Morning Multilateralism

Tuesday, July 21 2020

• After prolonged wrangling, the European Union reached agreement on an economic recovery plan. The agreement will allow the European Commission to borrow on behalf of all 27 EU member states. One observer described the significance of the outcome:

  It’s the first time the EU borrows money to give it as grants to countries. So it’s really a game-changer in terms of how this monetary union, how this European Union works.

• The New York Times takes a look at the politics and logistics of the World Health Organization’s examination into the origins of the coronavirus:

  The W.H.O.’s inquiry is focused on the question of how the disease jumped to humans from animals. The advance team is made up of an expert in animal health, as well as an epidemiologist. The team members, who arrived in mid-July, have not yet been identified and have not spoken publicly.

• Kenyan minister Amina Mohammed, a leading candidate for leadership of the World Trade Organization, expressed sympathy for U.S. concerns about the WTO’s dispute resolution system. For several years, the United States has held up appointments to the organization’s Appellate Body, accusing its members of overreach. For background on that standoff, see here.

• The UN Security Council will debate the situation in Palestine today, as annexation and an International Criminal Court investigation loom. According to Security Council Report, the UN’s special coordinator Nickolay Mladenov will brief the Council and may suggest reviving the Quartet as a negotiating mechanism:

  Mladenov and several member states may reiterate their call to resurrect the peace process, given the widespread rejection of the US initiative. One option that has been proposed by the Special Coordinator and some member states—and could be further explored in tomorrow’s meeting—is to use the Middle East Quartet, which consists of the EU, Russia, the UN, and the US, as a forum for negotiations.

• As tensions over Ethiopia’s dam project mount, the African Union convenes today another meeting to broker a solution. The session will reportedly include observers from the European Union, the United States, and the World Bank.

• Very briefly noted:

  • Former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir is back in court—but not in The Hague.

  • The World Bank warns about a surge in gas flaring.

  • NATO warships and aircraft begin an exercise in the Black Sea.