At least 80% of priority groups should be vaccinated by March, EU says

"If you see how the European Union has conceived this process, for the moment it has decided to think only of itself," said Albania's PM Edi Rama.

In Ireland there are only 22 ICU beds available for use. Almost half of all the country's COVID-19 cases were reported in the last fortnight.

The man, 23, fainted at a police station and then died later in hospital, according to Brussels prosecutor's office.

Data protection agencies should be allowed to pursue legal action against Facebook and other firms over privacy issues, says the advocate general of the ECJ.

The investigation comes after MEPs called for Frontex's director to resign over alleged migrant pushbacks.

Amid rising criticism of a slow approach to immunisation, the EU defended its vaccine strategy in front of MEPs. The Commission's vaccine negotiator said that vaccinations are expected to ramp up from April and that no member state 'should be left behind'.

MEPs will see details of the EU's deal with COVID-19 vaccine provider CureVac on Tuesday. But that hasn't stopped calls for Brussels to be more transparent on all its vaccine contracts.

Lockdown measures

Europe's medicines agency approved two vaccines for use in recent weeks, but Britain has put three into general circulation in the same time period

"The rule of law and democracy should not be taken as self-evident and easy but something that we have to cherish and respect every day," said Finnish MEP Miapetra Kumpula-Natri.

The European Union has dropped its recognition of Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's interim president after he lost his position as head of its parliament.

With many EU countries struggling to get people vaccinated against COVID-19 as fast as citizens might like, Belgium is re-evaluating its strategy.

"This is not about a blame game," said EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides. "This is about fighting the pandemic."