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The European Parliaments chief Brexitnegotiator Guy Verhofstadtis calling onTheresa Mayto be open to a plan helping British people who want to retain EU citizenship after the UK leaves.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Mr Verhofstadt sends a clear and direct message to the Prime Minister that he wants the European Union to make a generous offer to people in the UK angry at losing EU privileges.

In response to his article a government spokesman has now said thatMs May and Brexit Secretary David Davis are actuallyready to "discuss" any proposals that are put forward.

The European Parliament has already cemented into its formal negotiating guidelines its intention to explore what a potential offer to Brits might look like, with ideas including allowing them to opt in to a form of associate EU citizenship.

In his article,Mr Verhofstadtunderlines the EUs willingness to agree a quick reciprocal deal guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in Europe, but he then moves on to the separate issue of offering rights to people in the UK who he calls British Europeans.

He cites the resolution passed by the European Parliament on Wednesday which notes that many UK citizens have expressed strong opposition to losing the rights they currently enjoy and commits the EU-27 to examine how to mitigate this.

The ex-Belgian prime ministerwrites in his piece: I fought hard in the parliament for this provision to be maintained and hope in the coming months to continue to push for such an offer from the EU to British Europeans.

The European Union will defend its interests in discussions with the British Government, but I also believe it is important the European Union is generous and open to British citizens.

Guy Verhofstadt addresses parliament ahead of vote on EU negotiation red lines

He adds: I hope any such steps will be viewed openly by Theresa May.

The Independent first reported European proposals last year to offer Brits associate citizenship of the EU, an idea which was then personally championed by Mr Verhofstadt.

The proposals began life as an amendment to a report byliberal Luxembourg MEP Charles Goerens, promising Brits who live and work across borders a way around the disruption caused by the Leave vote and young people looking to live in the EU more choice over where to move.

Despite some Brexiteers taking a dim view of the idea, seeing it as an attempt to undermine a clean break from the EU after Britain leaves, the government responded positively.

A spokesmantold The Independent:"Securing the status of UK nationals in the EU and EU nationals in the UK, on a reciprocal basis, is a top priority for us as we enter into negotiations. We welcome the fact that our European partners are also prioritising this and will be seeking the earliest possible agreement on this issue.

"As for future arrangements, these will be subject to discussion. Naturally we will discuss any ideas that are put forward."

Mr Verhofstadts article also followed MichaelHowards claim that the UK would go to war against Spain if it felt the sovereignty of Gibraltar was threatened, words Ms May later refused to condemn.

The Tory grandee reacted after European Council President Donald Tusk placed a note in the EUs draft negotiating statement that suggested Spain could veto any Brexit deal affecting the status of the British territory.

Mr Verhofstadt writes in his piece: Within days of Article 50 being tabled we were reminded of the important role the EU has played in unifying European nations, when some who should know better compared Gibraltar to the Falkland islands and suggested the British Prime Minister would be justified in taking military action against Spain, despite the fact that no one threatened the sovereignty of Gibraltar.

Yes, it is inevitable that the EU will now support the economic interests of Spain and the Republic of Ireland in any forthcoming discussions about the EUs external borders, but in the coming years the EUs interest will be to secure peace on our continent, not stoke division.

Mr Verhofstadt went on to pour cold water on Ms Mays plans to secure access to the single access to specific sectors, like finance firms in the City of London or the automotive industry.

Brexit: Theresa May on trade, security and the single market

He added: As the Parliaments Brexit text also makes clear, any future economic agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom must not contain piecemeal or sectorial provisions regarding preferential access to the single market.

This is not punishment, it is an inevitable consequence of the UK Governments decision to leave it.

Instead Mr Verhofstadt suggest the deal brokered between the EU and Ukraine could provide an appropriate framework for a special future relationship with Britain.

The Strasbourg parliaments formal negotiating guidelines will now feed into the overall mandate handed to chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier after a meeting of the European Council on April 29.

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European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator demands Theresa May back Britons who want to keep EU citizenship - The Independent

Mr Juncker said to the US Vice President Mike Pence last month: If we leave them alone - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, Macedonia, Albania, all those countries we will have war again.

Many people are resisting the new Serbian President Aleksander Vucic with daily, mass anti-government protests, claiming the election was rigged.

Opposition groups have alleged a crackdown on the media during the campaign and even election day bribes.

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Adrian Callaghan/Daily Express

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I child makes the sign of peace inside a refugee camp, Serbia

f we leave them alone - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, Macedonia, Albania, all those countries we will have war again

Jean-Claude Juncker

However, the newly-elected Serbian President is seen by the EU as the nations access to the bloc.

The EU is concerned about Russias expanding influence in the Balkans, particularly after the Kremlins gift of war planes and tanks.

Serbia is suffering from high unemployment with a slow-growing economy, which is leaving many people to a life of poverty.

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His Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) gained power in 2012 on the promise of gaining EU membership, when 70 per cent of Serbs wanted to join the Union.

In Serbia, the GDP per capita was 4,564 in 2015 compared to more than 28,000 as an average for the rest of the countries in the EU.

