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Former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib has claimed the EU may see growing Euroscepticism in the near future which could potentially spark a crisis within the bloc. During an interview with Express.co.uk, Mr Habib hinted member states, Spain, Greece, Italy and France could one day push to try to leave the European Union. He insisted this was due to the bloc's initial handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

He added if Britain makes a success of Brexit, other countries may want to follow in the UK's footsteps.

Mr Habib said: "The EU fears greatly that other countries will wish to leave.

"That is one of the reasons why it cannot allow the UK to have a successful Brexit.

"Countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain and even France, France is in real trouble, these countries have significant Eurosceptic movements and they are growing.

DON'T MISS:EU attacked for punishing Britain as bloc warned France will leave

"The pandemic has accelerated those groups and that scepticism because they look at the EU and its inability and hostility at the outbreak of the pandemic."

Mr Habib criticised the EU for their initial treatment of member states at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak.

He highlighted how this behaviour would not be forgotten by these nations and could later cause issues for the EU.

He continued: "The EU's had a desire to control member states from doing what was right for member states at that time.

"For example, countries needed to close their borders and the EU was up in arms about it because of freedom of movement.

"They eventually came around to it because they saw that they had to but you could see in the onset of the virus how awful the EU was in its attitude towards member states' interests.

"Ultimately the pandemic has fueled Euroscepticism across Europe, particularly across the weaker parts of the European Union."

Mr Habib noted another reason why the European Union wants Brexit to go poorly for Britain.

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He said: "There is another reason why the EU cannot allow Britain to have a successful exit.

"It is because you will then see the Eurosceptic movements in France, Italy, Greece, Spain and eastern parts of the European Union grow.

"They will really be banging the drum saying we need to get out of the EU."

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Oh dear, Brussels! EU terrified as Greece, Italy, Spain and France could spark crisis - Daily Express

The Tanzanian National Electoral Commission and Zanzibar Electoral Commission have declared the results of the elections.

Election day was well organised and peaceful in many parts of the country.Nonetheless, the European Union (EU) notes with regret the disruption of social media before, on and after election day, claims of opposition candidates that they did not benefit from a level playing field during the electoral process, as well as the limited possibilities for electoral observation. Reports of irregularities in some districts are also raising concern. These serious allegations have an impact on the transparency and overall credibility of the process.They should be processed through legal means of redress.

In Zanzibar, tensions were reported, with deadly violence,including allegations of excessive use of force by State organs. The EU hopes that it will be possible to lay the foundation for a sustainable reconciliation between all stakeholders, in order to contribute to long-lasting peace and stability in the archipelago.

The EU encourages an open, constructive and inclusive dialogue between the Government of Tanzania, opposition political parties and civil society, and recognises peaceful expressions of opinions as essential to multi-party democracy and civic freedoms.

Tanzania has a strong record of stability, peaceful cohabitation and tolerance among its people. The EU and Tanzania have a long history of good relations, and the EU reaffirms its preparedness to contribute to joint next steps for political dialogue and economic cooperation.

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Tanzania Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the elections in Tanzania - EU News

The European Union (EU) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will expand the Cuban health systems capabilities in terms of protection, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.

At the end of October, the EU and Cuba signed a cooperation agreement, which includes a financial contribution to the island by the European bloc of one and a half million euros, the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency reported.

The head of cooperation of the EU Delegation in Havana, Juan Garay, said this Thursday that the agreement seeks to strengthen the production of protective equipment for health personnel and risk groups, expand national capacity with a view to carrying out diagnostic tests and continue the development of pulmonary ventilators that can prevent critical stage and invasive ventilation, according to the source.

The collaboration project involves the Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) and five entities of the state group BioCubaFarma, and foresees the exchange of knowledge between Cuban and European specialists regarding the treatment protocols for COVID-19.

Unin Europea respalda a Cuba frente a la pandemia

During a press conference, Garay said it is an honor to be able to collaborate with a country that continues to set an example in the world in terms of respect for the right to health and that in the pandemic has had as a priority to safeguard the lives of its population.

The representative of PAHO, Jos Moya, for his part said that the agreement with the EU will benefit Cuban health and also that of Latin America, within the framework of solidarity and Pan-Americanism.

Renowned Cuban Doctor Francisco Durn, National Director of Epidemiology of the MINSAP, stressed that Cuba owes its favorable results in the confrontation against the COVID-19 pandemic to the efforts of scientists, work that will be supported by the new agreement, he added.

Durn thanked the international cooperation, which he described as essential in the midst of the economic crisis and the worsening of the U.S. blockade.

The MINSAP reported 44 new cases of COVID-19 at the end of this Thursday, a day in which 40 patients were discharged and one person died on the island due to the disease.

