The European Union was bracing itself for more turmoil in the Brexit negotiations on Wednesday after it was announced that Theresa May faced a vote of no confidence from her own MPs. Though EU leaders do not generally comment on the domestic political affairs of other countries, sources in Brussels said they feared the vote has made the risk of 'no deal' higher than ever. EU officials also believe that the UK would have to extend Article 50, the legal mechanism of the leaving the EU, if Mrs May falls. This would allow time for a new Tory leader to emerge and unite the party behind a Brexit deal. However, Brussels has also warned that the current terms of the deal cannot be renegotiated and... To continue reading this article Start your free trial of Premium Access all Premium articles Subscriber-only events Cancel any time Free for 30 days then only £2 per week Try Premium Access one Premium article per week Register for … [Read more...] about How the EU reacted to Theresa May facing a no confidence vote
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The Brief: EU holds firm on Brexit amid UK political turmoil
The Brief: No re-negotiations, the EU is not offering any leeway to Theresa May over the Brexit deal as she faces political turmoil back home. A tour of EU capitals has done little to change anyone's position across the Channel. MEPs have other things on their mind too such as humanitarian visas, better workplace environments and connecting infrastructure. … [Read more...] about The Brief: EU holds firm on Brexit amid UK political turmoil
Germany wants more EU funds to help phase out coal industry
Updated 1:00 am PST, Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Participants in a U.N. climate conference take photos at an installation with the COP24 conference logo, in Katowice,Poland, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. Participants in a U.N. climate conference take photos at an installation with the COP24 conference logo, in Katowice,Poland, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. Photo: Czarek Sokolowski, AP Photo: Czarek Sokolowski, AP Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Image 1 of 3 Participants in a U.N. climate conference take photos at an installation with the COP24 conference logo, in Katowice,Poland, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. Participants in a U.N. climate conference take photos at an installation with the COP24 conference logo, in Katowice,Poland, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. … [Read more...] about Germany wants more EU funds to help phase out coal industry
Brexit: Theresa May ‘has given away leverage over EU by delaying vote’
Theresa May has “thrown away the best leverage she had” over the EU by calling off the vote on her Brexit deal, a DUP MP has claimed. Sammy Wilson also warned that the prime minister was “wasting her time” by travelling to Europe in the hope of securing new reassurances from fellow EU leaders to allay concerns about the backstop arrangements for the Irish border.The DUP Brexit spokesperson said Mrs May’s latest plan to secure support for her much-reviled withdrawal deal was doomed to fail, adding that she had adopted “the wrong mindset”.“Even if she comes back with some assurances over the backstop, these will be meaningless when put against a legally binding agreement,” he told the News Letter.Mr Wilson also stated that his party’s trust in the prime minister is at an “all-time low”.He added: “She has already broken her promises to us, and so if we can’t even trust the assurances that she gives us, … [Read more...] about Brexit: Theresa May ‘has given away leverage over EU by delaying vote’
EU vote could play havoc with Danish rules on unemployment benefits
A vote taken by the European Union’s parliament on Tuesday may have consequences for Denmark’s social welfare model. A narrow majority in the EU parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday voted in favour of a mandate for negotiation of social security systems. That means negotiations over new rules between the EU commission and parliament and member states can commence, Ritzau reports. The proposal could give EU citizens the right to Denmark’s unemployment insurance fund, dagpenge, after a single day’s employment in the Scandinavian country, according to the report. Danish MEPs had sought to reopen negotiations over the mandate to prevent this eventuality, but appear to have failed after Tuesday’s vote. Social Democrat MEP Christel Schaldemose called the vote result a “potential bomb under the Danish unemployment benefits system”. “I am disappointed that it has been so difficult to make our colleagues understand that this … [Read more...] about EU vote could play havoc with Danish rules on unemployment benefits