According to a political analyst for the Open Society European Policy Institute European, only 43 per cent of people in Serbia want to join the EU with 35 per cent of people against becoming a member.

However, the US ambassador to Serbia, Kyle Scott, has said that Belgrade is moving closer to the European Union.

Serbia officially started its entry talks with the EU in January 2014.

The EU wants a proposal agreed in July to re-engage with the Balkans and to ensure they are not overly exposed to the growing influence of Russia.

Many Serbs view Western European countries as advocates of the 1999 NATO bombing to stop the killing of ethnic Albanians in the former province of Kosovo.

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REVEALED: How Western Balkans is the melting pot that could DESTROY the EU... - Express.co.uk

By Jean Shaoul 8 April 2017

Prime Minister Theresa May has launched a trade offensive aimed at securing foreign inward investment in Britain and free trade deals around the world, with the initial focus on Asia and the Middle East.

May dispatched Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond to find new export markets in India, and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox to Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and the Persian Gulf. May herself made a three-day visit to Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The trade offensive comes just a few days after May signed, on March 29, the letter formally invoking the Article 50 two-year withdrawal process from the European Union (EU). In effect, May chose to ignore the EUs common commercial policy that bans its members from opening formal negotiations or signing bilateral trade and investment deals with any other country or bloc. Trade Minister Fox acknowledged the restriction but insisted, We can step up a gear in our activities and thats what well be doing.

In January the prime minister told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that Britain was willing to leave the EU in a clean breakin effect triggering a hard Brexit, involving no access to the Single Market. By that time, she had already approached Australia, New Zealand and Indiawith May visiting Delhi last Novemberto discuss trade deals.

Maintaining London as a global financial centre is pivotal to these missions. Hammond went to India accompanied by Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, and a delegation that included ministers and senior figures in financial services and financial technology, in a bid to market the City of London as the global FinTech capital. Hammond is pressing India to use London as its base for launching its Masala bonds, securing digital payments services and countering tax evasion.

The various trade missions to India, the Far East and the Persian Gulf emphasised financial and business services, Britains key export. In 2015, unable to compete in manufactured goodsoutside the arms industryBritain exported 225 billion in services, some 44 percent of all its exports, while importing just 138 billion. In manufactured goods Britain ran a sizeable deficit. Just 1.7 percent of its exports went to India, less than that going to Sweden and a tiny fraction of the 44 percent which goes to the EU as a whole.

But securing a deal in financial services is no easy matter. Hammonds visit follows last years visit by May and others by four trade ministers. These all stalled over the issue of visas, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that Britain relax its restrictions for Indians hoping to migrate to the UK. This conflicts with Mays pledgeto appease the Tory right-wingersto substantially cut immigration post-Brexit.

Mays insistence on including students in Britains net migration figures has seen the number of Indian students attending British universitiesa major contributor to the UKs export revenuesfall by 10 percent over the past year, according to official figures. Hammond and foreign secretary Boris Johnson have called for May to relax that position.

Liam Foxs visit to Indonesia and the Far East underscored the reactionary horsetrading that the British government is now engaged in. During his visit to the Philippines, Fox grovelled before President Rodrigo Duterte, who has encouraged the vigilante killing of hundreds of drug addicts, petty criminals and street children, saying he would be "happy to slaughter" them in their millions. Fox said that the government had "shared values" with the Philippines and was photographed smiling broadly, side by side with Duterte.

Foxs tour follows earlier visits to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, notorious for their abuse of migrant labour, for discussions on trading relationships including a possible free trade agreement. Since then, Fox has visited three other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) membersOman, Bahrain and Kuwaitas well as other countries.

Earlier this year, Downing Street confirmed that May would visit China, probably next month, in a bid to restore commercial relations with Beijing that have cooled noticeably since she took office. In a marked shift from former Prime Minister David Cameronwho had sought to boost trade with China and initiate a golden era in relationsMay cited national security concerns in July in deciding to review the building of an 18 billion nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point, prior to approving it some months later. China has a major stake in the Hinkley Point project.

Mays visit to China is part of a wider global offensive that has seen her visit the US and Turkey. She concluded a 100 million deal with Turkey for fighter jet equipment and support services in January, having visited Bahrain just before Christmas, and hosted the Israeli and Italian premiers in February.

Jordan and Saudi Arabia are key partners in the US-led military interventions in Syria and Iraq. In Jordan, May pledged a further unspecified sum for Jordans offensive against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). An additional 160 million was pledged by May in aid for Jordanian companies that employ some of the 1.3 million Syrian refugees now living in the countryas a means of keeping them in Jordan and out of Europe. This is a condition imposed by Britain for buying Jordans exports.

Saudi Arabia is the main customer for Britains defence industry, accounting for 83 percent of UK arms exports. It signed a 40 billion deal with the UK in 2007 to buy 72 Typhoon fighter jets from BAE Systems, with another 48 soon to be agreed. In the last two years, since the start of Saudi Arabias brutal war in Yemen to push back the Houthi rebels who took over much of the country in early 2015 and reinstate the US-backed government of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the UK has approved arms sales to Riyadh including missiles, naval systems, jets and cluster munitions, worth more than $4.1 billion.

