Farmers in England to be paid for looking after soil health from next year
Environmental groups say scheme falls far short of farming reforms promised after Brexit
Farmers will be paid for looking after England’s soils for the first time from next year, when the first stage of the government’s new support payments begins.
Environmental groups criticised the measures as puny and accused ministers of failing in their promises to use the UK’s departure from the EU to strengthen environmental protections and reduce the damaging impacts of farming.
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Problems Registering in Portugal
On the stroke of midnight (11pm UK time) on 31 January 2020, after 47 years of membership, the UK officially left the EU. There followed an 11 month transition period to 31 December 2020. The clock was then ticking for EU & UK citizens to register their status to ensure they kept their pre-Brexit rights. […]
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MoD Accused Of "Failing To Deliver Justice" After Confirming Sex Assault Cases Will Stay In Military Courts
Cases of sexual harassment and rape involving serving soldiers will continue to be heard in the military courts, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed following an inquiry into how women are treated in the armed forces.
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Tewkesbury for Europe asks “How Is Brexit going?”
How is Brexit going? Working for a better deal with Europe. Despite a rather chilly day, Tewkesbury for Europe were out in the high street recently and handing out leaflets, engaging people and asking ‘How is Brexit going?’ Over 50 leaflets were handed out and, despite a few negatives, there were over twenty very positive […]
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Health Minister Dismisses Jeremy Hunt Criticism Of Care Plans As "Part Of The Job"
Exclusive: Care minister Gillian Keegan has dismissed former health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s claim that the government’s new care plan is “three steps forward and two steps back”.
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Northern Ireland shows signs of economic uplift in wake of protocol | BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
“Northern Ireland economic performance is showing signs of recovery, official figures have shown, suggesting an uplift from the Northern Ireland…
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Brexit: Why is there a row over fishing rights?
Fishing licences near Jersey are threatening trade relations between the UK and France.
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MPs Say It's “Absolute Nonsense” To Say Tories Are Worried About Bexley By-Election
The Conservative party is confident they’ll hold Old Bexley and Sidcup in a by-election on Thursday, despite reports that there were “jitters” in the party.
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Landmark Social Care Proposals Criticised As "Three Steps Forward And Two Steps Backwards"
Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has criticised the government over its ten year vision for social care announced today, claiming it fails to tackle issues with local authority funding and the workforce crisis.
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Scottish independence poll: Support soars to 55% | The National
“Support for Scottish independence has risen to its highest level for a year, according to a new poll.” https://www.thenational.scot/news/19754555.scottish-independence-poll-support-soars-55-per-cent/?ref=ebbn
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RSPB: thousands of miles of wildlife-rich hedgerows at risk from post-‘Brexit’ farming changes | Shropshire Star
“As England shifts from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy to a post-‘Brexit’ system which rewards farmers and landowners for public…
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Advent Calendar of Scandal
Over the next 24 days, we'll open a door on our Advent Calendar of Scandal, to offer a window into the failings at the heart of government.
Yorkshire Bylines Local News: Advent Calendar of Scandal
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Boris Johnson Fails To Deny No.10 Lockdown Christmas Party Allegations
Boris Johnson has failed to deny that a Christmas party took place at Number 10 Downing Street in December last year, while London was under a Tier 3 lockdown.
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Nobody wins a ‘modern’ war: only cooperation can beat killer robots, climate change and nuclear weapons
The UK is embracing lethal autonomous weapons, 'killer robots', despite the threats they pose to global security.
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Avian flu spreads across the Midlands
Hundreds of birds have been culled as a highly-pathogenic strain of avian flu has been found in Warwickshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.
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Government Faces Pressure To Ban Fatberg-Causing Plastic Wet Wipes
PoliticsHome is backing a campaign by leading think tank Bright Blue calling for plastics in wet wipes to be banned due the impact they have on waterways and wildlife.
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New travel restrictions between UK and Spain start today
All UK visitors to Spain (12 yrs+) must now prove they have been fully vaccinated. A negative covid test is no longer an alternative option.
Yorkshire Bylines Local News: New travel restrictions between UK and Spain start today
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Ministers Expect To Know "A Lot More" About The Omicron Variant In Two Weeks
The government is confident that it will have found out "a lot more" about the Omicron variant in a fortnight's time, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said.
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Farmers fear Defra will not deliver on post-Brexit support, says CLA head | The Guardian
Mark Tufnell says many farmers are reluctant to trust government as changes to subsidy payments loom Farmers are anxiously awaiting…
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Farmers fear Defra will not deliver on post-Brexit support, says CLA head
Mark Tufnell says many farmers are reluctant to trust government as changes to subsidy payments loom
Farmers are anxiously awaiting further detail from the government on imminent changes to their subsidy payments, with many reluctant to trust the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to manage the transition, the leader of one of the UK’s biggest farming organisations has said.
“Quite a few have said to me: ‘Well, we’re not at all clear what Defra is doing,’” Mark Tufnell, the recently installed president of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), told the Guardian. “[They say:] ‘We don’t think that Defra know what they’re doing,’ and ask me: ‘What do you know?’”
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Advent Calendar 1: The January Lockdown
The first entry in Yorkshire Bylines' 'Advent Calendar of Scandal' is the negligence that led to the January lockdown.
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Global Gateway: up to €300 billion for the European Union's strategy to boost sustainable links around the world
The European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy launch the Global Gateway, the new European Strategy to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport and strengthen health, education and research systems across the world.
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Modernising judicial cooperation: Commission paves the way for further digitalisation of EU justice systems
The European Commission has adopted several initiatives to digitalise EU justice systems, making them more accessible and effective. The overarching aim of the measures is to make digital communication channels the default channel in cross-border judicial cases, thus translating one of the priorities set out in last year's Communication on the Digitalisation of Justice into action.
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Asylum and return: Commission proposes temporary legal and practical measures to address the emergency situation at the EU's external border with Belarus
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Commission reiterates calls to step up vaccination, rapid deployment of boosters, vigilance and rapid reaction to Omicron variant
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The Davis Downside Dossier
Davis famously said there would be no downsides to Brexit only considerable upsides
Yorkshire Bylines Local News: The Davis Downside Dossier
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Starmer calls time on Johnson’s culture of “bullshit”
Keir Starmer has done a cabinet reshuffle of Labour ministers while Boris Johnson is being called out for all his wrongdoings
Yorkshire Bylines Local News: Starmer calls time on Johnson’s culture of “bullshit”
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County Wexford port on the crest of a wave thanks to Brexit | Irish News
“European trade through Rosslare port in Co Wexford has risen by almost 400% this year, as a result of ‘Brexit’.”…
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Loyalists warn of more violence before Christmas | Irish News
“Loyalists have warned that there could be an escalation in anti-protocol linked violence in the run-up to Christmas.” https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2021/11/29/news/loyalists-warn-of-more-violence-before-christmas-2521343/
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Freight volumes from Ireland to Britain plummet post-Brexit, new report reveals | Motor Transport
“Freight volumes from the Port of Dublin to Liverpool and Holyhead fell by 19% in the first nine months of…
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Sheffield MPs fear South Yorkshire will lose £900m funding due to ‘Brexit’ | Sheffield Star
“EU funds were allocated according to need but the Tories want to move the cash to their areas, as well as…
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Gloucestershire health-kit delays ‘leading to patient suffering’ | BBC News
“Gloucestershire Industrial Services (GIS), a county council service, said it had problems with getting supplies caused in part by ‘Brexit’.”…
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Starmer makes his move: reshuffle or rebrand?
Starmer has reshuffled his Labour cabinet with people who have a track record of holding the government's feet to the fire.
Yorkshire Bylines Local News: Starmer makes his move: reshuffle or rebrand?
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Government Plans For Care Cap Costs Set To Be Derailed By The House Of Lords
Peers have vowed to “do what it takes” to scrap the government’s controversial social care plans when the Health and Social Care Bill goes to the House of Lords next week.
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Major Taylor ~ a black sporting superstar
Major Taylor is a forgotten champion in the cycling world who fought discrimination on his path to become the fastest rider in the world.
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Boris Johnson Says All Over-18s Will Be Offered Covid Booster Within Two Months
The Prime Minister said temporary vaccination centers would be "popping up like Christmas trees" in a bid to tackle the new Omicron Covid variant.
