisine Wat Damnak’s entire team is both exhausted and excited to be opening soon as they finalise preparations for their Phnom Penh branch, Riviere has already started to explore the city and the local markets to understand which products will be available for his kitchen.
“Chef Riviere can speak Khmer fluently so he is able to learn a lot by talking to the local people. He can have a friendly chat with the vendors at the local market when he’s buying ingredients and find out about anything special they might have for sale next week or next month,” Vengchhai says, pointing to photos of the French chef and his team in the grocery section of the iconic Central Market in the heart of the capital.
Cuisine Wat Damnak Phnom Penh has a soft opening scheduled for early March. It is located at No 29 Street 228 in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district.
Check out their Facebook page for more information at: https://www.facebook.com/ cuisinewatdamnakpp/
FROM a cobblestoned street in downtown Belgrade, the Sava perfumery has seen more than half a century sweep past without ceasing in its mission to keep the city’s citizens smelling flowery and fresh.
The artisanal shop – which mixes its perfumes in-house – is the last of its kind in the Serbian capital, thanks to the Jovanov family who are committed to keeping the craft alive.
While the city has gone through many changes, the store remains a snapshot in time, with glass bottles, mixing vials and other tools passed down through three generations.
The work is a labour of love for the Jovanovs, whose other sources of income enable them to continue with the perfumery.
“We have remained because of tradition, love, affection and willingness to do a job which at certain times doesn’t earn you enough money to subsist,” the shop’s jovial owner Nenad Jovanov, 71, said as he mixed a custom eau de toilette in the shop’s laboratorylike back room, measuring out ingredients with beakers and pipettes.
The perfumery dates back to the 1940s but opened under its current name a decade later, when communist authorities in then-Yugoslavia reversed a decision to ban private business, allowing the family to take back ownership.
In the 1950s and 60s, such perfumeries enjoyed a “golden age” in Belgrade, said Nenad, recalling more than 20 other family-run shops.
But as Yugoslavia started opening up to imports, massproduced fragrances poured in, pushing local mixers out of business.
Crippling sanctions in the 1990s, when Serbia and other ex-Yugoslav republics broke apart in a series of wars, dealt another blow to the industry.
“One by one they started shutting down. And in the end, we were the only ones to remain,” said Nenad.
No labels
When customers enter the tiny store, Nenad or his son Nemanja, who also works in the film industry, help them navigate the wooden shelves of label-less glass bottles.
“We don’t have brand names. We don’t have brand bottles. We don’t have brand boxes. We simplified our packaging and our interior as much as we could so we can allow customers the experience of discovering what they like,” explained Nemanja.
After enquiring about preferences – floral, citrus, sweet or musky – they use an old-fashioned pump to test different fragrances on the client’s arms.
Shoppers are then encouraged to take a walk and return later to choose which perfume they like best, as the scent evolves over time after its first contact with the skin.
Most of their ingredients come from France.
“Men, at least those in this region, would be terrified if they knew that many masculine fragrances – wonderful and popular fragrances – have floral components,” Nenad said with a laugh.
The store stays afloat thanks to a loyal clientele, plus a growing interest from tourists interested in what Nemanja calls its “living museum”.
At a time when Covid-19 has taken away many people’s sense of smell, an appreciation of its power has also deepened.
“The sense of smell is one of the most important,” mused Nenad, who works in a white lab coat.
“It can transport us to another place, another time.”