May aims to restore relations with the Saudi dictatorship that cooled following the postponement of Camerons planned visit last year. This was in response to the Saudi regimes mass beheading of 47 people and an ongoing judicial review of Britains arms sales to the country for the war in Yemen.

In Riyadh, May focused on financial services, worth about 1.9 billion in annual trade, counter-terrorism and security. Accompanied by London Stock Exchange chief Xavier Rollet, she was on a charm offensive to get Riyadh to float the sale of a five percent stake in the $2 trillion government-owned Aramco in London, which faces fierce competition from Hong Kong and New York. Her office said London would assist on tax and privatisation standards to help Saudi Arabia diversify its economy and become less reliant on oil, a key Saudi objective.

The UK would help review Saudi defence capabilities and overhaul its defence ministrycode for further sales of arms, police and advisory services, as part of efforts to strengthen defence cooperation and deepen military ties with the oil monarchy. In a truly Orwellian statement, May said that the UK would establish the first joint UK-Gulf Cooperation Council counter-terrorism working group. This intensifies collaboration with a government that has funded Islamist terrorist forces for decades.

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UK mounts trade offensive in defiance of European Union - World Socialist Web Site

Valletta: European Union finance ministers admitted on Saturday that the worlds 20 biggest economies (G20) will miss their target of generating additional economic growth through reforms by 2018 and called for reflection on why they have failed.

G20 economies agreed in 2014 to boost growth in their economies by at least an additional 2% over 5 years through reforms, adding more than $2 trillion to the global economy and creating millions of jobs.

It seems likely that we will not reach our 2-in-5 growth ambition by 2018, said a terms of reference document approved by EU finance ministers for the next G20 financial leaders meeting on 20-21 April in Washington. We should reflect on the appropriate communication around our 2-in-5 objective and build a shared assessment and understanding of why we have not fully delivered, said the document, obtained by Reuters.

It is thus vital to accelerate the implementation of structural reforms and of investment in productive infrastructure, it said.

EU delegations to G20 meeting in Washington will also reiterate that the G20 should avoid all forms of protectionism, support the Paris agreement on climate change, the work on green finance, and the multilateral approach to taxation and to financial regulation, the document showed.

The declaration, while standard in previous G20 meetings and communiques, has become problematic since Donald Trump became the president of the United States last year.

At a meeting in March in the German town of Baden Baden, G20 finance ministers dropped a pledge to keep global trade free and open, yielding to an increasingly protectionist United States. Breaking a decade-long tradition of endorsing open trade, the G20 made only a token reference to trade in their communique in a clear defeat for host nation Germany, which fought the new US governments attempts to water down past commitments.

G20 finance chiefs also removed from their statement a pledge to finance the fight against climate change, an anticipated outcome after Trump called global warming a hoax. Reuters

First Published: Sat, Apr 08 2017. 07 20 PM IST

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European Union admits G20 economies will miss extra growth target - Livemint

Image Credit: Pixabay.Com CCO Public Domain

On June 23, 2016, the residents of the United Kingdom (UK) shocked the world by voting for the countrys exit from the European Union (EU), or Brexit. On March 29, almost nine months after the historic referendum, the countrys Prime Minister, Theresa May, began the official separation process with a letter to EU President Donald Tusk. It urged the remaining member states to allow the UK to leave in a fair and orderly manner, and with as little disruption as possible on each side.

The six-page document that outlines some of the countrys hopes and requirements during and after the separation, invoked Article 50 of the EU Agreement, which states: Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements. Officials from both sides will spend the next two years hashing out the details of this unprecedented break from the EU. The issues will range from imposing trade tariffs to migration policies, as well as deciding on new regulations to govern automobiles, agriculture, etc.

Both sides have a lot at stake as they begin the arduous process of unraveling the four-decade-long relationship. The UK, currently the worlds fifth-largest economy, has to tread carefully not to lose ground with its biggest trading partner. The EU, on the other hand, has to ensure that Britain does not get a better deal than it currently has. Thats because if the new treaty is even perceived as more favorable, other European nations will start to consider leaving the Union as well. Tusk has made it clear that the EU Councils priority, as it goes through the discussions, is to uphold the interests of the Unions remaining 440 million citizens.

The UKs negotiating power could also be weakened because a majority of Scotland and Northern Ireland, two of the four nations that make up the country, did not vote for Brexit. The residents are, therefore, unhappy with the current situation. On March 28, the Scottish Parliament authorized the Scottish Government to hold a referendum on the nations independence from the UK. The vote is scheduled to take place sometime between late 2018 and early 2019 after the Scottish people have some clarity on the consequences of the separation from the EU. Meanwhile, Irish nationalists are using Brexit as an excuse to rekindle their decades-long fight to make Ireland an independent nation.

There is going to be much uncertainty as the UK officials and members of the EU Council navigate through this uncharted territory over the next two years. However, both sides have promised to make the process as painless as possible for the residents. Hopefully, they will keep their word.

Resources: CNN.com, Guardian.co.uk, Wikipedia.org, The Verge.com

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United Kingdom Begins Formal Process To Exit The European Union - DOGOnews