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UK government lawyers reject claim NI protocol has ‘shattered’ union | The Guardian
Legal challenge brought by unionist politicians contests that Brexit deal conflicts with 1800 Acts of Union The Northern Ireland Brexit…
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Government lawyers reject claim NI protocol has ‘shattered’ union
Legal challenge brought by unionist politicians contests that Brexit deal conflicts with 1800 Acts of Union
The Northern Ireland Brexit protocol has not “shattered” the constitutional status of Northern Ireland within the UK, as some unionists have argued, a government lawyer has told a court in Belfast.
Tony McGleenan QC was opening his defence of the protocol against a legal challenge brought by a group of unionist politicians including the Traditional Unionist Voice leader, Jim Allister, the former Labour party MP Kate Hoey and the former Brexit party MEP Ben Habib.
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Real levelling up: getting a more democratic future for the North
The UK faces a democratic emergency with an urgent need for electoral reform, especially for the North. Join the debate this Saturday.
Yorkshire Bylines Local News: Real levelling up: getting a more democratic future for the North
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Bees Belong: when community met international Hockey in Beeston, Nottingham
Belong Nottingham and Beeston Hockey Club have partnered together to promote more active lifestyles to young people.
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Bookings For New Covid Booster Programme Will Be Opened In "Next Couple Of Days"
Details of the expanded booster programme, including how people can book their third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, will be confirmed "in the next couple of days," Health Minister Gillian Keegan has said.
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Goods shipped directly from Ireland to EU up by 50% in six months
Exporters move away from traditional Dublin to Britain routes to avoid Brexit red tape
Volumes of goods shipped directly from Ireland to the EU on new Brexit-busting ferry routes have rocketed by 50% in the past six months as exporters seek to avoid travelling across land through Great Britain, according to official data.
Figures published by the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) show significant traffic diverted away from the traditional routes between Dublin and Britain to some of 32 new ferry services direct to ports such as Le Havre, Cherbourg and Dunkirk in France and Zeebrugge in Belgium.
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How MPs Could Be Hit By Proposed Changes To Parliament’s Code Of Conduct
The standards committee has recommended a host of changes to the rules which govern MPs' conduct, including second jobs, after a major row over sleaze.
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Yvette Cooper Makes Labour Frontbench Comeback After Keir Starmer Reshuffles Top Team
Former minister Yvette Cooper has made a comeback to Labour's frontbench as shadow Home Secretary after party leader Keir Starmer carried out a significant reshuffle to his top team.
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All Adults To Be Offered Covid-19 Booster After Three-Month Gap To Tackle Omicron
All over-18s are set to be offered a coronavirus booster jabs three months after their second dose as concern grows over the spread of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.
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The Inconvenient Truth about Homelessness
Homelessness is often used to gaslight foreigners and people fleeing war as less important than ‘our own’. I have even heard people in my own group of friends say we should look after our own homeless before migrants. Let us explore key areas that uncomfortably identify key drivers for both cost and scarcity of housing. […]
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Boris Johnson Would Be Forced To Declare Cost Of Spain Holiday Under New MP Rules
New rules recommended by the Commons standards committee on how MPs declare gifts would force Boris Johnson to reveal how much his free holiday to a luxury Spanish villa would have cost the minister who owns it.
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Angela Rayner Speech Derailed By Surprise Reshuffle Of Labour Shadow Cabinet
Labour leader Keir Starmer has begun a surprise reshuffle of his Shadow Cabinet.
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Children are facing a ‘double hit’ from pandemic
Children are experiencing a 'double hit' from the pandemic, as school disruption affects learning and impacts mental health, according to new research.
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Health Minister Is "Not Anticipating" Tighter Covid Rules In The Run-up To Christmas
Health Minister Edward Argar has insisted that the government is not planning to introduce even tighter coronavirus rules in the run-up to Christmas to contain the spread of the Omicron variant.
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Russia bought Brexit
Putin’s Brexit: the greatest affront in recent British socio-political history, as British politicians adopt some of Russia's tactics.
Yorkshire Bylines Local News: Russia bought Brexit
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The Digby Jones Index
Lord Digby Jones famously said before the 2016 referendum that not one a single job would be lost due to Brexit. Our index proves just how disastrously wrong he was.
Yorkshire Bylines Local News: The Digby Jones Index
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Our Elective Dictatorship – A Letter to Conservative MPs
Two years of outrageous and dysfunctional Conservative Government under Prime Minister Boris Johnson are pushing us dangerously close to an ‘Elective Dictatorship’. Administratively incompetent. Politically and financially corrupt. Unreliable. Untrustworthy. Self-serving. Litany of broken promises. U-turns. Avoidance of scrutiny. Absence of principle or moral purpose. Deliberate misinformation. Trashed relationships with everyone including the devolved UK […]
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Brexit leaves EU-bound Christmas presents out in the cold
An increase in red tape and charges means headaches for those sending gifts to Europe
People preparing to send Christmas parcels to family and friends in Europe face being caught out by post-Brexit red tape and charges that threaten to take some of the joy out of gift-giving.
A warning has also been sounded that some of those who have sent gifts to the EU this year have encountered problems ranging from delays and unexpected charges to items going missing.
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Sajid Javid Confirms Masks Will Be A "Legal Requirement" In Shops And On Public Transport
Compulsory mask-wearing will return in shops and on all public transport in England from Tuesday to try and prevent the spread of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, Sajid Javid has confirmed.
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As buyer’s remorse begins to stalk even ardent Brexiters, they can no longer indulge in fantasy | Will Hutton
The government has to give up on playing games and start to make deals with the EUBrexit isn’t working. We were sold a false prospectus. Businesses, especially small and medium-size ones, are reeling. They are absorbing unwanted costs; paying hidden tariffs; suffering hitherto avoidable checks on exports; moving factories, depots and offices to within the EU; shedding workers and haemorrhaging orders. Children’s school trips to and from Europe have collapsed. It takes months to get a visa. British science remains outside the EU’s Horizon programme, the biggest international science programme in the world. So it goes on.
As importantly, centuries of British statecraft, aimed at building alliances in Europe with whatever constellation of countries best suited our interests, has been shattered. Britain’s leaders, from Pitt and Palmerston to Churchill, all understood the vital need to engage with Europe. Now, Ireland’s taoiseach, Micheál Martin, or France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, are vastly strengthened, securely knowing they have the entire EU behind them. Whether attempting to solve the cross-Channel migrant crisis or trying to join Horizon, bellicose jingoism is not only crass – it has no hope of achieving the results we want. Britain is suddenly diminished even if our Brexit leaders have yet to realise how little Britain has become.
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Even Macron still hopes Brexit Britain will come to its senses
Leaving the EU has had a terrible impact on all parties. We must grasp that it is a policy that cannot be made to work
‘Excuse me, sir, but why are you wearing a poppy? Remembrance Day was on Thursday.” The speaker was a Spanish gentlemen. The scene: the breakfast room of a hotel in Valladolid, an hour’s train ride north-west of Madrid, on Saturday, the 13th of this month. I was struggling with the toaster. You know how it is when one arrives at a self-service breakfast room.
I replied that I always wore a poppy until Remembrance Sunday, when there was the traditional Cenotaph parade in London. “Ah,” he said. “Forgive me, but why on earth did your country vote the way it did?”
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The Dark Side of Social Media – The ‘Alternative Influencer’
According to Niccolò Machiavelli (who never heard of the internet let alone an alternative influencer): “Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel. Everyone sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.” (Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, 1532). This is a […]
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Face Coverings Return And Booster Programme Sped Up In Response To Omicron Variant, PM Says
Boris Johnson has announced a range of new coronavirus measures to "buy time for our scientists to understand exactly what we're dealing with" after the first Omicron variant cases were identified in the UK.
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Return of a Dirty Old Man
The legislation which allows sewage treatment works, at times of high discharge, to pour untreated effluent into our rivers and coastal waters has been in the news recently. On the recommendation of Environment (yes, environment!) Secretary, George Eustace, our elected representatives voted down an amendment to prevent such pollution. They seem to think the operation […]
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Government Whips Are Caught In The Crossfire In A War Between Number 10 And Tory MPs
Relations between Downing Street and the wider Conservative Party in the Commons have reached their lowest point yet this Parliament.
