Tag: European Union

• Thursday, October 25th 2018 - 08:25 UTC

  Gibraltar prepared and confident on a Withdrawal Agreement from EU

  

  Gibraltar will step up its contingency planning as from January 1, 2019, if there is no certainty of a Withdrawal Agreement and implementation period by that date, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told an influential House of Lords select committee. Addressing the EU Select Committee, he also signaled his hope that Gibraltar, the UK and Spain could salvage elements of the Gibraltar negotiations even in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit between the UK and the EU.

• Wednesday, October 24th 2018 - 08:56 UTC

  EC tells Italy to revise its budget but ruling populists vow to go ahead with electoral promises

  

  The European Commission has told Italy to revise its budget, an unprecedented move with regard to an EU member state. EC is worried about the impact of higher spending on already high levels of debt in Italy, the Euro zone's third-biggest economy.

• Wednesday, October 24th 2018 - 08:39 UTC

  Risk of return to violence if a hard Brexit is imposed, says Irish president Higgins

  

  Irish President Michael D Higgins has said he shares the concerns of the country’s premier Leo Varadkar that there is a risk of a return to violence if a hard border is imposed post-Brexit. Mr Higgins said: “I do share the Taoiseach’s concern.”

• Wednesday, October 24th 2018 - 08:28 UTC

  UK government watchdog warns Britain is not ready for a no-deal Brexit

  

  Britain will “pay the price” of a no-deal Brexit because complicated new border controls may not be ready in time, a UK government watchdog has warned. Thousands of UK exporters did not have enough time to prepare for new border rules, the National Audit Office said.

• Tuesday, October 23rd 2018 - 09:04 UTC

  PM May: 95% of Brexit terms agreed but Irish border remains a “considerable sticking point”

  

  UK Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is prepared to “explore every possible option” to break the deadlock in Brexit talks. She told MPs 95% of the terms of exit were agreed but the Irish border was still a “considerable sticking point”.

• Saturday, October 20th 2018 - 08:42 UTC

  Ireland insists a Brexit transition period is not an alternative for backstop proposal

  

  An extended Brexit transition period is not an alternative to the EU’s backstop proposal, Irish premier Leo Varadkar has warned. The Taoiseach said he is open to the idea of an extension but it fails to resolve the border issue.

• Saturday, October 20th 2018 - 08:42 UTC

  Brexit has the Conservative party unity under “existential strain”

  

  The Conservative Party has been put under “existential strain” by Brexit and some friendships and relationships will “never be healed”, according to a former cabinet minister. Nicky Morgan, the Tory chairwoman of the Treasury Committee, laid bare the personal toll on MPs divided over the merits of the UK’s departure from the European Union as she insisted she still believes the party can come back together.

• 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.

• Saturday, October 20th 2018 - 06:36 UTC

  Gibraltar, not a problem to reach a Brexit agreement, says Spain

  

  Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez both sent positive signals about the progress of Brexit talks relating to Gibraltar, effectively confirming the Rock’s inclusion in any withdrawal and transitional arrangements to soften the process of leaving the EU.

• Friday, October 19th 2018 - 06:27 UTC

  “UK has done all it can”, to cushion a no-deal Brexit for the financial sector, says BoE

  

  The United Kingdom has done “all it can” unilaterally to cushion the blow of a no-deal Brexit for banks and financial firms, a Bank of England deputy governor has said. Sir Jon Cunliffe seemed to place the ball firmly back in the EU’s court, after suggesting that British authorities had made significant efforts through the likes of banking stress tests and a temporary permissions regime to prepare the financial sector for a cliff-edge exit.