EU travelers could soon rejoice. Plans for a Covid certificate that will allow the resumption of hassle-free travel across the bloc may move a step closer to becoming operational if negotiations on the contested pass are concluded today between the Commission, member-state governments and European lawmakers. That would be a boon for tourism-dependent economies like Greece, which is already implementing its own version, asking visitors for a negative Covid-19 test or proof of vaccination before entering the country or traveling across regions and islands. An agreement at the so-called trilogue will pave the way for EU diplomats to sign off on the plan later this week and, eventually, for the bloc’s leaders to give their blessing so the pass can be operational by late June. Leaders are expected to welcome an agreement on the pass in their summit statement next week, according to the draft conclusions we’ve seen, suggesting that even without an agreement today a deal the resumption of travel is perhaps just a matter of time. - Viktoria Dendrinou and Nikos Chrysoloras

What’s Happening

Apple Probe | The EU is pressing ahead with its Apple antitrust probes as allegations of anti-competitive behavior at the tech giant play out in a Californian courtroom, Competition Chief Margrethe Vestager said in an interview. The investigation into Apple Pay is “quite advanced” and European regulators “need to do our own thing,” she said, adding that the high-stakes dispute with Epic Games could upend the multibillion-dollar marketplace for apps that run on mobile phones around the world.

Israel Talks | EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency virtual meeting today to discuss escalating clashes between Israel and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Their call comes after Israel intensified its attacks on high-ranking militant commanders, rebuffing international pleas to halt its onslaught. U.S. President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he’d support a cease-fire.

Taxing Plans | The Commission will float new plans today to create one corporate tax system across the EU to put a stop to countries offering more favorable tax deals for multinational companies, according to draft plans we’ve seen. The communication won’t include concrete proposals for now, pending a global deal on corporate taxation, due later this year.

Debt Demand | The EU is about to complete bond sales for its SURE jobs program, widely considered a warm-up act to a landmark borrowing spree that is expected to start in the second half of the year. Demand for the bloc’s first major foray into global debt markets has been a huge success, with orders last year smashing records, buoyed by its top-bill credit rating and the ECB’s bond purchases. It bodes well for the EU’s flagship recovery fund.

In Case You Missed It

Tariff Truce | The EU agreed to avoid escalating its dispute with the U.S. over metal tariffs, sparing iconic products from a doubling of duties next month. Under the deal, the bloc will refrain from increasing those tariffs and both sides will engage in a dialog about overcapacity in the steel industry and work to remove the duties before the end of the year.

New Plan | Hungary has bowed to EU pressure by reversing a bid to channel billions of euros of pandemic-relief financing from the bloc to controversial university foundations led by Viktor Orban’s allies. The country’s recovery plan, first submitted last week, no longer calls for earmarking money for the “renewal of universities,” which was originally the third-biggest item in its proposal, as the government sought to avoid a potential conflict with Brussels. 

Davos Delay | The World Economic Forum is canceling the annual meeting it was planning to hold this August in Singapore, citing “tragic circumstances unfolding across geographies” and an uncertain travel outlook due to the pandemic. The coronavirus forced the WEF to scupper its plans several times. While it finally settled on Singapore, long one of the world’s success stories in containing Covid-19, a surge in cases rendered the gathering impossible.

Spanish Demographics | The decline of Spain’s rural population has vexed lawmakers and citizens for more than half a century. Now Covid-19 is suddenly changing the landscape for the first time in decades, as some towns outside the country’s main urban centers are counting more people arriving than leaving. It’s a demographic shift unfolding in many developed economies though in Spain it comes with an added challenge: encouraging people to stay even after the worst of the pandemic passes.

Chart of the Day

Some 12.3% of employed people in the EU worked from home last year as the pandemic recast working arrangements around the world. That compares with about 5% previously, according to Eurostat data published yesterday. The numbers vary vastly across the continent: More than 25% carried out their jobs from home in Finland, while in Bulgaria it was just 1.2%.

Today’s Agenda (All times CET.)

• 8:30 a.m. Informal meeting of Ministers responsible for cohesion policy
• 11 a.m. EU Ombudsman’s annual press conference
• 2 p.m. Extraordinary video conference of EU foreign ministers to discuss situation in Israel and Palestine
• Commission presents business tax communication