Pope Francis led ceremonies for Christmas from the Vatican adapted to Covid-19 prevention measures. Christmas Night Mass was anticipated to 18.30 GMT (19.30 Rome time), and participation in person to all ceremonies was very limited. Due to painful sciatica, Francis did not lead the First Vespers and Te Deum on 31 December, nor the Holy Mass on 1 January, which were instead presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re and His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin respectively.

Important update: Launch VS25 initially scheduled today is postponed. The new launch date is on Dec 29th For its 10th and final launch of the year — and the fifth in 2020 with the Soyuz medium launcher — Arianespace will send the CSO-2 Earth observation satellite, intended for defense and security applications, into Sun-synchronous orbit.

From 1 January to 30 June 2021 Portugal will take over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Under the motto “Time to deliver: a fair, green and digital recovery”, and with the COVID-19 pandemic as a background, the Portuguese Presidency aims to reinforce Europe’s resilience and confidence in the European social model.

The Davos Agenda online event will be held virtually from the 25th to the 29th of January 2021. The decision to host the event online comes amidst the Covid 19 pandemic situation .WEF 2021 will try to host its physical annual meeting in may 2021 in Singapore. Live sessions will begin each day as of 08.00 until 19.00 Central European Time (CET).

The Justice and Home Affairs virtual meeting will take place on 28 and 29 January 2021. This digital event will be hosted from the Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) in Lisbon by the Portuguese Ministries of Justice and Home Affairs. More infomation soon.

The European Council will take place on 25 and 26 March 2021.

Together we hope that Eurovision News Events and the ESC Host will be able to provide comprehensive broadcast facilities from the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam from 14-22 May 2021. Please contact newsevents@eurovision.net cc beeckman@eurovision.net

The World Economic Forum will convene the Special Annual Meeting 2021 in Singapore from 25-28 May. It will return to Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, for the Annual Meeting 2022. Eurovision News Events will be offering broadcast services inclusive of pool distribution, standups, studios, digital and radio services, and both on site and remotely. Contact newsevents@eurovision.net for your plans.

The European Council will take place on 24 and 25 June 2021.

The European Council will take place on 14 and 15 October 2021.

The European Council will take place on 16-17 December at the Europa building in Brussels.