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Encouraging democratic engagement in Birmingham through citizen journalism
Central Bylines has been awarded a grant from the Public Interest News Foundation to conduct local journalism in the Birmingham area
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‘We are sick of double speak’: French government intensifies attack on Johnson over Channel tragedy – as it happened
This live blog is now closed. You can read our latest stories on the Channel tragedy below
- Macron tells Johnson to get serious on Channel crisis after tweeted letter
- ‘We are sick of double speak’ – France intensifies attack on Johnson
- Channel deaths: Priti Patel disinvited to meeting with France
- Starmer says Corbyn may not stand for Labour at next election
- Starmer says sister has helped him understand plight of care workers
- Labour should ‘reject wokeism of small minority’, says Blair
- Wales now an ‘indy-curious nation’, claims Plaid Cymru leader
- Down syndrome bill passes second reading in Commons unopposed
The French government has accused Boris Johnson of “double speak”. In a briefing, the French government spokesperson, Gabriel Attal, said that the proposal in Johnson’s letter to Emmanuel Macron for France to take back people who successfully cross the Channel on small boats was “clearly not what we need to solve this problem”.
According to PA Media, Attal also said that the letter doesn’t correspond at all” with the discussions Johnson and Macron had when they spoke on Wednesday. Atta went on: “We are sick of double speak.”
What would be completely unacceptable, a stain on our country and a scandal would be to see in future those whose parents have died being placed in inappropriate institutions, in elderly care homes or mental health institutions.
That would be something that I think would bring shame to our country as well as an utterly inappropriate lifestyle for those to whom we should be giving the best possible care.
This is not a bill about a condition, it is not about dealing with Down’s syndrome, it is about people who deserve the same ability to demand the best health, education and care as the rest of our society.
It is not on our part an act of charity, it is an act of empowerment and the recognition that all members of our society must have a right to respect, independence and dignity. That is why I brought this bill forward.
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French fishers block three ports and Channel tunnel access road
‘Symbolic’ protests do not halt traffic but are intended as warning shot in post-Brexit fishing licences row
French fishing crews have mounted “symbolic” protests at the Channel tunnel and three ports in northern France in a day of action against the British government over the ongoing dispute about access of French boats in the Channel.
The fishers lit red flares as they started their protest on Friday at the port of Saint-Malo before moving on to Calais and the Channel tunnel in the afternoon.
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European Movement’s Day of Action
On Saturday, as part of the European Movement’s Day of Action, members of Oxford for Europe gathered once again on Cornmarket to gauge the opinions of local people, on how they felt that Brexit was going. We asked people the following questions: Is Brexit good for the NHS? Is Brexit keeping up food supply and […]
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Refugee Charities Say Claim Safe Routes For Asylum Seekers Wouldn't Stop Criminal Gangs Is "Political"
There is no evidence that creating safe routes from France for asylum seekers would encourage criminal gangs to keep smuggling people across the Channel, charities have told PoliticsHome.
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New Covid-19 Variant Is Of "Huge International Concern", Sajid Javid Warns
Sajid Javid has warned that the new Covid-19 variant B.1.1.529 is of “huge international concern”.
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What We Know About The New Covid-19 Variant That's Alarming Governments And Scientists
The government has expressed concern about a new Covid-19 variant, which is believed to be one of the most heavily mutated versions of the virus discovered so far.
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Macron Tells The UK To Be "Serious" After Disinviting Priti Patel From Migration Meeting
French President Emmanuel Macron has angrily accused Boris Johnson of not behaving seriously as tensions grow between the UK and France over how to handle Channel crossings.
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Brexit: UK and EU to meet for more Northern Ireland Protocol talks
They will assess whether any progress has been made in negotiations over the protocol's operation.
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The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Midlands
The Arts and Crafts Movement was an influential and far-reaching design movement. It covered decorative arts, furniture design, arts and architecture. It had a profound effect on the interior design of homes and public buildings throughout Europe, America, Scandinavia, and Japan. The Arts and Crafts Movement began in the 19th century as a reaction against […]
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French fishers to block Channel tunnel in Brexit licences row
Members of industry association say large number of vehicles will be used to block key artery between nations
French fishers are threatening to block access to the Channel tunnel and the ferry port in Calais on Friday as part of an ongoing dispute over access to the waters between France and the UK in the wake of Brexit.
They have branded the UK’s approach as “contemptuous” and “humiliating” and say they have no other option but to block access to the port and tunnel along with two other ports, Saint-Malo and Ouistreham.
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Find vet before buying pets for Christmas, Britons warned
Increase in dog and cat ownership in lockdown and Brexit standards issues have led to vet shortage
People who are considering buying dogs and cats for Christmas are being asked to check if they have access to a vet before they buy due to shortages caused by Brexit and Covid.
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is urging caution after a rise in demand for vets due to the increase in pet ownership in lockdown and the new legal requirement for Brexit health checks on food exports to the EU.
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Government Officials Turn On Patel's "Completely Incompetent" Home Office Over Channel Crossings
Priti Patel is under growing pressure over what critics say is her failure to manage Channel crossings, with a Whitehall source telling PoliticsHome that the Home Office is "completely incompetent" and her leadership "outdated".
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Harvester owner warns Brexit and rising costs will dent UK hospitality
Pub group Mitchells & Butlers says suburban venues are faring best as rising bills and wages squeeze profit
The pub and restaurant group Mitchells & Butlers has warned that problems caused by Brexit and rising costs will hurt the hospitality sector, just as businesses return to profit after the easing of pandemic restrictions.
The company, which owns pub chains including O’Neill’s and restaurant brands such as Harvester, said Brexit was still “an important event for the market” and had created risks for the sector, most notably around the supply and cost of products and workforce shortages. It said higher energy bills and increased staff wages were also weighing on the sector.
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Immigration Minister Refuses To Rule Out Pushing Back Migrant Boats In The Channel
Immigration minister Kevin Foster has insisted “any maritime tactics would be deployed appropriately” regarding small boats crossing the Channel, but refused to rule out pushing them back towards French waters.
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Coronavirus: Commission proposes to strengthen coordination of safe travel in the EU
The European Commission has proposed to update the rules on coordination of safe and free movement in the EU, which were put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Capital Markets Union: Commission proposes new measures to boost Europe's capital markets
The European Commission has adopted a package of measures to improve the ability of companies to raise capital across the EU and ensure that Europeans get the best deals for their savings and investments.
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Brexit: UK's NI protocol strategy successful, says Simon Coveney
But Simon Coveney says concessions won have come at a cost of reputation and relationships.
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Brexit: assessing the mood in Stratford-upon-Avon
John King and Ann Holland report on the resumption of European Movement campaigning in Stratford-upon-Avon. Is Brexit working?
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Bradwell shines bright at Christmas
In a world concerned with the climate crisis and energy costs, the Bradwell Hydro project has conjured up some sustainable sparkle for their Christmas lights.
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Boris Johnson "Shocked And Appalled" After Several People Drown Trying To Cross The Channel
Boris Johnson has described news that at least 30 people have drowned trying to reach the UK as "appalling".
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Government Accused Of "Lack Of Confidence" In Priti Patel With Small Boats Task Force
The assembly of a new small boats taskforce to tackle migrants crossing the Channel is a sign Boris Johnson has a “lack of confidence” in Home Secretary Priti Patel, Labour has said.
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Rules On Babies In Parliament To Be Reviewed After Stella Creasy Was Reprimanded
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has announced that the current rules on babies in the Chamber are to be reviewed after a Labour MP was reprimanded for holding her child during a debate.
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Tory MP Urged To “Come Clean” After Questioning Ministers On Topics Linked To Libya Project
Exclusive: Sir Paul Beresford is facing questions over whether he “behaved inappropriately” after questioning ministers about topics linked to a firm in which he is a director.
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A Paean to the (East Midlands) Parkway
Matt Turpin pens a paean to the Parkway – the East Midlands Parkway, that is, the forlorn platform caught in the HS2 debacle.
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Suffering has become normalised in Britain. We can do better than this | Frances Ryan
Dehumanisation of marginalised groups is now part of political discourse, but there are ways to restore compassion to society
Look at British politics in recent years and one thing stands out: an ever-dwindling supply of compassion. Migrating people who are left to drown as ministers send in patrol boats. Disabled people going hungry as social security is targeted. More divisiveness, via online abuse and anti-immigration sentiment, provoked by Brexit. And while the pandemic has in some ways brought communities together, it has also seen chilling callousness, as clinically vulnerable people die in large numbers with little fuss. Even topics that you would expect to guarantee compassion, such as growing child poverty, often descend into point scoring – or people turn a blind eye, suggesting we might now be desensitised even to a toddler going cold in the winter.
