Displaying items by tag: Juncker

Jean-Claude Juncker has asked Britain to table ‘operable proposals in writing’ to the Irish Backstop. On 19 September the UK gave the EU written suggested solutions ‘reflecting the ideas the UK has put forward’ saying that the UK will table ‘formal written solutions when we are ready and not to an artificial deadline’. The UK will accept an all-Ireland food and agricultural zone to avoid the need for many checks, but Barnier said that the EU must control products arriving to the single market, insisting Brexit must include the backstop or equivalent legally-binding guarantees. The EU parliament will never accept any agreement giving the UK advantages of free trade without aligning with European standards. ‘We are not stupid, we will not kill our own companies.’ Nigel Farage said Barnier’s objective is ‘keeping us trapped inside, fearing - if we break out of the single market - we would become wealthier outside the EU’.

At the time of writing European leaders are trying to agree on a compromise EU leader after political groups failed to unite behind a candidate to replace Jean-Claude Juncker in Europe’s top job. Following the elections in May, nobody has won united support from the four mainstream parties to become president of the EU’s executive arm. Onlookers are calling it a ‘big fight’ between Europe's political groups, leaders, and institutions. Other vacancies to be filled include speaker of the European parliament, which will sit for the first time on 2 July, and foreign policy chief. The final nominees must have the backing of least 21 of the 28 EU leaders and a majority in the 751-member parliament. National leaders want to control the process and allocate the most senior jobs in a way that balances men and women, east and west, small countries and large.

President Trump publicly doubted Theresa May's Brexit plan: ‘I think we have to take a look seriously whether or not the UK is allowed to trade with us’. The British parliament will vote on the withdrawal agreement on 11 December. Jean-Claude Juncker warned MPs planning to send May back to Brussels by voting down her Brexit deal that it would take the EU just ‘seconds’ to crush their hopes. President Macron said that the UK will be trapped in a customs union after Brexit, unless Downing Street offers European fishermen full access to British waters during the trade negotiations. However, Iceland’s foreign minister said, ‘The British could learn from Iceland when it comes to creating a new fisheries policy after Brexit’ (see). We can pray for God to ignite political wisdom and accurate insights in all politicians and media commentators. Pray also for inspired visions and purposes to be birthed in captains of commerce and industry.

The European Commission president’s informal manner at EU meetings has been criticised. He denies accusations that he has a drink problem. Now he must now take urgent steps to explain his role in an illegal wiretap scandal. In 2013 Jean-Claude Juncker resigned as Luxembourg prime minister after his intelligence chiefs were accused of tapping phones, bugging politicians and keeping 13,000 secret files. He denied any involvement, but was dragged back into the scandal after fresh claims that members of his staff had tampered with crucial evidence. Now a secretly recorded telephone conversation between him and his intelligence chief in 2007 shows them discussing an interference that he denies ever authorising.

In what will be seen as a kick in the teeth to Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, Emmanuel Macron insisted that the EU should set goals for the next ten years and enforce treaty changes, or risk other member states following Brexit. The French president urged ‘new ambition’, or the Brussels bloc would face the ‘dismantling of Europe’. His comments followed Mr Juncker’s state of the union speech, which included his master plan for greater integration without treaty change. Speaking in New York, Mr Macron warned of difficult months and years ahead for the bloc if it could not shake off its image of overbearing bureaucracy; he said that other countries which are not comfortable with this will leave. Juncker had called for EU integration in the face of rising populism and elections in Italy, Sweden, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, where Eurosceptic parties are gaining momentum.