Montevideo, the capital of “neutral/neutralized” Uruguay is hosting this Thursday an international gathering with countries of the Americas and the European Union to address, and attempt to solve or find a way out to the delicate and worsening situation in Venezuela.
The British Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Dublin on Friday evening for Brexit talks, Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said. Mr Varadkar was speaking after his meeting with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels this afternoon.
Brussels has stepped up its opposition to attempts to reopen Theresa May’s Brexit deal as senior Tories began talks on alternatives to the Irish backstop. The European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the backstop was the “only operational solution” to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.
The decision to promote Juan Guaidó as a rival president to Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela was clearly made in Washington, not in Caracas. The speed with which U.S. allies in the Americas and western Europe recognised Guaidó’s claim on Jan. 23 to be the legitimate president of Venezuela would not have been possible without a lot of prior coordination — and a lot of pressure by the Trump administration.
European Union governments will move to recognize Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president from next week, but using cautious language for fear of setting a precedent for political crises, EU diplomats said on Friday.
Argentina and the European Union (EU) reached an agreement to end a dispute over exports of biodiesel, the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The deal establishes price and volume limits to be announced next month, the ministry said in a statement.
The European Parliament recognized Venezuela’s self-declared interim president Juan Guaido as de facto head of state on Thursday, heightening international pressure on the OPEC member’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro. EU governments, divided over whether to recognize Guaido, also agreed to lead an international crisis group with South American nations to seek new elections, setting a 90-day time limit, and threatening further economic sanctions.
Almost a third of UK companies could move operations abroad because of Brexit, a survey has suggested. Research for the Institute of Directors revealed that 16% already had relocation plans while a further 13% were actively considering doing so. The IoD said it took “no pleasure” in revealing “these worrying signs”.
The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier says the Irish backstop is part and parcel of the UK's Brexit deal and will not be renegotiated. Speaking at the European Parliament, Mr Barnier said it was a realistic solution to preventing a hard border.
The Polish Prime Minister and senior German politicians have urged Brussels to strike a Brexit deal with Britain in the first sign of divisions within the European Union over its blanket opposition to offering fresh concessions to Theresa May.