Archive for the ‘European Union’ Category

EU summit: Another show of disunity looms as Europe’s political elite fight to keep union from tearing itself apart – Telegraph.co.uk

Four months ago the 27 member states of the European Union who will be left standing after Brexit came together in Bratislava for a self-proclaimed unity summit that ended - somewhat predictably - in a spectacular show of disunity.

After several hours chugging down the Danube in a riverboat, the EU leaders emerged in an open squabble - Matteo Renzi, the-then prime minister of Italy, refused to share a stage with his French and German counterparts in a row over austerity, while Viktor Orban immediately denounced the EU policy on refugees as self-destructive and nave.

On Friday this week Europe will try again, gathering for another informal summit - this time in the baroque courtyards of the Grandmasters Palace in Valletta, Malta - but already it seems there is a high chance that the end result will be much the same.

Preparing the ground this week, Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel...

See the article here:
EU summit: Another show of disunity looms as Europe's political elite fight to keep union from tearing itself apart - Telegraph.co.uk

Capital is city least reliant on European Union – Herald Scotland

EDINBURGH is the Scottish city least reliant on the European Union, but 37 per cent of its exports still head into the single market.

In Glasgow, 40 per cent of its exports are into the EU, while Aberdeen is most reliant on the free trade bloc, with 61 per cent of its exports heading to EU countries.

The findings are published today in the Cities Outlook 2017 report from think tank Centre for Cities, which urged the government to prioritise a trade deal in its Brexit negotiations.

Dundee, the only other Scottish city included in the report, sent 51 per cent of its export to the EU.

The report, which uses data from 2014, showed that 48 per cent of exports from 62 cities were to EU countries. The Centre said this highlighted that a trade deal with the EU must be the governments top priority.

A separate survey from the British Chambers of Commerce found that UK companies remain committed to strong trading relationships with European customers and suppliers in spite of the Brexit vote.

The International Trade Survey, which collated the responses of almost 1,500 people in business, found three-quarters of respondents currently sell (76 per cent) and source (73 per cent) goods and services in the EU market.

The Cities Outlook report shows that British cities would have to dramatically increase trade with other international markets to compensate for a downturn in exports to the EU. For example, to make up for a ten per cent fall in exports to the EU, cities in the UK would have to nearly double exports to China, or increase exports to the US by nearly a third.

The report also found that 15 per cent of exports from Glasgow were into the US and three per cent into China. For Edinburgh, 17 per cent headed stateside and two per cent to China.

Aberdeen exported 14 per cent to the US and four per cent to China.

The value of total exports per job in Aberdeen is 18,100, ahead of Edinburgh at 14,990, Glasgow at 12,170 and Dundee at 9,940.

Commenting on the findings, Alexandra Jones, chief executive of Centre for Cities said: Securing the best possible EU trade deal will be critical for the prosperity of Scottish cities, and should be the UK Governments top priority as we prepare to leave the single market and potentially the customs union.

She added that while it is right to be ambitious about increasing exports to countries such as the US and China, the outcome of EU trade negotiations will have a much bigger impact.

She also said it was important that the government negotiates a trade agreement covering as many sectors as possible, rather than prioritising deals for high-profile industries.

The UK faces a major challenge in boosting productivity and wages, and increasing the value and volume of city exports will be crucial in addressing those issues, she said.

National and local leaders need to consider how they can make cities more attractive to exporting firms. Improving skills and infrastructure across the UK will be vital in this, and should be a central part of the governments industrial strategy.

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Capital is city least reliant on European Union - Herald Scotland

UK to leave European nuclear energy treaty when it Brexits – The Verge

Brexit could be a big setback for nuclear energy in the United Kingdom. When the UK officially leaves the European Union, it might also be leaving the agency that oversees nuclear safety in EU member states, called Euratom, the Financial Times reports.

Quitting Euratom could interrupt the flow of nuclear fuel and ores from Europe and leave the UKs nuclear power and radioactive waste management facilities largely unregulated. The UK has 15 nuclear reactors that produce about 21 percent of its electricity. Its also home to a radioactive waste facility called Sellafield, which houses one of the worlds largest stockpiles of untreated nuclear waste.

