Tag: EU

• Saturday, October 20th 2018 - 08:37 UTC

  Moody's cuts Italy's credit rating and EC warns over 2019 budget plans

  

  Moody's has cut Italy's credit rating by a notch over concerns about plans for larger deficits and the high public debt load as the country's populist government clashes with Brussels over its budget. The European Commission formally warned Italy late Thursday that its budget plans for 2019 are a serious concern, launching a high-stakes process that could see Rome hit with unprecedented sanctions for breaking commitments to Brussels.

• Wednesday, October 17th 2018 - 08:18 UTC

  Brexit summit: “no ground for optimism”, says Tusk; “stand together and firm” PM May tells cabinet

  

  Donald Tusk has poured cold water on hopes of a Brexit breakthrough at Wednesday's EU summit, saying the Irish border was still a sticking point. The European Council president said he had “no grounds for optimism” it would be solved at the summit and called on Theresa May to come up with “concrete proposals” to break the “impasse”.

• Thursday, October 4th 2018 - 08:16 UTC

  EU drafting new partnership terms with UK, including the Ireland border issue

  

  Unworkable”, “unacceptable”, “impasse”, are some of the words used to describe Brexit talks between Britain and the European Union do little to temper concerns that the two are heading for a chaotic divorce. But behind the scenes, both sides are preparing concessions as part of what one British official called “a constructive dialogue” that could yet lead to a deal.

• Tuesday, October 2nd 2018 - 08:29 UTC

  “Tories will also be the party of business”, Hammond tells Conservative conference

  

  Conservatives cannot afford to look like the party of “no change”, British Chancellor Philip Hammond has warned colleagues. Mr Hammond said the Tories could not “outspend” Jeremy Corbyn's Labour with “short-term gimmicks”. Instead he said they urgently needed to make the case for capitalism and “take our people with us”.

• Friday, September 28th 2018 - 08:23 UTC

  EC calls for calm as deadline for a possible UK withdrawal enters critical phase

  

  A spokesman for the European Commission said calmness not drama was needed during the critical end phase of negotiating a withdrawal agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom.

• Saturday, September 22nd 2018 - 08:43 UTC

  Compromise over Brexit is “still possible” says Tusk, while PM May demanded more respect from the EU

  

  European Council President Donald Tusk has said a compromise with the UK over Brexit is “still possible”, after Theresa May warned she was prepared to walk away from talks. In a statement, Mr. Tusk said he was a “true admirer” of the PM.

• Wednesday, September 12th 2018 - 08:45 UTC

  Brexit fears: UK oil and gas industry concerned about contracting skilled workers

  

  Oil and gas platforms could have to be shut down if a deal on Brexit leads to difficulties accessing skilled workers, according to an industry report. The warning comes in Oil and Gas UK's latest economic report which said delays in accessing labor markets from EU countries have the potential, in some instances, of leading to production being shut in.

• Friday, August 31st 2018 - 08:46 UTC

  Decisive Brexit meeting in Brussels ahead of the October EU summit

  

  Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab is preparing for six hours of talks with the EU's chief negotiator. He will meet Michel Barnier in Brussels on Friday for the extended session ahead of an EU summit on 17 October. Both sides are hoping to agree a divorce deal and a statement on future trading relations before the summit.

• Tuesday, July 17th 2018 - 08:46 UTC

  US launches five dispute actions in WTO challenging China, EU, Canada, Mexico and Turkey

  

  The United States launched five separate World Trade Organization dispute actions on Monday challenging retaliatory tariffs imposed by China, the European Union, Canada, Mexico and Turkey following U.S. duties on steel and aluminum. The retaliatory tariffs on up to a combined US$28.5 billion worth of U.S. exports are illegal under WTO rules, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement.

• Wednesday, January 31st 2018 - 20:00 UTC

  Gibraltar cannot be the whipping boy of Brexit Garcia tells EU

  

  In an address to a Brussels think tank, the (Germany's Liberal Party) Friedrich Naumann Foundation, the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia has declared that it would be manifestly unfair to use Gibraltar as a whipping boy who was made to suffer the consequences of Europe‘s wider disagreements with the United Kingdom.