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ZAGREB, December 22, 2019 - A survey shows that more than 40 percent of Croatians have a positive opinion about the European Union, while as many as 81 percent know that Croatia is taking over the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first time on January 1, 2020, the Jutarnji List daily reported on Sunday.

The survey, financed by the EU, was carried out by the IPSOS Puls agency between November 27 and December 3. A total of 1,005 Croatians took part in the survey.

If a referendum on accession to the EU were to be held today, 68 percent of the respondents would be in favour and 28 percent would vote against. In 2012, 67 percent of those who went to the polls supported accession to the EU and 33 percent were against it.

As many as 43 percent of the respondents see the EU in a positive light, mostly those in the 18 - 30 age group.

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

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More Croats Support European Union Today Than at 2012 Referendum - Total Croatia News

Sir, Whatever about the benefits for the UK of accomplishing its paramount aim of extricating itself from the single market arrangements, as outlined by D.R. Cooper (Letters, December 23rd), Ireland has been utterly transformed since becoming a member of the European Union. The changes can be seen in terms of physical and legislative infrastructure, not to mention the many fine houses built throughout the country.

Workers rights, womens rights, manufacturing and food standards have all been vastly improved.

Foreign investment in Ireland, no doubt helped by our EU membership, has been among the worlds highest. Pre-1973, our exports, a high percentage of which were food and agriculture, including live cattle, depended 90 per cent on the UK market.

The UK now takes some 13 per cent of total visible exports and 16 per cent of our services exports.

Whatever shape Brexit takes, the UK will still be an important market for Ireland as the UK misguidedly, in my opinion, turns its back on its major customers in Europe in search of a 21st-century El Dorado in the Americas. Yours, etc,

COLUM MacDONNELL,

Glenageary,

Co Dublin.

Sir, D.R. Cooper assures us it will, only take a modicum of common sense, for the UK to successfully extricate itself from the EU in 2020. I, for one, welcome this fundamental, if sadly overdue, change in the UKs Brexit negotiating strategy. Yours, etc,

RONAN McDERMOTT,

Rathgar,

Dublin 6.

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The UK and a trade deal with the EU - Irish Times

SCOTLAND will not be spending its last Christmas as part of the European Union this year, an SNP MP has vowed.

Alyn Smith, who was an MEP until elected as an MP this month, pledged the SNP would do all they can at Westminster to ensure the country can escape the mess of Brexit.

His comments come as a German MEP renewed a pledge the EU would leave the door open for an independent Scotland to rejoin.

A majority of 124 votes for the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill at its second reading in the Commons last week means the UK is on its way to finalising its divorce from Brussels by the January 31 deadline.

READ MORE:SNP's Amy Callaghan: My first week at Westminster as an MP

But Smith, who was elected to represent Stirling, said: This cannot be Scotlands last Christmas in the European Union, and SNP MPs will do all we can to ensure that Scotland can escape the mess of Brexit.

The people of Scotland voted overwhelmingly to Remain in the EU in 2016, and people in Scotland cannot be dragged out of Europe against the wishes of our people.

Scotland is a European nation and our EU membership must be protected from a destructive Tory Brexit.

The risk of losing 100,000 jobs in Scotland, and a Brexit money-grab of 2300 from every person per year with a hard Brexit, is simply not worth taking.

He added: Scotland cannot afford to stay a member of the UK in an increasingly insular Brexit Britain.

Only by taking our seat at the table with other independent European nations can Scotland escape the chaos of Brexit.

German Green MEP Terry Reintke tweeted a message highlighting a letter to the Scottish Parliament signed by 50 politicians from across the EU in the wake of the Brexit vote.

She said: Maybe now is the moment to remind everyone in Scotland of our commitment: Your future is for you to decide, but we will leave our door open.

The letter to MSPs acknowledges that Scotland voted strongly to remain within the EU. It added: If Scotland were to become an independent country and decided to maintain European Union membership, we offer our full support to ensure the transition is as swift, smooth and orderly as possible.

Scotland would be most welcome as a full member of the European Union, with your five million European citizens continuing to benefit from the rights and protections we all currently enjoy.

Yesterday Boris Johnson was asked whether he was planning for a hard Brexit at the end of 2020, as he visited British troops in Estonia and met with the countrys Prime Minister Juri Ratas.

He said: On the EU and our partnership, just talking to Juri Ratas, who is the prime minister here, such a positive feeling now.

What everybody wants to do is put Brexit behind us on January 31 and move on, and theres a lot of goodwill and a lot of energy now about building the new deep and special partnership, and thats what were going to do.

THE Prime Minister told MPs on Friday that the oven was on when it came to delivering Brexit next year, but said there would be no alignment to EU rules once the transition period ends in 2020.

READ MORE:Staying in the Union cost Scotland 3.3 billion this year

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar warned a good trade deal for Ireland was looking increasingly unlikely after the stance taken by Number 10 since the Tories win.

It is going to be difficult to secure a good trade deal for Ireland, principally because Boris Johnson has fixed on a harder Brexit than we anticipated under his predecessor or at the time of the referendum, and that is one where he talks very much about divergence, he said.

The harder approach being taken by Prime Minister Johnson is a risk to us and that is evident.

Varadkar said he feared the UK, under a hard Brexit, would look to undercut EU states on food, financial, product and health standards in order to compete for world trade.