Quitting Euratom could leave the UKs nuclear facilities largely unregulated

Right now, Europes nuclear regulatory agency, the European Atomic Energy Community, or Euratom for short, inspects those facilities to ensure they meet nuclear safety standards. Euratom also checks that nuclear infrastructure is secure against possible attacks, and that materials arent secretly being used for weapons. Leaving Euratom would mean that the UK will have to beef up its Office of Nuclear Regulation to take on those roles, according to Politico.

Its been a little more than seven months since British citizens voted to leave the European Union, a move more commonly known as Brexit. On Thursday, a bill was introduced in the British House of Commons that seeks to authorize Prime Minister Theresa May to take the first step towards actually leaving the EU. Once she starts the process, which could begin as soon as March, it will still take years for the UK to negotiate its exit terms with the remaining EU member states.

The UKs plans to leave Euratom were tucked away in the explanatory notes of that larger bill, and they might jeopardize the UKs broader energy strategy. That includes phasing out coal and building more nuclear power plants like the contentious Hinkley Point C plant that was approved in September. Now, those plans could be in limbo until new treaties are ratified.

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UK to leave European nuclear energy treaty when it Brexits - The Verge

DELINGPOLE: Donald Trump is Going to Make the European Union History – Breitbart News

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Heres a perfect example in which Trumps prospective newAmbassador to the European Union, Ted Malloch, tells it like it is in an interview with Andrew Neil on the BBCs Daily Politics show.

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Neil asked Malloch why on earth hed want to be Ambassador to the EU.

AN: I mean youre clearly not a great fan of Brussels or these bureaucrats like Juncker.

TM: Well, I had in a previous year a diplomatic post where I helped to bring down the Soviet Union, so maybe theres another union that needs a little taming.

Later, Neil asked Malloch what he thought of thePresident of the EU Commission.

AN: What do you think of Mr Juncker?

TM: Well Mr Juncker was a very adequate mayor of some city in Luxembourg and maybe he should go back and do that again.

Neil laughed like a man who couldnt believe his luck. Politicians are hardly ever this frank on TV politics shows. Diplomats even less so because supposedly its their job to be discreet, smooth things over, not ruffle feathers. As for the EU no one of influence, with the exception of Nigel Farage, has ever talked about it so disparagingly on television.

Yet straight-talking, EU-despising Ted Malloch is the man President Trump has chosen to represent the US in the European Union. And the reason he did this is because, as Malloch was at no pains to hide, President Trump just doesnt like the EU:

TM: He doesnt like an organisation that is supranational, that is unelected where the bureaucrats run amok and that is not frankly a proper democracy.

Theres a revolution going on here and I think even those of us who support Trump and Brexit are being taken aback by the speed of change.

Remember that the European Union was partly the creation of the USA, which saw it as a way of keeping peace in Europe by using France as a counterweight to Germany, with a reluctant Britain as the sensible intermediary. This is why successive US Presidents have colluded to prop up this corrupt, inefficient, anti-democratic institution.

Suddenly, those days are over.

The EU is finished and the new President of the USA is actively speeding its end.

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DELINGPOLE: Donald Trump is Going to Make the European Union History - Breitbart News

European Union – The New York Times – nytimes.com

Latest Articles

At 132 words one of the shorter bills in British history the bill was seen as an effort to prevent amendments that could slow its passage.

By KATRIN BENNHOLD

Britain has much to lose whichever way it turns, but it seems more concerned with its departure from the European Union than other global events.

By MAX FISHER

Europes far-right political parties are putting forth an image of unity and strength. Its just a facade.

By CAS MUDDE

The Supreme Court decision that Parliament must approve Brexit talks raises ancient tensions that may have more impact than the ruling itself.

By KATRIN BENNHOLD

Jury selection is set to begin in a retrial of two executives of the defunct law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf, and the Commerce Department will release fourth-quarter data.

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

The triumph of anti-Europeans in Britain and Donald J. Trump in the United States has galvanized the Continents far-right parties, who are wooing disillusioned voters.

By ALISON SMALE

Exiting a market of a half-billion people to go global makes no sense.

By ROGER COHEN

Donald Trump gave an interview to a German newspaper, and people are still trying to figure out what he meant.