This is hardly to say cruelty is a new phenomenon for Britain. But the feeling that things are getting worse is hard to shift. The public share the concern: a 2019 survey from Action for Happiness found 60% of people believed Britain had become less caring over the past 10 years. In a new book, How Compassion can Transform our Politics, Economy, and Society, a range of writers and public figures – including Alf Dubs, AC Grayling, Pragna Patel and me – attempt to figure out how we got to this point and outline ways we could build a more compassionate society. There has been a normalisation of suffering in modern Britain – or more accurately, certain people’s suffering. I have been writing about poverty and austerity for almost a decade, and at times it feels as if the worse it gets, the harder it is for some people to care.
Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnist and author of Crippled: Austerity and the Demonisation of Disabled People
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European Semester Autumn Package: rebounding stronger from the crisis and making Europe greener and more digital
The European Commission has launched the 2022 European Semester cycle of economic policy coordination. The European Semester Autumn Package includes the Annual Sustainable Growth Survey, Opinions on euro area Draft Budgetary Plans (DBPs) for 2022, policy recommendations for the euro area and the Commission's proposal for a Joint Employment Report.
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For Brexiters who dreamed of taking back control, France is too close for comfort | Rafael Behr
Eurosceptic Tories, here’s the bad news: it’s a fiction that Britain can have a foreign policy fit for purpose without the EU
Considering that the width of the Channel does not change, it is surprising how often British politicians seem surprised by the proximity of France.
Currently, Priti Patel is enraged by the volume of people making the crossing in small boats. Boris Johnson is frustrated by Patel’s inability to stop the traffic. Tory MPs who told constituents that Brexit had secured the nation’s perimeter are alarmed to find that their boast was premature.
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French fishers plan to block freight to UK in Brexit licences dispute
With talks between governments deadlocked, fishers to decide on taking their own action, reports say
French fishers are set to take action within days, including blocking road and sea freight bound for the UK through Calais and other Channel ports, as a months-long dispute over licences to operate in British waters intensifies.
French media reported on Tuesday that with talks between the two governments and the European Commission over post-Brexit fishing rights seemingly deadlocked, angry fishers in northern France would decide on Thursday what steps to take.
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From campaigning ‘For Europe’ to a New Progressive Politics – A Personal Journey
I want to suggest that local ‘For Europe’ groups now have a vital role to play in taking steps to change the future. Change needs to start with individuals and at local parties, we don’t have to wait for a big national decision. This is my personal story of finding hope, purpose and direction after […]
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When the government gambles we are left to pay the price
Sydney Nash, a former UK/EU negotiator gives the lowdown on Article 16 and the Northern Ireland Protocol.
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Britain is in desperate need of workers. So why is it trying to keep them out? | Simon Jenkins
While ministers panic about small boats crossing the Channel, the economy is struggling without people to pick fruit or staff hotels
Nothing makes sense. Along the east coast of England, British employers scan the horizon. They are desperate for any migrant workers whom Boris Johnson will bless with visas to pick fruit, kill turkeys, staff hotels or care for elderly people. At the same time along the south coast British politicians howl with horror at boatloads of just such people as they come ashore, desperate to offer their services. Brexit is a shamble of hypocrisies.
Immigration materially affects very few Britons. It is more a feature of the politics of xenophobia. The 24,000 asylum seekers who have crossed the Channel so far this year are presented by eager Tories as presaging a new Viking horde or a Norman conquest. There is something ominous in people arriving on beaches, rather than coming through Terminal 5.
Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist
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In the Green Zone: an activist at COP26
Jayson Winters (JW) interviews Jennifer Plummer (JP), a green activist who travelled to COP26 to volunteer in the Green Zone. JW: What involvement / interest have you had in previous COP events? JP: I was interested in attending the Copenhagen COP15 in 2009, to make a noise on the streets. I can’t quite recall why […]
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From energy prices to the new cold war, we were warned about 2021 – back in 1997 | Zoe Williams
Terrorism, tension between China and the US, an uncontrollable plague … Wired’s 24-year-old list of what could go wrong with the world is depressingly familiar
In 1997, when things could only get better, Wired magazine gave over an issue to the raw optimism of the age: we should look forward to 20 solid years of peace, prosperity and progress, as a new age of consensus politics and technological advance smoothed away the rough edges of the warlike beings we once were. Tucked away in this panacea was a little list: 10 things that could go wrong, and dim the otherwise glittering brightness of the future. It’s like looking in a goddamn mirror.
“Tensions between China and the US could escalate into a new cold war,” they said. Can I tell you what our collective 90s consciousness thought about that? Meh. Cold wars are fine. We did the last one no problem.
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Blah Blah Blah
Was COP26 an opportunity lost? Was it always destined to be? Could there be a link to Brexit? What do you think?!
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This Culture of Racism is not Cricket
I see Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the England and Wales Cricket Board are making headlines for a culture of racism that continues unabashed. We have multiple Asian and Black cricketers dehumanised and degraded, racist slurs casually used and racist action over a number of years. I actively resist the temptation to veer into flippant comment, as […]
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Commission outlines contribution of competition policy and its review to green and digital transition, and to a resilient Single Market
The European Commission has adopted a Communication on a competition policy fit for new challenges, which frames the important role of competition policy for Europe's path towards recovery, the green and digital transitions, and for a resilient Single Market.
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NI Protocol: Deal can be done, says Lord Frost
However, the UK Brexit minister stresses that triggering Article 16 remains a legitimate option.
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Bank of England interest rate decision still on a knife-edge despite rise in inflation
Analysis: an increase would do nothing to alter the course of rising prices
- UK inflation jumps to highest level in 10 years
- How rising costs are hitting UK businesses
- Business live updates: UK inflation soars to 10-year high of 4.2%
When Bank of England officials meet next month to discuss interest rates, the betting is that today’s inflation number, showing a forecast-busting 4.2% rise in October, should convince them to respond with an increase in the cost of borrowing.
If they do, the decision might appear inconsistent.
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European Green Deal: Commission adopts new proposals to stop deforestation
The Commission adopted three new initiatives that are necessary for making the European Green Deal a reality. The Commission is proposing new rules to curb EU-driven deforestation, as well as new rules to facilitate intra-EU waste shipments to promote circular economy and tackle the export of illegal waste and waste challenges to third countries.
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Agreement reached on 2022 EU budget
The Council reached an agreement with the European Parliament on the 2022 EU budget, setting total commitments at €169 515,8 million and payments at €170 603,3 million. Next year’s budget strongly reflects the EU’s main priorities: economic recovery, fighting climate change, and the green and digital transitions.
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The Guardian view on Brexit escalation: leave Frost out in the cold | Editorial
The Brexit minister’s fundamentalism is the opposite of what the UK needs in relations with the EU
One early complaint made by British Eurosceptics about EU membership was the undue influence of “unelected bureaucrats”. So there is some irony, or perhaps just hypocrisy, about the power wielded by Lord Frost over a vital area of national interest.
Lord Frost sits in the cabinet as Boris Johnson’s Brexit minister by virtue of a peerage. He has never faced election. He has been a bureaucrat (at the Foreign Office) and an industry lobbyist (for scotch whisky). In the latter role, he was unimpressed by the economic case for Brexit. “Even the best-case outcome can’t be as good as what we have now,” he wrote in 2016.
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Main results of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council
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The Tories lied their way to Brexit. What is this but sleaze?
The key figures in the Owen Paterson debacle were all Leavers. To many Remainers, that will come as no surprise
There is a close link between the parliamentary sleaze scandal and – you’ve guessed it – Brexit.
The plotters who tried scandalously to exonerate Owen Paterson and undermine the course of parliamentary justice were all Brexiters – some of them extremely so. From Paterson himself to the prime minister, who attended the dinner where the plot was hatched, taking in the leader of the house, Jacob Rees-Mogg, who enthusiastically supported it, they all share responsibility for what is now being increasingly recognised as the catastrophe of Brexit. For, make no mistake about it, Brexit was, and remains, a sleazy operation.
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Scrapping the protocol would be a betrayal of the people of Northern Ireland | Nathalie Loiseau
Special trade arrangements are crucial to peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland. Yet Brexiters in London refuse to see that
There has been feverish speculation, in both Westminster and Brussels, about the British government’s possible intention to trigger article 16 of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.
Make no bones about it: such a move, especially if accompanied by the unilateral suspension of elements of the Northern Ireland protocol, would throw the UK’s relations with the EU into turmoil, just at the moment when real progress is being made to facilitate its implementation.