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised over Brexit trade negotiations following the sale of a UK defence and aerospace company to US private equity firm Advent. The UK Government approved the sale of Cobham, which has extensive contracts with the British military, on Friday after the deal was delayed due to national security concerns. Sir Ed Davey, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the move was deeply concerning.

He said: If Boris Johnsons Government are happy to sell of a leading UK defence and aerospace company to Trumps America, how can we expect his Government to protect our defence and manufacturing sectors, not to mention every other sector of our economy, as they negotiate trade deals after Brexit?

However Johnson said it was important to have an open and dynamic market economy.

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This is not Scotland's last Christmas in the European Union, Smith insists - The National

The European Union anticipates olive oil consumption to increase in non-producing countries, both within the 28-member trading bloc and the rest of the world.

The E.U. also predicts that production among its members will continue to steadily increase, growing by about 1.1 percent over the course of the next decade.

The E.U.s olive oil production is expected to further intensify with an increase in production capacity. Domestic consumption could grow, mainly outside of the main producing countries, the report said. At global level, strong demand in traditional and new markets should lead to an increase in E.U. exports.

These predictions were laid out in the E.U.s 2019 to 2030 agricultural outlook report published earlier this month.

The E.U. mainly attributes increasing production to the shift from traditional to super-intensive olive groves on the Iberian Peninsula as well as the modernization of irrigation systems and improvement of agronomic conditions of the trees.

The report also cites an increasing consumer preference for early-harvest olive oils and specialized organic and monovarietal oils as part of what is driving this production increase.

Overall, olive oil production in the E.U. is expected to increase by 400,000 tons over the course of the next decade. The majority of this growth is predicted to take place in Portugal, which, according to aseparate report, may be the third-largest producer of olive oil globally by 2030.

The report also addresses one of the upcoming challenges for Europes olive oil sector, which is the issue of farm succession.

Farm succession will remain achallenge, particularly in Italy and Greece, where most farms are smaller than five hectares (12.4acres), and where around 70 percent of the owners of these small farms are 55years and older, the report said.

In terms of consumption, the report predicts that the majority of growth in demand will come from outside of the main producing countries. The E.U. cites changing in eating habits as well as the younger generations concern about their health and the environment as two of the reasons behind this growth.

Overall, olive oil consumption in non-producing E.U. member states is expected to increase by eight percentage points, even as Europes population is projected to decline during the period.

Non-producing countries will make up 32 percent of total consumption in the trading bloc.

The trend of declining olive oil consumption in producing countries is also expected to slow down slightly.

The E.U. attributes both of these trends to successful awareness campaigns as well as the incorporation of olive oil into modern lifestyles, such as its use in various food services.

Along with increasing consumption, the E.U. also anticipates that exports to the rest of the world will increase by 3.3 percent per year between 2019 and 2030. The report suggests that exports are likely to increase in some existing markets as well as in new markets.

This optimism comes in spite of the uncertainty of future relations with the United Kingdom one of the largest domestic markets for olive oil in the E.U. which is set to begin the process of leaving the trading bloc on January 31.

Further complications could come from the United States, which is in the process of reviewing whether it will increase existing tariffs on Spanish olive oil imports and apply new tariffs on other E.U. olive oil imports as aresult of the ruling in its favor at the World Trade Organization in October.

In spite of the prediction for increasing production, the E.U. expects exports and consumption to grow at amuch faster rate as the decade progresses.

According to current market data, the E.U. has 829,000 tons of olive oil stocks. This near-record high figure (stocks were slightly higher in 2018) has been partially responsible for driving down olive oil prices in countries such as Spain, which has the vast majority of the stocks.

The report predicts that olive oil stocks will have decreased to 550,000 tons by 2030. Over the same period of time exports are predicted to steadily increase to 860,000 tons (they currently sit at 610,000 tons) and imports will decrease, but not dramatically (these change quite drastically depending on the harvests in E.U. countries).

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E.U. Anticipates Increase in Consumption and Exports by 2030 - Olive Oil Times

Brussels: The European Union has urged Saudi Arabia to prosecute those responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi after five people were sentenced to death.

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, called on Riyadh on Tuesday to bring to justice those responsible and involved in the killing in Istanbul in 2018 after a ruling on the case on Monday, Efe news reported.

He reiterated the need to fully guarantee accountability and prosecution of those responsible and implicated in the murder on 2 October at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, a spokesman for the high representative said in a statement.

Borrell added that the practice has to be based on the principles of transparency, respect for legal procedures and due process.

His statement came after Saudi Arabias public prosecution on Monday sentenced five people to death over the killing.

Shalan al-Shalan, a spokesman for the public prosecutor, said in a press conference that three other convicts received a total of 24 years in jail for covering up the crime.

He added that 10 others were released due to a lack of evidence.

Before the verdict, which can still be appealed, Borrell made it clear that the EU was unequivocally opposed to the use of capital punishment without exception.

He described the death sentence as a cruel and inhuman punishment that fails to deter and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.

Khashoggis son praised the sentence, showing confidence in the Saudi judiciary system.

Fairness of the judiciary is based on two principles, fairness and speedy litigation, so there is neither injustice nor procrastination, Salah tweeted.

But a number of authorities, including the Turkish government, criticized the verdict.

Similarly, the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Agnes Callamard, who investigated Khashoggis murder, called the trial a mockery. (IANS)

Also Read: 16 Saudis Barred From US Over Jamal Khashoggi Murder

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Prosecute those involved in Jamal Khashoggi killing: European Union - The Sentinel Assam