The UK's backstop plan for the Irish frontier has been comprehensively rejected by the European Commission which said it would lead to a hard border. In its official retort to the plan, Brussels officials questioned how the UK could carry out EU controls without "proper EU supervision and enforcement".As Brexit secretary David Davis met with his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, in Brussels, the Commission published its official reply to the plan.It said Westminster's idea for a temporary customs arrangement, where the entire UK remains in a customs territory, would lead to a hard Northern Ireland border.The backstop plan relies on faith from Brussels that a later trade agreement will be signed that replaces it, but EU officials doubt Britain can design a way to keep Northern Ireland out of EU rules and still have no border.They also believe there would be "serious risks of fraud on a significant resource for member states" due to "piecemeal application of EU VAT and excise rules".The … [Read more...] about European Commission rejects UK’s Brexit backstop plan over hard Irish border risk
European commission
European Commission could reject Theresa May’s new customs plan
Brussels is likely to reject Theresa May’s plan to keep Britain tied to EU customs rules beyond 2021 because it believes the backstop clause to prevent a hard Irish border can only apply to Northern Ireland and not the whole UK. “The European commission has always understood it as applying to Northern Ireland only,” an EU source told The Telegraph, “It has always said that Northern Ireland is a unique situation”. Brussels is now waiting for a formal offer from Mrs May in writing but is likely to point to language agreed in December’s UK-EU joint report that says any Irish border deal cannot “pre-determine” any wider agreement on the future relationship between the two sides. A round of Brexit... Register or log in to view this and other Politics articles. It's free and easy to do. Join regular debates with our journalists by commenting on articles Sign up to exclusive newsletters that give you the inside track on Westminster and … [Read more...] about European Commission could reject Theresa May’s new customs plan
Britain taken to court by European Commission over air pollution
News / UK and world by Press Association May 17, 2018, 12:40 pm FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsAppEmail Sign up to our Daily newsletter The European Commission is taking the British Government to court for breaching EU air quality rules. The EU’s environment commissioner Karmenu Vella said Britain had broken limits on levels of health-damaging nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and failed to provide “credible, effective and timely” plans to cut pollution. Levels of NO2 – largely from car exhaust fumes – peaked as high as 102 microgrammes per cubic metre of air in 16 locations in the UK in 2016, including London, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow, compared to an EU limit of 40 microgrammes. The European Commission also issued a letter of formal notice to the UK for disregarding EU measures to deter car manufacturers from trying to cheat emissions tests, introduced in the wake of the Volkswagen diesel scandal. France and Germany were also referred to the … [Read more...] about Britain taken to court by European Commission over air pollution
French politicians furious after European Commission signals English will be main language after Brexit
SLIGHTED French politicians have hit the roof after the European Commission signalled the English language will become more important in Brussels after Brexit. New budget proposals reveal funding for English translation will be maintained despite Britain leaving the EU. In the club’s latest seven year budget plan the Commission stated: “Translation and interpretation services in the English language will remain unaffected.” The European Court of Justice is also exploring the possibility of adopting our mother tongue as an official language as well as French. Socialist MEP Sylvie Guillaume moaned: “After Brexit, there’s a big temptation to make English the language of reference even more in the future. “It worries me because I don’t really want us to end up speaking a language without subtlety on sensitive subjects.” Figures two years ago showed that 81 per cent of the Commission’s documents were written in English – double the … [Read more...] about French politicians furious after European Commission signals English will be main language after Brexit
European Commission ‘pushing back’ against UK proposals for Irish border
0 Comments European Commission ‘pushing back’ against UK proposals for Irish border BelfastTelegraph.co.uk The European Union is “pushing back” against the UK’s proposals for keeping the Irish border open after Brexit, David Davis has confirmed. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/european-commission-pushing-back-against-uk-proposals-for-irish-border-36864113.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/article36864111.ece/e33bd/AUTOCROP/h342/bpanews_74000950-3dd9-4fae-8d9a-baba563f368c_1 Email The European Union is “pushing back” against the UK’s proposals for keeping the Irish border open after Brexit, David Davis has confirmed. Mr Davis was speaking a day ahead of a crucial meeting of Theresa May’s “Brexit inner cabinet” to thrash out the Government’s position on future customs arrangements. Unconfirmed reports earlier this month suggested that EU officials had dismissed both UK … [Read more...] about European Commission ‘pushing back’ against UK proposals for Irish border