Nathalie Loiseau is an MEP and a former French minister for European affairs
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Boris Johnson says the UK is not ‘remotely a corrupt country’. Is it?
Analysis: the reality looks different as the PM defends his government’s reputation over allegations of sleaze
At a press conference on Wednesday, Boris Johnson faced such a barrage of questions about ethical standards in politics that he felt obliged to argue that the UK “is not remotely a corrupt country”.
This was an unusual step for a British prime minister to take, and begged the question: well, is it?
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Brexit: Labour warns against triggering Article 16
Invoking the post-Brexit clause would be poisonous, says Labour's shadow NI secretary Louise Haigh.
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Somerset care home boss blames Brexit for staff shortage
Director Barry Edwards says EU nationals filled about one in three roles for Maria Care pre-Brexit.
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Coronavirus: Commission approves contract with Valneva to secure a new potential vaccine
The European Commission approved the eighth contract with a pharmaceutical company with a view to purchasing its potential vaccine against COVID-19. The contract with Valneva provides for the possibility for all EU Member States to purchase almost 27 million doses in 2022.
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Main results of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council
Ministers exchanged views on the future of the EU’s economic governance following the COVID-19 pandemic. They discussed the energy price and inflation developments and shared their initial views on the Basel III package.
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Brexit: What's the Northern Ireland Protocol?
The UK could decide to suspend parts of the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, known as the protocol.
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'Serious consequences' if UK suspends post-Brexit deal, warns EU – video
Britain and the EU appear on the brink of a trade war after Brussels accused Boris Johnson of lacking sincerity in negotiations over Northern Ireland’s future. After the latest talks, the EU commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said that despite Brussels’ attempts to find a compromise, 'we have seen no move at all from the UK side'
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Brexit: 'Serious consequences' if Article 16 triggered, warns EU
EC Vice-President Maros Sefcovic says the move would lead to instability in Northern Ireland.
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Will the UK trigger article 16 – and what will happen if it does?
How likely is it that Britain will trigger the Northern Ireland protocol clause, and could it lead to a trade war?
Fears are growing that the UK will trigger article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol, potentially rupturing the already strained relations with the EU. If talks with the EU collapse, it is expected just after Cop26 in seven days’ time.
On Wednesday Ireland’s prime minister heightened concerns that this was almost a racing certainty after his bluntest warning yet to the UK that such a move would be “reckless”, “irresponsible” and have “far-reaching consequences”.
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Off le scale: French-baiting and fish puns show Brexit has reignited old rivalry
Analysis: Most recent fishing wars provide excuse for British media to trade cross-channel insults
The UK’s age-old “frenemy” relationship with France never fails to ignite passion, and no more so than when the frequent fishing wars are thrown into the mix. Post-Brexit, there is undoubtedly added piquancy to the cross-Channel insults.
“After le showdown, now it’s LE SURRENDER”, trumpeted the Daily Mail, after France retreated from threats to clog up exports and ban UK fishers from landing catches on its coast in the latest row over licences.
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Morrisons sorry for 'non-EU salt and pepper' chicken label
The supermarket says it was an "error" to put the description on one of its chickens.
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UK welcomes France's reprieve on fishing row – video
The environment secretary has welcomed France's step back from threats to impose a blockade on British boats and goods in a dispute over post-Brexit fishing licenses. George Eustice denied the UK had acted in any way improperly and said it continued to abide by its obligations. France has been infuriated that some of its small boats are being denied permission to fish in waters around the UK and Channel Islands. 'We had an agreement on fisheries that we all concluded at the end of last year. We've been implementing that in good faith,' Eustice said
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Salty language: why are UK and France fighting over fishing licences?
At the heart of the row is the Brexit deal’s failure to spell out what proof French fishers need to get a permit
Britain and France have been at loggerheads over post-Brexit fishing licences for UK waters since the start of the year. Talks are continuing but both sides have threatened action – and mistranslations have not helped.
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COP26: European Commission announces €1 billion pledge to protect world forests
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced €1 billion at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow as the European Union contribution to the Global Forests Finance Pledge. This 5-year support package from the EU budget will help partner countries to protect, restore and sustainably manage forests worldwide and deliver on the Paris Agreement.
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Liz Truss says France is behaving 'unfairly’ in Brexit fishing row – video
The British foreign secretary criticises the French, accusing Paris of making unreasonable and unwarranted threats and again hinting that President Emmanuel Macron is playing to the crowd, with the forthcoming election in mind. 'The French have behaved unfairly. It’s not within the terms of the trade deal,' she adds. 'And if someone behaves unfairly in a trade deal you’re entitled to take action against them and seek some compensatory measures'
- France has 48 hours to back down in fishing row, warns Liz Truss
- French fishing industry divided over sanctions on UK trawlers
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Brexit: Lord Frost considered resigning over backstop
Lord Frost was an advisor to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson when a preliminary deal was agreed.
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Brexit: UK-EU row over Northern Ireland escalates
Brussels is "increasingly concerned" the UK is embarking on "a path of confrontation" following Brexit.
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NI Protocol: DUP leader denies backtracking on Stormont threat
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says the UK government has taken "decisive action" over the protocol.
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'Two can play at that game': UK threatens retaliation in France fishing row – video
George Eustice, the environment secretary, has said the UK is considering retaliatory measures against French vessels as a row over fishing rights escalates. 'It is always open to us to increase the enforcement we do on French vessels, to board them, if that is what they do to our vessels,' Eustice said.
The UK has summoned France's ambassador in London and put two Royal Navy patrol vessels on a state of 'high readiness' to tackle potential port blockades after France reacted with fury over reduced access to post-Brexit fishing permits. On Thursday, French maritime police seized a British trawler found in its territorial waters without a licence
- Macron’s re-election hopes may be driving Brexit fishing row, says Eustice
- UK summons French ambassador as fishing rights row escalates
- France to use ‘language of force’ in post-Brexit fishing rights row
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Commission strengthens cybersecurity of wireless devices and products
The Commission has taken action to improve the cybersecurity of wireless devices available on the European market. As mobile phones, smart watches, fitness trackers and wireless toys are more and more present in our everyday life, cyber threats pose a growing risk for every consumer.
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European Union 'vanity projects' in Wales attacked by UK minister
Welsh secretary says vast sums of cash were wasted on schemes that failed to tackle poverty.
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Brexit fishing rights: what is row about and what happens next?
The clash between the UK and France over post-Brexit fishing arrangements has gathered pace
For much of the year, British and French ministers have traded threats and accusations over post-Brexit arrangements for fishing waters. But the row now appears to be coming to a head.
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Impact of Brexit on economy 'worse than Covid'
The boss of the UK's forecaster says Brexit will be worse for the economy than Covid.
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Banking Package 2021: new EU rules to strengthen banks' resilience and better prepare for the future
The European Commission has adopted a review of EU banking rules (the Capital Requirements Regulation and the Capital Requirements Directive). These new rules will ensure that EU banks become more resilient to potential future economic shocks, while contributing to Europe's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to climate neutrality.
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State of the Energy Union 2021: Renewables overtake fossil fuels as the EU's main power source
The Commission adopted its State of the Energy Union Reports for 2021, taking stock of the progress that the EU is making in delivering the clean energy transition, nearly two years after the launch of the European Green Deal.
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Main results of the European Council
EU leaders met in Brussels to discuss COVID-19, energy prices, trade and external relations. They also held a debate on the rule of law and discussed migration and the EU’s digital transition.
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Plenary highlights: Poland, Sakharov Prize, climate, food
MEPs said the primacy of EU law must be upheld in Poland, welcomed the EU's new farm to fork strategy and awarded Alexei Navalny the 2021 Sakharov Prize.
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UK agrees free trade deal with New Zealand
The government says consumers and businesses will benefit from deal, but it is unlikely to boost growth.
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Meat factory labour plan 'does not go far enough'
NI's agriculture minister says he has concerns about the ability to recruit workers for the scheme.
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Commission relaunches the review of EU economic governance
The European Commission has adopted a Communication that takes stock of the changed circumstances for economic governance in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis and relaunches the public debate on the review of the EU's economic governance framework.
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Ian Paisley claims Boris Johnson promised to 'tear up' NI Protocol
MP Ian Paisley says Boris Johnson promised to tear up the protocol before signing the Brexit deal.
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Brexit: EU proposes fewer checks on GB-NI goods
The proposals are a "genuine response" to address Brexit trade issues, says the European Commission.
