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Shkarlet becomes Ukraine's education minister
Summary
A look back at the vote of 25 June 2020 that put Serhiy Shkarlet in charge of education, and at the EU border talks of the previous day.
Who would run Ukraine's education ministry? On 25 June 2020, the answer arrived: Serhiy Shkarlet was elected minister of education of Ukraine.
The appointment drew attention because of his record. Reports at the time described him as previously caught in plagiarism and as a man with a fondness for expensive cars. Those details followed him into the job from the first day.
A wider backdrop
The day before, on 24 June 2020, a separate matter was under discussion in Europe. Ambassadors of EU member states met to develop criteria for reopening external borders to travellers on 1 July, as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
European Commission guidance said that non-EU countries would make a safe list if their COVID-19 situation was comparable to or better than the EU average. The assessment would look at the number of new infections, the trend in new infections, and testing and tracing. Reciprocity and links to the EU would also be considered. Under these rules, travellers from countries such as Brazil, Russia and the United States could be barred.