By JOCHEN BITTNER

The British prime minister addressed bankers and multinational companies about Britains exit from the European Union at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

By REUTERS

It was a jarring note from the leader of a country leaving the worlds largest free-trade group. She also urged the Davos elite to seriously address inequality.

By STEVEN ERLANGER and STEPHEN CASTLE

Many of President Obamas critics say the United States is in decline. But he leaves the world, and the country, in better shape.

By JOHN KERRY

A meeting of the worlds richest and most powerful must go beyond platitudes to address global inequality and the threat of populist revolts.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

And Europe loses.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

The prime minister made clear that Britain intends to quit the single European market.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

The prime ministers remarks on exiting the European Union were her first public outline of how Britain plans to leave the bloc.

By KIMIKO de FREYTAS-TAMURA

In a long-awaited speech, Prime Minister Theresa May defined the broad objectives, but not the details, of Britains withdrawal from the European Union.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In long-awaited remarks, the British prime minister emphasized regaining control of immigration, even if it means losing E.U. trading advantages.

By STEPHEN CASTLE and STEVEN ERLANGER

While much of Europe has complained about the European Union, Bulgarians paint a different picture, with the Balkan country viewing the bloc as a major positive.

By BORYANA DZHAMBAZOVA

Having made contradictory comments, President-elect Donald J. Trump has many nations wondering about his policies. But theres also a sense that his words should not be taken too literally.

By STEVEN ERLANGER

Serbia vowed to defend every inch of its territory after a train bearing signs reading Kosovo is Serbian was stopped at the border between the two nations.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

At 132 words one of the shorter bills in British history the bill was seen as an effort to prevent amendments that could slow its passage.

By KATRIN BENNHOLD

Britain has much to lose whichever way it turns, but it seems more concerned with its departure from the European Union than other global events.

By MAX FISHER

Europes far-right political parties are putting forth an image of unity and strength. Its just a facade.

By CAS MUDDE

The Supreme Court decision that Parliament must approve Brexit talks raises ancient tensions that may have more impact than the ruling itself.

By KATRIN BENNHOLD

Jury selection is set to begin in a retrial of two executives of the defunct law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf, and the Commerce Department will release fourth-quarter data.

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

The triumph of anti-Europeans in Britain and Donald J. Trump in the United States has galvanized the Continents far-right parties, who are wooing disillusioned voters.

By ALISON SMALE

Exiting a market of a half-billion people to go global makes no sense.

By ROGER COHEN

Donald Trump gave an interview to a German newspaper, and people are still trying to figure out what he meant.

By JOCHEN BITTNER

The British prime minister addressed bankers and multinational companies about Britains exit from the European Union at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

By REUTERS

It was a jarring note from the leader of a country leaving the worlds largest free-trade group. She also urged the Davos elite to seriously address inequality.

By STEVEN ERLANGER and STEPHEN CASTLE

Many of President Obamas critics say the United States is in decline. But he leaves the world, and the country, in better shape.

By JOHN KERRY

A meeting of the worlds richest and most powerful must go beyond platitudes to address global inequality and the threat of populist revolts.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

And Europe loses.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

The prime minister made clear that Britain intends to quit the single European market.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

The prime ministers remarks on exiting the European Union were her first public outline of how Britain plans to leave the bloc.

By KIMIKO de FREYTAS-TAMURA

In a long-awaited speech, Prime Minister Theresa May defined the broad objectives, but not the details, of Britains withdrawal from the European Union.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In long-awaited remarks, the British prime minister emphasized regaining control of immigration, even if it means losing E.U. trading advantages.

By STEPHEN CASTLE and STEVEN ERLANGER

While much of Europe has complained about the European Union, Bulgarians paint a different picture, with the Balkan country viewing the bloc as a major positive.

By BORYANA DZHAMBAZOVA

Having made contradictory comments, President-elect Donald J. Trump has many nations wondering about his policies. But theres also a sense that his words should not be taken too literally.

By STEVEN ERLANGER

Serbia vowed to defend every inch of its territory after a train bearing signs reading Kosovo is Serbian was stopped at the border between the two nations.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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European Union - The New York Times - nytimes.com