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Šefčovič: EU turning rules 'upside down and inside out' to ease post-Brexit tensions – video
The European Union has turned its rules 'upside down and inside out' to ease post-Brexit tensions, the EU's Brexit commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, said on Wednesday. Referring specifically to a proposal on the transit of medicine between Northern Ireland and the UK, the Slovak commissioner said the EU sought by doing so to 'find a solid solution to an outstanding challenge'. He added that the priority of the EU was to protect the 'hard-earned gains' of the Good Friday agreement
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What is the ‘new model’ the EU is proposing for Northern Ireland?
‘Bespoke Northern Ireland-specific solution’ includes potential new rules on food, plants and medicines
The EU’s latest proposals, described as “a new model” for Northern Ireland, are a significant concession from Brussels. Having ruled out renegotiation of the protocol in July, the EU is proposing a “bespoke Northern Ireland-specific solution”.
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Brexit: Irish deputy PM Leo Varadkar warns nations UK might not keep its word
Leo Varadkar speaks out after Dominic Cummings says the UK had never meant to stick to Brexit deal.
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Energy prices: Commission presents a toolbox of measures to tackle exceptional situation and its impacts
The Commission adopted a Communication on Energy Prices, to tackle the exceptional rise in global energy prices, which is projected to last through the winter, and help Europe's people and businesses.
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Brexit: Lord Frost proposes 'entirely new' NI protocol
The UK's Brexit minister says the existing protocol cannot survive and warns the UK could still trigger Article 16.
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What next for the Northern Ireland protocol?
What is the proposed EU solution – and will it please David Frost?
Within the UK’s Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU, a protocol lays out arrangements that effectively keep Northern Ireland in the single market, drawing a customs border between it and the rest of the UK, with checks on goods passing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
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Brexit: What has the European Court of Justice got to do with the NI Protocol?
The UK government wants the European Court of Justice removed from oversight of the NI Protocol.
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EU-Ukraine summit
The summit reaffirmed the continued commitment to strengthening the political association and economic integration of Ukraine with the European Union, and the European Union's unwavering support to Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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Afghanistan: Commission announces €1 billion Afghan support package
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Commission to provide 60,000 rail passes to young Europeans
The Commission will provide free travel rail passes to 60,000 Europeans aged from 18 to 20 years, thanks to DiscoverEU. Applications open tomorrow, 12 October, at noon and close on 26 October, at noon, for a travel period in 2022, which will be the European Year of Youth.
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Zero pollution: Commission report shows more needs to be done against water pollution from nitrates
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Plenary highlights: energy prices, tax revelations, Arctic
MEPs discussed solutions to the current energy price hikes as well as new tax avoidance revelations during October's first plenary session.
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Main results of the Justice and Home Affairs Council
Ministers held a debate on pre-trial detention, an issue which has an impact on individual freedoms and is also important for mutual trust and mutual recognition. They were also informed about the latest developments regarding the setting up of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO).
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Disability rights: A European Disability Card to harmonise status across the EU
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Use of artificial intelligence by the police: MEPs oppose mass surveillance
To combat discrimination and ensure the right to privacy, MEPs demand strong safeguards when artificial intelligence tools are used in law enforcement.
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Main results of the Environment Council
EU environment ministers met in Luxembourg to exchange views on the Fit for 55 package, prepare the COP26 climate summit and discuss the new EU forest strategy for 2030.
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EU-Western Balkans summit, Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia
During the summit, EU leaders adopted a declaration, with which the Western Balkans leaders have aligned themselves. The declaration reaffirms the EU's unequivocal support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans.
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Commission presents first-ever EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life
The European Commission presented the first-ever EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. With antisemitism worryingly on the rise, in Europe and beyond, the Strategy sets out a series of measures articulated around three pillars: to prevent all forms of antisemitism; to protect and foster Jewish life; and to promote research, education and Holocaust remembrance.
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Main results of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council
Economy and financial affairs ministers discussed the economic recovery, in particular the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the implementation of the SURE instrument and Malta's national recovery and resilience plan. They also continued preparations for international meetings, including the G20, IMFC and COP26.
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Rishi Sunak says Brexit will be worth it for the economy in the long term – video
In his speech to the annual Conservative party conference, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said when he backed Brexit five years ago, he was told his political career would be over before it had begun. He went on to outline why, despite the challenges, he believes Britain's departure from the EU will be positive for the UK
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Main results of the Eurogroup meeting
The Eurogroup discussed macro-economic developments in the euro area, including inflation and energy price developments.
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Commission proposes partial suspension of EU–Belarus Visa Facilitation Agreement for officials of the Belarus regime
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New Pact on Migration and Asylum: reporting on developments and stepping up fight against migrant exploitation
One year on from the adoption of the proposal for a New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the Commission is presenting a Report on Migration and Asylum. The Commission is also adopting a renewed EU action plan against migrant smuggling and a Communication on the application of the Employers Sanctions Directive.
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Commission launches EU missions to tackle major challenges
The Commission launches five new EU missions, a new and innovative way to work together and improve the lives of people in Europe and beyond. EU missions aim to tackle big challenges in health, climate and the environment, and to achieve ambitious and inspiring goals in these areas.
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Main results of the Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry)
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Council adopts a €5 billion Brexit adjustment reserve
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European Health Union: Towards a reform of EU's pharmaceutical legislation
As part of its work to create a future-proof and crisis-resilient regulatory framework for the pharmaceutical sector, the Commission has published a public consultation on the revision of the EU's pharmaceutical legislation. This is the latest step towards an ambitious reform as announced in the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe, adopted in November 2020.
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Main results of the Competitiveness Council (Research)
EU research ministers adopted conclusions on the EU’s global approach to research and innovation and discussed the new European Research Area.
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Merkel's likely successor suggests end of free movement caused UK fuel shortage – video
Olaf Scholz, who is seeking to form a coalition government after the SPD emerged as the biggest party in Germany’s federal elections, said he hoped Boris Johnson would be able to deal with the consequences of the UK’s exit from the EU
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Energy Transition: Commission announces three Energy Compacts at UN High-Level Dialogue in New York
At the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy this week in New York, Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans and Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson presented three Energy Compacts, in partnership with the International Energy Agency and the International Renewable Energy Agency.
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Healthy Lifestyle: Commission launches a European-wide campaign
The Commission launched the HealthyLifestyle4All campaign to promote a healthy lifestyle for all, across generations and social groups, with the objective to improve the health and well-being of Europeans. Linking sport and active lifestyles with health, food and other policies, this two-year campaign involves civil society, non-governmental organisations, national, local and regional authorities and international bodies.
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Pulling the plug on consumer frustration and e-waste: Commission proposes a common charger for electronic devices
The Commission takes an important step against e-waste and consumer inconvenience, caused by the prevalence of different, incompatible chargers for electronic devices. Years of working with industry on a voluntary approach already brought down the number of mobile phone chargers from 30 to 3 within the last decade, but could not deliver a complete solution. The Commission is now putting forward legislation to establish a common charging solution for all relevant devices.
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European Green Deal: Commission launches public consultation for cleaner air
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Europeans strongly support science and technology according to new Eurobarometer survey
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Stepping up legal action: Commission urges 19 Member States to implement EU digital and media laws
The Commission takes legal action against 19 Member States failing to deliver the benefits of EU digital legislation in the area of audio-visual media and telecommunications.
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Agriculture: Launch of an annual EU organic day
Today, the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission celebrate the launch of an annual ‘EU organic day'. The three institutions signed a joint declaration establishing from now on each 23 September as EU organic day. This follows up on the Action Plan for the development of organic production, adopted by the Commission on 25 March 2021, which announced the creation of such a day to raise awareness of organic production.
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Joe Biden warns UK not to damage Northern Ireland peace over Brexit – video
Joe Biden has underlined the importance of ensuring peace in Northern Ireland is not jeopardised by post-Brexit tensions. Asked about a UK-US trade deal, the US president told reporters in Washington on Tuesday: 'There are two separate issues: on the deal with the UK, that continues to be discussed, but on the protocols, I feel very strongly about those. It was a major bipartisan effort made, and I would not at all like to see – nor, I might add, would many of my Republican colleagues – like to see a change in the Irish accords, and the end result having a closed border again'
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SURE: Report confirms instrument's success in protecting jobs and incomes
The Commission has published its second report on the impact of SURE, the €100 billion instrument designed to protect jobs and incomes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.The report finds that SURE has been successful in cushioning the severe socio-economic impact resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. National labour market measures supported by SURE are estimated to have reduced unemployment by almost 1.5 million people in 2020.
