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Liam Fox.

The U.K. is battling to stop the European Union blocking Prime Minister Theresa Mays drive to forge new trade partnerships as the country prepares for Brexit.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is challenging the attempt to lock the U.K. out of the blocs ongoing trade talks. Hes also opposing efforts to limit Britains power to negotiate commercial accords with other countries before Britain leaves the EU.

EU officials are reportedly pushing for the U.K. to be cut out of sensitive discussions because they are worried confidential information on trade deals would help Mays team negotiate favorable terms with the same countries after Brexit. At the same time, Britain has been warned it cant line up its own free-trade agreements with non-EU nations until it has formally left the bloc in 2019.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Fox hit back on both points. He insisted he has certainly got greater freedom to hold trade talks with other countries now May has formally triggered the Brexit process. And he declared Britain cannot be kept out of the EUs internal trade discussions while still a member of the bloc.

We are a full partner in the EU until we leave and intend to play our full role, Fox said. Clearly when the EU is discussing the U.K., thats a matter for the 27 and not the U.K. but we intend to exercise our full legal rights as one of the 28 members until such time as we stop being a member.

The question of third-country trade deals is a new flash point, with the EU and U.K. already at odds over the structure of the upcoming talks and the size of any exit bill. Such rows have sparked fears that the U.K. and EU wont reach an amicable divorce settlement and agree new terms for future trade in the tight, two-year window available for talks.

The European Commission warned last month there would need to be a discussion about the treatment of sensitive information in the context of certain trade negotiations, which the U.K. would continue to have access to while it remained a full member, the Financial Times reported.

EU officials are concerned that by participating in conversations about talks with countries such as Australia, the U.K. might glean confidential information it can use itself when it tries to win post-Brexit accords.

In the interview, Fox said Britain wanted its own deal with Australia and would not give up its right to see the EUs private trade plans. We think that the U.K. is a key liberalizing influence, and certainly from discussions Ive had other countries welcome us continuing to play that role right until we leave the EU itself, he said.

Now that Article 50 has been triggered, and Britain is clearly on the legal exit path, there is no reason not to start talks with other countries about future trade agreements, he added. Weve certainly got greater freedom now that we are in the process of leaving, he said.

Obviously we cant sign any agreements while we are still members legally of the European Union but we can certainly begin to talk about what we want.

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Fox Fights EU Attempts to Limit U.K. Trade Powers Before Brexit - Bloomberg

Food consumed in the European Union (EU) continues to be either largely free of pesticide residues or to contain only residues the fall within legal limits, new figures show. The latest monitoring report published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) finds that more than 97 percent of food samples collected across the EU in 2015 were within legal limits and that just over 53 percent were free of quantifiable residues. The figures are in line with those recorded in 2014. Among the key findings are:

Use theinteractive report to go beyond the headline figures and find out more about the findings from 2015.

As part of the annual report, EFSAs review of the results of the EU-coordinated control program (EUCP), under which reporting countries examine samples from the same basket of food items. For 2015 the products were aubergines, bananas, broccoli, virgin olive oil, orange juice, peas, sweet peppers, table grapes, wheat, butter and eggs.

The highest exceedancerate recorded was for broccoli (3.4 percent of samples), followed by table grapes (1.7 percent). Rare exceedances were found for olive oil, orange juice and chicken eggs. No exceedances were recorded for butter.

EFSA also performed a dietary risk assessment based on the EUCP. For both short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) exposure the Authority concluded that the risk to consumers was low.

The same products were also examined in 2012, since when the overall exceedance rate has fallen slightly from 0.9 percent to 0.8 percent in 2015.

In its report EFSA makes a number of recommendations for increasing the efficiency of the EU-coordinated and national control programmes.

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European Union food again found largely free of pesticides | Food ... - Food Safety News

The Mayor of Athens Giorgos Kaminis voiced his concern over the rise of far right-wing politics across Europe at a panel Tuesday, proposing a new direction for liberal politicians across the continent.

The event, titled Is There a Future for the Left in Europe? is a part of a symposium organized by the Center for European Studies that looks to examine the rise of populist parties that are changing the political landscape in elected bodies across Europe.

In his opening remarks, Kaminis highlighted the necessity for European nations to remain members of the European Union to avoid negative consequences of globalization.

I strongly believe in the European project and I want my country to be part of Europe. Many countries, especially a small country like Greece, would not be able to survive the competition outside the EU, Kaminis said. The challenges by globalization today can only be tackled effectively either by large states such as United States of America and China, or intergovernmental entities.

Kaminis then suggested that the left-wing parties should spend their efforts establishing wealth redistribution policies to prevent the inequities that give rise to radical political movements.

Historically, capitalism has proved to be the most capable in producing wealth and increasing the size of the pie. Economic growth cannot be achieved outside capitalist systems, Kaminis said. What is at stake now is first how the pie will be allocated in a just way. And secondly, how alongside the traditional business model, we can also develop forms of social entrepreneurship.

The mayor also discussed at length how Athens led the effort to accommodate undocumented migrants when a wave of refugees began flowing into Greece from Turkey in 2015.