Thus, since last March, Cuba already has detected a total of 7,228 cases, as well as 6,542 recovered patients90.5% of all casesand 130 deaths, for a fatality rate of 1.8%. In addition, 3,736 patients remain hospitalized for clinical epidemiological surveillance.

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European Union, PAHO and Cuba to expand cooperation against the pandemic - OnCubaNews

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission on Friday urged online platforms to gird for a fresh wave of consumer scams linked to the resurgence of COVID-19 infections in Europe and said they need to work harder against the spread of disinformation related to the pandemic.

The European Union executive says that rogue traders have tried to sell products online that are falsely presented as cures for coronavirus or prevention of infection, and fraudsters have used offers to steal email addresses and passwords.

We know from our earlier experience that fraudsters see this pandemic as an opportunity to trick European consumers, Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said in a statement.

We need to be even more agile during the second wave currently hitting Europe, he added after a meeting with platform executives at which he encouraged them to join forces to strengthen their response to would-be fraudsters.

The online platforms liaising with the European Commission to fight consumer scams are Allegro, Amazon, Alibaba/AliExpress, CDiscount, Ebay, Facebook, Google, Microsoft/Bing, Rakuten, Verizon Media/Yahoo and Wish.

It said that since March these platforms have reported the removal of hundreds of millions of illegal offers and advertisements and confirmed a steady decline in new coronavirus-related listings.

Separately, the Commission said a new report showed Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and TikTok had taken useful actions to fight false and misleading coronavirus-related information but harmful content was still present online.

Viral spreading of disinformation related to the pandemic puts our citizens health and safety at risk, Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, said in a statement.

We need even stronger collaboration with online platforms in the coming weeks to fight disinformation effectively

Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama

Originally posted here:
EU urges online platforms to gird for new wave of COVID consumer scams - Reuters

Americans are not the only ones riveted by this years presidential election. People around the world have been glued to their computer and television screens awaiting the final outcome of the neck-and-neck race between President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden.

Regardless of who wins the election, much is at stake for European foreign policy, says Maia Cross, the Edward W. Brooke professor of political science and international affairs at Northeastern.

Maia Cross is the Edward W. Brooke professor of political science and international affairs at Northeastern. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Relations between the U.S. and the European Union under the Trump administration have soured on multiple issues, says Cross. Trump is said to have spoken privately about withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and he may follow through if he wins a second term. He has pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement and has begun the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization.

Relationships between centrist governments and the U.S. would have a difficult time recovering from a second Trump term, says Cross. Still, she notes, there has been a silver lining for European nations: Theyve been forced to integrate better in the realms of security and defense, with the understanding that they can no longer rely on the U.S.

During Trumps tenure, longtime alliances have become strained while supporters of right-wing populist parties have come to regard him as an influential figure. A second Trump term could embolden populist leaders such as Frances Marine Le Pen and Slovenian prime minister Janez Jansa, who have already congratulated Trump on winning the election.

A Biden presidency, on the other hand, would improve transatlantic ties almost overnight, says Cross. Biden would push to repair severed alliances and the U.S. would return to its status as a globally oriented superpower that values allies and condemns authoritarian leaders who seek to undermine international norms. Nevertheless, European leaders may still regard the U.S. as unreliable over the long haul, says Cross, partly because the election has underscored the vast and growing gap between liberals and conservatives.

Even if Biden is elected and things quickly return to what was normal, there is a sense that regardless, they need to be able to stand on their own two feet and to act together as Europeans in order to exert influence on the world stage that favors a liberal democratic order, Cross says.

Under a Biden presidency, there would be more of an emphasis on trade agreements, says Cross, but its unclear whether Biden would favor progressive trade deals with Europe. That will depend on which version of Biden emerges once he takes office, says Cross. He could govern as a left-center figure akin to Hillary Clinton or President Obama, who supported a neo-liberal free trade approach, or as more of a progressive focused on protecting the environment and workers. The latter would align him more closely with European nations, says Cross.

A Biden presidency could also add a layer of complexity to the UKs post-Brexit future, giving the European Union a boost in its trade negotiations with the United Kingdom,says Cross.

If Biden is elected, that would make the U.K. feel a little bit more isolated from the U.S. and perhaps more willing to give in to what the EU is demanding on its side for the trade deal, she says. And I think overall that would actually smooth the process of Brexit, rather than having the U.K. just go off the cliff edge, which currently its poised to do.

Regardless of the elections outcome, Cross says, the European Union will be fine. History shows that the more the U.S. defines itself differently from European values, the stronger European integration becomes, she says.

The EU really values a strong transatlantic relationship, but if it is forced to go it alone, it actually does quite well.

For media inquiries, please contact Mike Woeste at m.woeste@northeastern.edu or 617-373-5718.

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What does the tense 2020 presidential election and its fallout mean for US-EU ties? - News@Northeastern