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Trade and sustainability: Commission proposes new EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences to promote sustainable development in low-income countries
The Commission has adopted the legislative proposal for the new EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) for the period 2024-2034. The Commission is proposing to improve some of the key features of the scheme to better respond to the evolving needs and challenges of GSP countries as well as reinforce the scheme's social, labour environmental and climate dimension.
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Coronavirus: Commission signs contract for the supply of a monoclonal antibody treatment
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EU and Colombia today open a new chapter to strengthen bilateral relations
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Reviewing EU insurance rules: encouraging insurers to invest in Europe's future
The European Commission has today adopted a comprehensive review of EU insurance rules (known as “Solvency II”) so that insurance companies can scale up long-term investment in Europe's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Commission launches new Erasmus+ app with an integrated European Student Card
Today, the Commission launched the new Erasmus+ application, marking a new milestone in the digitalisation of the Erasmus+ programme. The new application, available in all EU languages, will provide a digital European Student Card to each student, valid all across the European Union. The future is digital, and this renewed app will make sure students are going even more paperless.
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Main results of the General Affairs Council
Ministers assessed the state of play in EU-UK relations, in light of recent events regarding the implementation of the protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland. European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič updated ministers on the latest developments, including his recent visit to Ireland and Northern Ireland, and ministers reiterated their support for the European Commission's approach.
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EU announces additional €119.5 million support to democracy and human rights for 2021
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Joint EU-US Press Release on the Global Methane Pledge
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Plenary highlights: State of the EU, Afghanistan, health
MEPs discussed the state of the EU and the situation in Afghanistan and approved the EU Blue Card reform and a fund to help with the impact of Brexit during September's plenary session.
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Mediterranean and Black Seas: Commission proposes fishing opportunities for 2022
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Team Europe: €34 billion disbursed so far to tackle COVID-19 in partner countries
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European Health Emergency preparedness and Response Authority (HERA): Getting ready for future health emergencies
The European Commission is launching the European Health Emergency preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to health emergencies. HERA will anticipate threats and potential health crises, through intelligence gathering and building the necessary response capacities.
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State of the Union 2021
In her State of the Union address on 15 September 2021, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen outlined flagship initiatives which the Commission plans to undertake in the coming year.
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State of the Union: Commission proposes a Path to the Digital Decade to deliver the EU's digital transformation by 2030
Today, the Commission proposed a Path to the Digital Decade, a concrete plan to achieve the digital transformation of our society and economy by 2030. The proposed Path to the Digital Decade will translate the EUʼs digital ambitions for 2030 into a concrete delivery mechanism.
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State of the Union: Commission calls on Member States to improve journalists' safety across the EU
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New European Bauhaus: new actions and funding to link sustainability to style and inclusion
Today, the Commission adopts a Communication setting out the concept of the New European Bauhaus. This includes a number of policy actions and funding possibilities. The project aims at accelerating the transformation of various economic sectors such as construction and textiles in order to provide access to all citizens to goods that are circular and less carbon intensive.
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European Health Union: better disease prevention and cross-border cooperation
MEPs are ready to negotiate with member states to reinforce the EU’s disease prevention and control framework and jointly tackle cross-border health threats. The proposal to extend the mandate of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was adopted with 598 votes in favour, 84 against and 13 abstentions.
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Same-sex marriages and partnerships should be recognised across the EU
The EU should lift all obstacles facing LGBTIQ people when exercising their basic rights, say MEPs. In a resolution on the rights of LGBTIQ persons in the EU (adopted with 387 votes in favour, 161 against and 123 abstaining), the European Parliament emphasises that these citizens should be able to fully exercise their rights, including the right to free movement, everywhere in the Union.
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NextGenerationEU: Fourth bond issuance maintains strong momentum for EU borrowing for recovery
The European Commission has today raised a further €9 billion to support Europe's recovery from the coronavirus crisis and its consequences, through the fourth NextGenerationEU bond issuance since the start of the programme in mid-June.
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Protocol not the problem says EU amid Northern Ireland border row – video
The EU has pushed back sharply against demands the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol be scrapped, warning that a renegotiation would merely lead to more instability for traders and communities. The European Commission vice-president, Maroš Šefčovič, added: 'A renegotiation of the protocol, as the UK government is suggesting, would mean instability, uncertainty and unpredictability in Northern Ireland'
- DUP may walk out of Stormont power-sharing over Brexit protocol
- The Guardian view on the DUP’s Brexit choice: save the protocol or save Stormont
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Main results of the Eurogroup meeting
The Eurogroup discussed the economic situation and how to manage the uneven impact of COVID-19 in the euro area. Ministers also looked into the corporate solvency and adjustment capacity in the recovery period and were informed by the ECB on the latest steps related to the digital euro project.
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2021 Strategic Foresight Report: Enhancing the EU's long-term capacity and freedom to act
The Commission has adopted its second annual Strategic Foresight Report – “The EU's capacity and freedom to act”. This Communication presents a forward-looking and multidisciplinary perspective on the EU's open strategic autonomy in an increasingly multipolar and contested global order.
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NextGenerationEU: European Commission gearing up for issuing €250 billion of NextGenerationEU green bonds
The European Commission has adopted an independently evaluated Green Bond framework, thus taking a step forward towards the issuance of up to €250 billion green bonds, or 30% of NextGenerationEU's total issuance.
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Brexit: What next for the Northern Ireland Protocol?
NI's economy minister says there will be "real problems" if grace periods expire on 1 October.
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Coronavirus: 70% of the EU adult population fully vaccinated
Today, the EU has reached a crucial milestone with 70% of the adult population now fully vaccinated. In total, over 256 million adults in the EU have now received a full vaccine course.
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Main results of the Justice and Home Affairs Council
Home affairs ministers met to discuss developments in Afghanistan, more specifically in relation to potential implications in the areas of international protection, migration and security. The Council adopted a statement on the matter.
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COVID-19: Council removes 5 countries and one entity/territorial authority from the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted
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G7 meeting on Afghanistan
On 24 August, G7 leaders met via video conference to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and to coordinate international action. Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen represented the EU at the virtual meeting.
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Paul Embery: Pro-Brexit fire union official unfairly sacked, tribunal finds
A tribunal finds Paul Embery was subject to a "witch hunt" after appearing at a Leave Means Leave rally.
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Coronavirus: Commission approves new contract for a potential COVID-19 vaccine with Novavax
The European Commission has approved its seventh Advanced Purchase Agreement (APA) with a pharmaceutical company to ensure access to a potential vaccine against COVID-19 in Q4 of 2021 and in 2022.
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Brexit: Vegetable producer says labour shortage means food is being thrown away
Vegetable producer Alfred G Pearce said it was operating at 70% of its labour capacity.
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Brexit: EU pauses legal action against UK over NI Protocol 'breaches'
The action began in March after the UK made a move to change the implementation of the protocol.
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Brexit: 'Clear opportunities and frictions' in NI Protocol, says Invest NI
There is clarity for firms considering investment in Northern Ireland, says the boss of Invest NI.
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UK has no idea of EU fishing catch in its waters, says Labour
The government says it is trying to get EU boats to declare everything they land in UK waters.
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Brexit: UK wants to redraw Northern Ireland Protocol
Lord Frost says the Northern Ireland Protocol is tearing the UK's "fabric" - but the EU won't renegotiate.
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Brexit minister: UK seeking 'significant change' to Northern Ireland protocol – video
The UK has launched an attempt to substantially rewrite the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol that Boris Johnson signed up to in 2019.
But as the Brexit minister published the UK’s blueprint for an alternative, he stopped short of ripping up the document completely or arguing the time was right to trigger the article 16 provision that enables either the UK or EU to suspend part of the arrangements in extreme circumstances.
'These proposals will require significant change to the Northern Ireland protocol,' David Frost said. 'We do not shy away from that. We believe such change is necessary to deal with the situation we now face'
- UK says it wants to substantially rewrite Northern Ireland Brexit protocol
- Brexit: Labour says government approach to Northern Ireland protocol has been ‘shambolic’
- Why is UK publishing a ‘command paper’ on Northern Ireland protocol?
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UK clashes with EU over Gibraltar's post-Brexit status
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says a draft EU mandate undermines UK sovereignty over the territory.