The city of Athens promptly mobilized, leading by example. It was the first city in the country to provide municipal land to establish the first refugee site. Since then, the municipality of Athens participated in housing refugees, Kaminis said.

Joaqun Almunia, a panelist and fellow at the Center for European Studies, argued that European left-wing politicians need to adopt new political agendas focusing on climate change and migration to appeal to their voters and to remain competitive against their right-wing counterparts.

Another panelist, Sawomir Sierakowski, the leader of the left-wing Polish activist group Krytyka Polityczna, disagreed with Almunia that the left-wing parties needed a new agenda. Instead, Sierakowski advocated for the use of bolder political rhetoric from European liberal democrats.

Populists have no shame. They dont hesitate. This is maybe what we should lose. Maybe we should push more on the realism in politics. This is why I dont think it is an agenda problem. It is about being soft in politics, because [populists] are tough on the other side. Sierakowski said. We should care less about how do we look, because they dont care.

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The appropriation for the second year of Paul Hoffman's ECA, which finances and administers the Marshall Plan, is still kicking

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Although recent political upheavals in Eastern Europe have been cause for hope in the long-stagnant region, longtime foreign correspondent John

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Mayor of Athens Urges Support for European Union - Harvard Crimson

Since 1996, Carla Hutton has monitored, researched, and written about regulatory and legislative issues that may potentially affect Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) clients. She is responsible for creating a number of monthly and quarterly regulatory updates for B&C's clients, as well as other documents, such as chemical-specific global assessments of regulatory developments and trends. She authors memoranda for B&C clients on regulatory and legislative developments, providing information that is focused, timely and applicable to client initiatives. These tasks have proven invaluable to many clients, keeping them aware and abreast of developing issues so that they can respond in kind and prepare for the future of their business.

Ms. Hutton brings a wealth of experience and judgment to her work in federal, state, and international chemical regulatory and legislative issues, including green chemistry, nanotechnology, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Proposition 65, and the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) program.

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European Union Addresses Use of Nanomaterials in Medical Devices - The National Law Review

The Commissioner in charge of international cooperation and development, Neven Mimica, announces additional support of EUR100million on his visit to N'Djamena.

Mr Mimica issued the following statement: "This new EUR100million package shows the European Union's determination to help Chad tackle the many challenges facing it. The aim is to pursue efforts to consolidate democracy and reforms in a spirit of openness and inclusiveness. The main priority here is to continue support for the provision of basic services for the communities that are the main victims of the crisis. Chad, an important partner of the European Union, is facing a difficult situation and we will stand at its side."

This aid will support key sectors such as nutrition, food security and resilience, sustainable agriculture, democratic governance and promotion of the rule of law.

During his visit Mr Mimica will also sign a financial commitment allocating EUR33 million from the European Development Fund for management of protected areas and fragile ecosystems. Another financial commitment concerns EUR10.3 million from the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa for a project for the social and occupational integration of young people that will be implemented by the French Development Agency (AFD).

Finally, Mr Mimica will today visit a number of EU-financed projects, including a nutrition centre to treat child malnutrition which the European Commission has supported since 2014. He will also visit the Gaoui camp set up to shelter 4900 Chadians who have fled the Central African Republic to return to their country.

Background:

European Development Fund

The initial 11th European Development Fund (EDF) allocation of EUR442million for Chad focuses on three sectors: (1) food security, nutrition and rural development (EUR 297 million), (2) sustainable management of natural resources (EUR 53 million) and (3) consolidation of the rule of law (EUR 65 million). This aid is supplemented by support for civil society (EUR 12 million) and for crosscutting issues (EUR 15 million).

The EUR 100 million in financial support announced today increases the amount allocated to Chad under the 11th EDF.

Trust Fund

In 2016 the Trust Fund approved five projects for Chad under the Valletta Action Plan. The aim is to tackle the root causes of migration and criminal networks and activities linked to terrorism by offering economic alternatives to systems currently dependent on illegal migration and improving border management.

The Trust Fund will help to build the capacity of local authorities and communities, in particular their capacity to provide security and ensure the social and occupational integration of young people and vulnerable persons, to recover land abandoned because of landmines, and to increase resilience, in particular in the Lake Chad Basin region.

In 2016 EUR88.3million was made available by the EU Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing the root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa. This went to fund projects in the fields of resilience, security and the creation of economic opportunities for young people. A multi-country project costing EUR 30 million to be implemented around Lake Chad was also approved.

Situation in Chad

Chad is confronted with many challenges on both the humanitarian and development fronts. One of the poorest countries in the world, it has faced a two-pronged crisis since 2014: a budgetary crisis following the prolonged fall in oil prices and a security crisis caused by the manifold consequences of the repeated attacks by Boko Haram (Islamic State's West Africa Province (EIAO)), intensifying the country's fragility.

The European Union's strategic objectives are to support Chad in ensuring its development through the sustainable management of its natural resources and to contribute to the consolidation of peace and the implementation of reforms designed to enhance governance.

For further information:

DG DEVCO - Chad

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European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - The ... - EU News