EU Reporter (27.08.2020) German coalition parties agreed on Tuesday (25 August) to extend measures to cushion the effects of the coronavirus crisis on Europe’s biggest economy at a cost of up to €10 billion, including prolonging a short-time work scheme and freezing insolvency rules, write Andreas Rinke, Holger Hansen and Madeline Chambers and Joseph Nasr in Berlin. 

Das Kurzarbeitergeld soll wegen der Coronakrise bis Ende Dezember 2021 und damit auf 24 Monate verlängert werden. Das haben die Spitzen von Union und SPD beschlossen.

As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, rent concessions have been granted to lessees. Such concessions might take a variety of forms, including payment holidays and deferral of lease payments. On 28 May 2020, the IASB published an amendment to IFRS 16 that provides an optional practical expedient for lessees from assessing whether a rent concession related to COVID-19 is a lease modification. Lessees can elect to account for such rent concessions in the same way as they would if they were not lease modifications.

koreaherald.com (11.04.2020) Foreign subscribers of South Korea’s national health insurance are eligible for premium assistance in a COVID-19 bailout, the state health care service said Saturday. From July 16, 2019, foreign residents staying over six months are required to enroll in the national health insurance plan. Previously, the subscription was optional for those staying longer than three months. As of last year, the number of foreign subscribers to the national health insurance plan reached 1,212,475.

koreaherald.com (11.03.2020) The National Health Insurance Service said the lower 20 percent of the income bracket will receive about 30 to 50 percent reduction in premiums from March through May. For the worst-affected Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province’s Gyeongsan, Cheongdo and Bonghwa, the bottom half of income earners will be given the partial premium waivers. The lowered payments are a part of Korea’s disaster relief subsidy plan announced March 30 to cushion financial blow from the outbreak for the financially vulnerable.

EYEWITNESS NEWS (30.03.2020) Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance K Peter Turnquest has announced the expansion of the unemployment assistance programme for self-employed persons outside of the tourism sector.

Reuters (14.09.2020) A collective failure by political leaders to heed warnings and prepare for an infectious disease pandemic has transformed “a world at risk” to a “world in disorder”, according to a report on international epidemic preparedness.

IPE (15.07.2020) Despite heavy opposition resistance against “breaking down the world’s best pensions system”, the Dutch parliament agreed yesterday to the switch to a new defined contribution (DC) contract which includes a lifecycle system and personal pension pots. However, many questions on implementation remain.

capital.fr (07.09.2020) Le coût des tests généralisés du COVID 19 est très important et la Sécurité sociale est directement impactée.

Project Syndicate (19.08.2020) COVID-19 has decimated livelihoods worldwide, squeezing the middle class and pushing low-income households into abject poverty. Social-protection programs such as Pakistan's Ehsaas Emergency Cash offer not only a path forward during the pandemic, but also valuable lessons for the future.