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In a highly-charged intervention Dutch PM Mark Rutte said the troubled bloc cannot go on as it is and accused eurocrats who still hope to morph the continent into one United States of Europe of accelerating its dismantling.

Instead he called for a new pragmatic settlement between member states and Brussels with more respect for national sovereignty, whilst also suggesting that some of the EUs most ideologically precious principles need rapidly overhauling.

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But his proposals were met with a robust response from former European Parliament president Martin Schulz, who mounted a passionate defence of the biggest cultural achievement the continent has seen in centuries and said more Europe is needed to solve its problems.

The pair clashed in a frantic debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier today, where they were part of a panel discussion how the European Union can survive the challenges posed by Brexit, Donald Trump, the migrant crisis and eurozone stagnation.

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Mr Rutte, who is facing an election battle with populist leader Geert Wilders in March, insisted that committing to and even accelerating the idea of ever-closer union is the fastest way to dismantling the entire Brussels project.

He said that the world has changed since the days when German chancellor Helmut Kohl and French president Francois Mitterrand cooked up the process of pooling sovereignty to avoid a repeat of the Second World War.

And the Dutch leader hinted that Brussels will need to compromise on its cherished freedom of movement rules in light of the Brexit vote if it wants to stem a growing populist movement sweeping the continent.

He said: There has been a huge shift in thinking because this whole idea of an ever closer union is now really buried. Its gone.

What you now have is a Europe which has to be relevant and not the sort of project which has a momentum of its own.

This whole idea of an ever closer union is now really buried. Its gone.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte

Mr Rutte said it was absolutely fantastic that the EU Commission has significantly slashed the amount of needless legislation it pumps out in recent years, adding that the Brussels bloc will fail if leaders do not make it relevant to ordinary voters.

He said: We need to show to the people that Europe is adding and it is possible to control immigration, to create more jobs, to control our outer borders.

If we continue about talking that we are step by step moving towards some sort of European superstate, that is the fastest way to dismantling the European Union.

The fact that Mr Rutte deliberately separated the issues of migration and external border control suggests that he is planning to argue that internal movement of people within the EU also needs to be brought under control.

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But he was firmly rebuked by Mr Schulz, who is returning to national politics in Germany after five years as EU Parliament president, who accused national governments of betraying the EU by trying to blame their own shortcomings on Brussels.

He raged: Mark said this idea of ever closer union, thats done now. Thats wrong. What is the message of Europe an ever less closer union of countries and citizens?

More than ever we need in the 21st century an ever closer union of citizens in the European Union.

What I expect from leaders in Europe, is that they dont say this is now over, an ever closer union - no, in the 21st century I expect from the leaders that they say more than ever we have to stick together.

If the leaders will not think that way then we are really at risk. If the heads of states of government - Angela Merkel, Mark Rutte, Francois Hollande - will not publicly say this this is our union based on that idea then the European Union has no chance for the future.

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'NO MORE SUPERSTATE' Dutch PM says ever-closer union 'dead' and urges free movement reform - Express.co.uk

Negotiations on the trade deal started in February 2014 but talks came to a standstill under Barack Obama.

During the election campaign Donald Trump said he would bin the beleaguered deal and it appears just hours into his presidency he has kept his promise.

TTIP is no longer featured on the White House website as the President wipes out Mr Obamas legacy.

WHAT IS TTIP?

REUTERS/ GETTY

All references to TTIP have been wiped from the White House website hours into Mr Trump's presidency

The move will be a blow to European Union chiefs who hoped to remove trade barriers between the bloc and Washington.

A number of TTIP talks had already been held in secret under the Obama administration but it appears the hours of diplomacy and negotiation may have gone to waste.

Mr Obama and Angela Merkel both pushed for the deal, with the German Chancellor saying the agreement was absolutely in Europes interests.

Mr Trump, a critic of multilateral trade deals, has also already announced plans to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership on his first day in office.

As well as deleting TTIP, references to Obamacare have also been scrapped alongside references to the LGBT movement and climate change.

In its place, the Trump administration is instead plugging its America First policies before the president even sets foot in the White House in his new role.

AMERICA FIRST DONALD TRUMP BECOMES 45th US PRESIDENT

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REUTERS

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US President Donald Trump points to the stands as he walks with his wife Melania during the Inaugural Parade.

Mr Trump plans to rebuild the US military and said he will pursue a foreign policy based on American interests.

He has vowed to eradicate ISIS and Islamic terrorists and pledged to create 25 million American jobs.

The White House also announced the first details of some of the new administrations defence policies.

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In a statement, the White House said: We will also develop a state-of-the-art missile defence system to protect against missile-based attacks from states like Iran and North Korea.

President Trump also plans to take steps to safeguard national security secrets and systems under threat from cyber warfare.

