Storm: Britain - Netherlands hit by powerful storm: Storm Eunice Slams Northern Europe With Dangerously High Winds - by Derrick Bryson Taylor and Amanda Holpuch

Strong winds battered parts of Britain and Northern Europe on Friday, as a severe storm led to the deaths of at least seven people in the region, damaged buildings and severely disrupted travel by air, land and sea,

Netherlands Meteorological Institute warned of “significant damage and very dangerous situations” expected from falling trees and flying objects.

Read more at: Storm Eunice Slams Northern Europe With Dangerously High Winds - The New York Times

Germany: Heavy snowfall paralyzes northern and central Germany

German weather forecasters on Sunday said that the snowstorm is set to bring even lower temperatures in the coming week, as several parts of Germany were hit by extreme winter weather at the weekend.

Read more at: Heavy snowfall paralyzes northern and central Germany | News | DW | 07.02.2021

Corona Virus hits Northern Europe: Norway announces first case of coronavirus as Sweden treats citizen returning from Italy

Norwegian health authorities on Wednesday announced the first case of coronavirus in the Nordic nation in someone who returned from China last week, but said the patient was not "in danger".

In Sweden a man in his 30s is being treated in hospital for the new coronavirus after visiting Italy, Swedish health authorities confirm.

The patient fell ill after returning from Italy.

Read more at:
https://www.thelocal.no/20200226/breaking-norway-announces-first-case-of-coronavirus and
https://www.thelocal.se/20200226/new-coronavirus-case-confirmed-in-gothenburg-sweden

Weather: Unseasonal winter storm strikes northern Europe

Unseasonably severe weather struck much of France on Tuesday, leaving tens of thousands of homes temporarily without electricity and paralysing travel across Europe.

ust when many in France allowed themselves hope that spring may be around the corner, a fresh flurry of heavy snowfall struck much of the country, leaving tens of thousands of homes without electricity and disrupting travel across Europe.

French weather service Metéo France put two regions in the northwest on red alert – the highest possible – and 28 other regions across the country's north and northwest on orange alert because of the winter storm, calling the snowfall “remarkable for the season because of the expected quantity and length of time”.

Seeking to reassure the French public, President François Hollande said that the government was taking “exceptional measures” to deal with an “exceptional storm”.

Eurostar was forced to suspend its train service late Tuesday morning after closing sections of its high-speed rail, which it blamed on “severe weather conditions overnight in northern France and Belgium”. In Germany, Frankfurt airport, which is the third busiest in Europe, partially reopened on Tuesday afternoon after being forced to shut down for two hours because of heavy snow.

 Read more: Unseasonal winter storm strikes northern Europe - FRANCE - FRANCE 24

Iceland: Shipping and Transportation Industry: Portland, Maine to Europe container services

The Icelandic Steamship Company - Eimskip - has signed a 10-year deal with the Maine Port Authority and in late March will begin operating containerized freight service every other week out of Portland's International Marine Terminal with direct access to Northern Europe, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in Canada.

Having direct access to European markets Maine shippers will now have the ability to get directly to European markets previously not cost effective to access.  The opening of new markets presents a myriad of new international economic opportunities for Maine business.  Eimskip will also be locally operating a "less-than-containerload" (LCL) transloading facility to allow for smaller businesses to send smaller shipments overseas.

Eimskip will operate a warehouse and office at Portland’s International Marine Terminal, the company said.
The company said its main reason for choosing Portland as a port of call is it is well situated for Eimskip’s liner system in the North Atlantic and suitable for its customers’ needs.

Portland’s newly renovated International Marine Terminal, which is managed by the Maine Port Authority, “is well-equipped to handled the operation,” a statement from Eimskip said.

Locally Eimskip will partner with Pan Am Railways to offer cost-competitive access to North American markets.

Eimskip, established in 1915, has 49 offices in 17 countries, and operates 17 vessels. It has been sailing to the United States since 1917.

EU-Digest

Thousands of highly-qualified Spanish jobseekers hoping to migrate to northern Europe

Architects, engineers and other specialist technically-qualified young people from Spain have been clogging up websites offering jobs in Germany with applications ever since chancellor Angela Merkel announced that the country was seeking unemployed Spaniards.

With Spain's unemployment rate at 20.33 per cent – rising to 40 per cent among the under-35s – Merkel is now actively seeking highly-qualified jobseekers from Spain to mop up the deficit in professionals in Germany's employment market.

She intended to make this public at the Spanish-German summit meeting in Madrid on February 3, but already, thousands of job seekers from Spain are making plans to migrate north.

Note EU-Digest: this is another good reason for having the EU and  the ability for European workers to move freely along the member state to fill open positions.

For more: Thousands of highly-qualified Spanish jobseekers hoping to migrate to northern Europe