BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – The EU hit out Monday at “misconceptions” over leaked documents about a planned free trade deal with the United States that are said to show it poses risks to the climate, environment and consumers. Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem insisted that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) said the papers released by Greenpeace merely reflected negotiating positions by Washington and Brussels. Malmstroem said “there seems to be quite a number of […]
EU
Obama sharpens Brexit warning in parting shot
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — US President Barack Obama has sharpened his warnings about Britain’s reduced global influence should it quit the EU, warning it could take 10 years to reach a UK-US trade deal. Obama said Britain would have “less influence globally” if it votes to leave the European Union in the June 23 referendum on membership of the 28-country bloc. The president was speaking in a BBC television interview broadcast on Sunday, the final […]
Tensions over migrant deal as Merkel, EU officials head to Turkey on Saturday
Istanbul, Turkey (AFP)— Angela Merkel and top European Union officials travel to Turkey on Saturday for a high-stakes visit which will see them walk a diplomatic tightrope between keeping Ankara sweet over a crucial migrant deal and taking a stand on European values. European Council head Donald Tusk, European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans and the German chancellor will visit a refugee camp at 1100 GMT in Gaziantep on the Turkish-Syrian border. They hope to […]
Turkey will call off migrant deal if EU fails to grant visa-free travel by June – PM
Turkey would no longer need to honour an agreement on migrants with the European Union if the bloc fails to uphold its promise to provide visa-free travel for Turks by June, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday (April 18). Turkey and the EU last month sealed a controversial deal intended to halt illegal migration to Europe in return for financial and political rewards for Ankara. The EU will take in thousands of Syrian […]
Losing momentum in delivering aid to Syria, Egeland says
GENEVA, Switzerland – The United Nations voiced concern on Thursday (March 31) over growing difficulties in delivering aid to besieged areas in Syria, with convoys delayed or surgical equipment being removed, mainly by government forces. Jan Egeland, chairman of a U.N. task force on humanitarian aid, called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s main allies Russia and Iran to bring more pressure to bear on the government to enable deliveries of food and medicines. “We are […]
EU to give emergency aid to help Greece cope with migrants
by Danny KEMP with Eric RANDOLPH in Calais BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The European Union will Wednesday announce plans for emergency aid to Greece which is struggling to cope with an influx of migrants with thousands stuck in misery at its border after Balkan states tightened their frontiers. Greece has asked for around 480 million euros ($520 million) to help shelter 100,000 refugees as Europe faces its biggest wave of refugees since World War II […]
Greek creditors to resume reforms audit by March 10: PM
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Tuesday that an EU-IMF audit of the debt-laden country’s reforms would likely resume by March 10, hinting that the process was being delayed by divisions among the creditors. “My estimate is that (senior creditor representatives will) return in the first ten days of March,” Tsipras said in a televised interview. “There must finally be agreement between the (creditors) so we can move forward,” he told Star TV. […]
Austerity-weary Ireland votes in uncertain election
DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) — Voting got under way in Ireland on Friday in an election which could see it become the latest eurozone country to face political instability as anger against hardship and austerity erodes support for traditional parties. Voters began casting ballots at 0700 GMT in schools, sports clubs and church buildings transformed for the day into election centres. Over 2,000 voters who are residents of islands off the west coast of Ireland have already […]
Spain faces long road to form new government
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — After a brief glimmer of hope, Spain’s Socialists look set to fail in their bid to form a government next week, plunging the country into more political uncertainty. As the country emerges from an economic crisis and faces an independence threat in the northeastern Catalonia region, it still does not have a government, nearly 10 weeks after elections produced a hung parliament. Socialist chief Pedro Sanchez has been racing to garner backing […]
Cameron seals ‘Brexit’ deal after marathon EU summit
by Danny Kemp and Katherine Haddon BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP)–European leaders finally sealed a deal Friday on British Prime Minister David Cameron’s reforms after hours of haggling at a marathon summit, paving the way for a referendum on whether Britain will stay in the EU. The European Union’s two top figures, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, presented its 28 leaders with draft proposals at a long-delayed dinner after hours of painstaking face-to-face talks on an issue […]
Hollande: ‘I’ll do what is needed to keep UK in Europe’
PARIS, France (AFP)– French President Francois Hollande said on Friday he would do what is necessary to keep Britain in the European Union — on condition that “Europe can still move forward”. “I’ll do what is needed to keep the United Kingdom in Europe, but on condition that Europe can still move forward,” Hollande told French radio as a key Brussels summit was set to go on late into the evening. But with Prime […]
EU chief warns ‘lot to do’ for deal to avoid British exit
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — European leaders have a lot of work to do at a summit in Brussels to reach a deal to prevent Britain becoming the first country to crash out of the bloc, EU president Donald Tusk warned Friday. British Prime Minister David Cameron urged his counterparts at the start of a two-day meeting to reach a “credible” reform deal that would allow him to hold a referendum on EU membership in June. […]