This comes after the election campaign was mired in controversy over allegations Russia hacked the election and helped the billionaire Republican win.

Around 250,000 people were believed to have turned out in Washington to watch Donald Trump be inaugurated as President.

But one hour before Trump was sworn in as the 45th US President, chaos descended onto Washington's streets close to the inauguration ceremony, as protestors smashed windows, hurled rocks, bottles and set fire to limousines.

A Bank of America branch and a Starbucks were among other buildings some protestors armed with bats and long wooden poles targeted.

In a bid to enforce peace, outnumbered police officers chased the rioters with batons and threw flash bang grenades into crowds, creating a thick cloud of smoke over the city.

Vito Maggiore, a DC Fire Spokesman said law enforcers were injured in run-ins with protestors and reports confirmed two police officers had been hospitalised and 95 protestors were arrested.

Originally posted here:
Is this the end of TTIP? Trump REMOVES deal with European Union from White House website - Express.co.uk

By Susanna Twidale

LONDON: Taking Britain out of Europe's energy market could stymie development of new power links designed to help avert a looming supply crunch and also drive up the cost of imported European electricity, National Grid has warned.

Prime Minister Theresa May signalled a so-called hard Brexit on Tuesday, which would involve leaving Europe's single market when Britain quits the European Union (EU).

May gave no indication of what this would mean for energy markets in her speech.

But any change could have implications for the development of Britain's electricity supplies, around 9 percent of which come from European imports.

Several more power links are planned over the next decade, which are intended to give Britain access to cheaper electricity abroad as the country faces a supply crunch by the early 2020s as old nuclear power plants and coal-fired power stations close.

National Grid said that each 1 gigawatt (GW) of new electricity interconnector capacity could reduce Britain's wholesale power prices by 1-2 percent, with 4-5 GW of capacity equating to a 1 billion pounds ($1.23 billion) saving.

"However, for interconnectors to be economically viable... they must be able to sell their capacity to traders and therefore require efficient and robust trading arrangements between the two countries," National Grid said in an evidence submission to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee, which was published on Friday.

Britain currently has access to tariff-free electricity trading with Europe due to its participation in the so-called internal energy market (IEM), but National Grid said leaving this market would make cross-border trade more difficult.

"While alternative arrangements can be put in place that would allow trade to continue these are unlikely to be as effective or efficient," it said.

National Grid also warned the cost of delivering new projects could rise due to Britain leaving the European Union.

"Restrictions on trade and movement of labour could impact adversely on the cost of delivering new interconnector projects," it said.

National Grid was among a group of firms submitting evidence ahead of a BEIS Committee hearing on Brexit negotiation priorities for energy and climate policy, to be held on Jan. 25.

British utility Centrica also stressed the importance of Britain's access to Europe's energy markets.

"The IEM has improved the efficiency in trading power and gas across Europe, supported infrastructure investment and helped deliver security of supply for the UK," Centrica said. ($1 = 0.8143 pounds)

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National Grid warns of costs if Britain exits European Union energy market - ETEnergyworld.com

BRUSSELS Thisis an organization town, and Donald Trump has dedicated himself to smashing the system. So his inauguration Friday was greeted with sadness, concern and even despair in the home of the European Union and NATO.

In the Beaux-Arts center of the city, more than 1,000 people turned out the Place de la Monnaie to protest his presidency, try to protect the transatlantic alliance he has vowed to upend and join in solidarity with the Women's March scheduled for Saturday in Washington.

In a city where many people work for vast organizations that devote themselves tearing away borders and bolstering international alliances, Trumps arrival in Washington threatens the ideals many have devoted their careers to upholding. And it gives sustenance to the anti-immigrant, anti-establishment forces who are challenging mainstream leaders in elections this year in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

[Burning flags, protests and a sprinkling of enthusiasm: The world reacts to Trumps inauguration]

The atmosphere is one of great uncertainty, said Antonio Fernandez, a Spanish citizen who manages research grants at an office of the European Commission and took part in the protest. He seems to be determined to undermine the European Union and everything it represents.

In part because of Trump, in part because of the British vote to leave the European Union which helped fuel Trumps insurgent campaign I dont know if the European Union is going to be herein 10 years, Fernandez said.

Other Brussels protesters were simply concerned about his policies toward women, Muslims and world affairs. More than a thousand people chanted, banged on drums and vowed to oppose Trump for the next four years. When Trump was sworn in at6 p.m.Brussels time a howl lifted up from the crowd.

Its a topic in every work lunch, said Monique Gerwers, who works in internal communications at a polyurethane manufacturer about 15 miles north of Brussels. Its so sad to have someone like Trump in control.

Read more:

Photos: How the world is reacting to Trump's inauguration

Can an American become a refugee? Yes, and some already have.