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2021 Rule of Law: EU report shows positive developments in Member States but also points to serious concerns
The European Commission has published the second EU-wide Report on the Rule of Law with a Communication looking at the situation in the EU as a whole and dedicated country chapters on each Member State.
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Beating financial crime: Commission overhauls anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism rules
The European Commission has presented an ambitious package of legislative proposals to strengthen the EU's anti-money laundering and countering terrorism financing (AML/CFT) rules. The package also includes the proposal for the creation of a new EU authority to fight money laundering.
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Main results of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council
EU agriculture ministers met in Brussels to discuss the EU's organic action plan, agriculture-related trade issues and the Slovenian presidency's priorities for agriculture and fisheries.
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European Green Deal: Commission proposes new strategy to protect and restore EU forests
The European Commission has adopted the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030, a flagship initiative of the European Green Deal that builds on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
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COVID-19 travel restrictions: EU reviews list of third countries
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July infringements package: key decisions
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European Green Deal: Commission proposes transformation of EU economy and society to meet climate ambitions
The European Commission has adopted a package of proposals to make the EU's climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
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Main results of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council
EU economic and finance ministers approved 12 Council decisions on national recovery and resilience plans, exchanged views on the Commission's new sustainable finance proposals, and approved conclusions on in-depth reviews of member states' macroeconomic imbalances.
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Main results of the Eurogroup meeting
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Main results of the Foreign Affairs Council
EU ministers of foreign affairs discussed current affairs and exchanged views on the geopolitics of new digital technologies, Ethiopia and the Strategic Compass. The Council also approved conclusions on a Globally Connected Europe and on the EU's priorities at the 76th General Assembly of the United Nations.
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Plenary highlights: LGBTIQ in Hungary, migration, infrastructure
MEPs criticised new LGBTIQ rules in Hungary, approved funds for migration measures as well as investments for transport, digital and energy projects.
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EU Justice Scoreboard 2021: digital tools help courts and prosecution services mitigate COVID-19 challenges
The European Commission has published the 2021 EU Justice Scoreboard, an annual overview providing comparative data on the efficiency, quality and independence of justice systems in all EU Member States.
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Antitrust: Commission fines car manufacturers €875 million for restricting competition in emission cleaning for new diesel passenger cars
The European Commission has found that Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen group (Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche) breached EU antitrust rules by colluding on technical development in the area of nitrogen oxide cleaning.
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Summer 2021 Economic Forecast: Reopening fuels recovery
The European economy is forecast to rebound faster than previously expected, as activity in the first quarter of the year exceeded expectations and the improved health situation prompted a swifter easing of pandemic control restrictions in the second quarter.
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€30 billion for infrastructure projects connecting EU regions
Parliament has adopted the upgraded Connecting Europe Facility programme and released new funds for transport, digital and energy projects for 2021-2027.
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Commission puts forward new strategy to make the EU's financial system more sustainable and proposes new European Green Bond Standard
The European Commission has adopted a number of measures to increase its level of ambition on sustainable finance.
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Farm to Fork Strategy: 65 companies and associations sign the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices
The Commission, alongside industry stakeholders, has officially launched the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices, another deliverable under the Commission's Farm to Fork Strategy.
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Eastern Partnership: a renewed agenda for recovery, resilience and reform underpinned by an Economic and Investment plan
The European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy have outlined a proposal on how to take forward priorities for cooperation with our Eastern partners in the years to come.
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Checkatrade boss warns of shortage of skilled trade workers
Richard Harpin says it should be made easier for EU bathroom fitters and kitchen installers to come to the UK.
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Brexit: What is a level playing field?
What is a level playing field in trade and what has it got to do with Brexit?
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European Citizens' Initiative: Commission to propose phasing out of cages for farm animals
The Commission has decided to positively respond to the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) “End the Cage Age”, the sixth successful initiative supported by over 1 million citizens across the EU. In its reply, the Commission sets out plans for a legislative proposal by 2023 to prohibit cages for a number of farm animals.
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Long-term vision for rural areas: for stronger, connected, resilient, prosperous EU rural areas
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Consumer protection: Commission revises EU rules on product safety and consumer credit
The European Commission has proposed revisions of two sets of EU rules to enhance consumer rights in a world reshaped by digitalisation and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Main results of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council
At the June Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg, ministers discussed a range of topics including the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, setting a protection goal for bees, fisheries control, the market situation, and the recent extreme weather event in Czechia.
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COVID-19 Therapeutics Strategy: Commission identifies five promising candidate therapeutics
The EU Strategy on COVID-19 Therapeutics delivers its first outcome, with the announcement of the first portfolio of five therapeutics that could soon be available to treat patients across the EU.
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Commission proposes coordinated measures for the safe reopening of the cultural and creative sectors
The Commission has published EU guidelines to ensure the safe resumption of activities in the cultural and creative sectors across the EU. The guidelines aim to provide a coordinated approach in line with the specific national, regional and local conditions.
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Brexit: Can the UK and the EU reach a deal on Northern Ireland?
How might the UK and EU compromise on the Northern Ireland protocol?
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How tampon tax, hedgerows and sanctions have changed since Brexit
Tampon tax, hedgerows and sanctions: what's changed since Brexit?
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Turing Scheme: What is the Erasmus replacement?
What will Brexit mean for students in the UK wanting to work or study abroad?
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Brexit: How much disruption has there been so far?
It has been a month since the rules changed in the UK's relationship with the EU.
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Brexit: What you need to know about the UK leaving the EU
The UK and EU begin a new relationship on 1 January 2021.
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Brexit: How will it affect my holiday to Spain? And other questions
We answer some of your questions about Brexit.
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Brexit: What are the key points of the deal?
These are the most important aspects of the UK-EU deal, and what they mean for people's lives and businesses.
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Article 50, backstop etc: Brexit jargon explained
From free trade agreement to no deal, find out what the key terms mean.
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Brexit: Where are we now?
It's been out of the headlines for the past few months, but Brexit is back on the political menu
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Post-Brexit deal: What's happening in the UK-EU talks?
Both sides will soon have to decide when and how they compromise, or whether they are willing to walk away.
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Brexit: What happens now?
Brexit officially happened on 31 January but the UK is now in a transition period until the end of 2020.
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Brexit trade deal: What do the UK and EU want?
The UK and EU have set out their stalls for negotiations on their future relationship.
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Brexit timeline told through culture
We take you through what's happened in the world since the EU referendum was announced.
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Brexit: How did we get here? The past four years in two minutes
It's been more than three years since the UK voted to leave the European Union but how did we get here?
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Why we lost – and where we go from here
When the history of Brexit is written, the Lib Dems’ decision to let Johnson hold this election will be seen as a key strategic error.
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7 reasons to vote Johnson out
We can kick Johnson out. So brave the elements and vote for the candidates with the best chance of beating the Tories.
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Trump sabotages Brexiters’ last-ditch safety net
Relying on the WTO for our trade was always a terrible idea. Now that the US president has ripped a hole in it, it’s economic suicide.
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With a final tactical voting push, we can beat Johnson
Good news from YouGov poll is Tory lead is shrinking. Bad news is they are still ahead because too many pro-European votes are being wasted.
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Johnson won’t stop the chaos – that’s just propaganda
A Tory victory means more chaos. The only way to end the arguments over Brexit and fix our real problems is to vote them out.
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Tories bully BBC because it’s easily cowed
Johnson yesterday hinted he would axe the licence fee. This had two purposes: cover up his NHS blunder and pummel the BBC into submission.
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At Christmas you tell the truth, but not if you’re Johnson
PM rips off Love Actually in his video but misses out the punch line: “Just because it’s Christmas and at Christmas you tell the truth.”
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Don’t worry about voting tactically for Corbyn. He won’t win
Right-wing press has branded Corbyn unelectable. They are right - he is. Not for the reasons they suggest, but because of simple maths.
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Tory “punch” propaganda backfires
To cover up Johnson’s NHS disaster, Tories fabricate story about Labour activist punching Hancock aide.
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Johnson’s dishonesty and disorganisation on Irish Sea border
Not only is Johnson lying about surrendering to the EU demand for an internal UK border, he isn’t ready to deliver a deal by December 2020.
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Brexit Basics: What is the backstop?
Confused by Brexit jargon? Reality Check unpacks the basics.
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Brexit: Your simple guide to the UK leaving the EU
Feeling a little lost about what's going on with Brexit? Here's our basic guide.
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Brexit video explainers
BBC correspondents on the background, jargon, (and some of the) questions and answers as the UK prepares to leave the EU.
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