An inauguration party for Donald Trump in Russia

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In the home of NATO and the European Union, dismay as Trump takes power - Washington Post

The casual smackdown that Donald Trump delivered to the European Union and NATO last weekend only fortified Europeans impression that the American president-elect isnt looking for warm relations. Now, the next six months will bring historic decisions about the future of Europes economic integration and the worlds most successful military alliance.

Trumps election has thrust Europe, long used to a certain privileged, if sometimes ambiguous, status in American foreign policy, onto everyones list of things to tend to after Jan. 20. But, with only tweets and shoot-from-the-hip interviews to go on, no one really knows how the relationship will unfold.

What in fact is really going to happen when everybody sits down at their desks at the White House? said Jackson Janes, president of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies. The Europeans cant know.

What they can know doesnt offer much hope for harmony.

Trump and some of his closest advisers already have working relationships with rightist politicians in Britain, France and Austria. His election has also surfaced plans, previously the province of obscure websites and lesser-known pundits, that aim to use American influence to break up the European Union. And while Trumps view on those plans is unknown, hes a firm advocate of a British-American free-trade deal, whose negotiation could put the United States on a collision course with the other 27 European Union members.

Tight Links With Right

The deepest source of European unease with Trump may be his tight links with right-wing politicians, and the lack of lower-rung officials who are even known to European governments.

Theres Nigel Farage, the former leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party that long fought for Britains exit from the European Union. Hell be attending Trumps inauguration.

Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of Austrias Freedom Party, met with Michael Flynn, Trumps choice to be national security adviser, last month. This party, founded by a collection of ex-Nazis and other political outsiders, has long sought to break into the Austrian mainstream, and narrowly lost a recent election for the countrys largely ceremonial presidency.

And Marine Le Pen, leader of Frances National Front, has been sighted lurking outside Trump Tower in Manhattan, though no meetings were confirmed.

In any other transition from one major American party to the other 1981, 1993 or 2001 European officials could fall back on people whom they knew would staff the new administration. These former officials, think tankers, and retired military officers provided a network of contacts, and their temperaments were known to the world of diplomacy.

Trump EU Ambassador

This time around, Europeans know that Steve Bannon, the former head of the website Breitbart, who is now a White House adviser to Trump, has an open line to European fringe politics.

Trump has also interviewed Ted Malloch, a former United Nations official and traveling pundit, as a potential U.S. ambassador to the European Union in Brussels. Malloch openly supported the departure of Britain from the EU, and has echoed Trumps disparaging words about the EU.

Seeing this kind of commentary up front, the danger hes running is, simply, that no one will listen to him, said James Elles, a former conservative member of the European Parliament. It would be as though a European ambassador were walking around criticizing the union of the American states.

Over the weekend, Trump predicted that more countries will leave the EU and promised the United States would throw itself into negotiations with Britain for a free-trade deal after he takes office. British Prime Minister Theresa May will travel to the United States to meet Trump in February.

British-American Deal

Were gonna work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly. Good for both sides, Trump said. Well have a meeting right after I get into the White House and itll be, I think were gonna get something done very quickly.

Combining those two points about the EU and a trade deal with Britain suggested that Trump backs a plan, hinted at by Bannon at times, to pick off other European countries from the bloc by offering them similar agreements. Even if this strategy fails, the friction generated between the United States and Europe would be enormous, probably greater than any issue in transatlantic relations in the past 50 years.

More urgently, the timing and symbolism of a negotiation with Britain could immediately put Trump crosswise with the rest of Europe.

May announced in a speech this week that Britain would pursue a hard Brexit, as its departure from the EU has become known. Specifically, it will give up access to Europes broad and deep economic integration, and take full control of its own borders, immigration having been a central issue in the Brexit campaign.

European Agenda

That process will unfold over two years, beginning sometime in the spring, as Britain replaces EU-mandated rules with its own. Until then, the country will remain a member of the EU, and cannot conclude trade deals with other countries on an independent basis.

If Britain and the United States even start a negotiation before its European Union membership ends, it runs the risk of hardening Europes negotiating stance in the Brexit process. Britain, in short, would be seen as a sort of stalking horse for Trumps apparent break-the-EU strategy.

If the Europeans think they are sitting across from Trump and the UK, they will fight that much harder, said one former European official.

The stakes are high for Britain, which wants to preserve Londons status as a global financial capital in the face of Brexit, and also needs a solid trade deal with the rest of the EU.

For the rest of Europe, the central challenge is hammering out a common agenda so it can avoid a new relationship based entirely on reacting to Trumps tweets and emerging policies, Janes said. That could have to do with Russia, or trade, or even China.

Europe needs to figure out what it can do together, Janes said. Because if it doesnt, Trump will pick them apart in five minutes.

Read more here:
European Union Grapples With a Trump Presidency That Could Exploit Its Own Turmoil - InsideSources