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Tag: EU

  • BREXIT: Britain, EU begin new era of relations

    BREXIT: Britain, EU begin new era of relations

    Four-and-a-half years after a British referendum on membership in the European Union (EU), Brexit is finally reality after Britain left the single market at the stroke of midnight CET (2300 GMT) on New Year’s Eve.

    Never before had an EU member state filed for divorce.

    The separation took years of messy negotiations before finally, at the last moment, a breakthrough trade deal worth 660 billion pounds (900 billion dollars) was struck on Christmas Eve.

    Writing in the Telegraph newspaper on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it as a “big win for both sides of the Channel.”

    “For us, it means the end of the rancorous bickering about ‘Europe’ that has bedevilled our politics for so long,” he said.

    “It means the end of that uneasy feeling that we were constantly being asked to sign up for the details of a project – a giant federal fusion of states – in which we didn’t really believe and hadn’t really bargained for.”

    But he added that the new deal does not mean Britons “will be less European,” echoing comments his father, Stanley, gave to a French radio station on New Year’s Eve.

    “On the contrary, we will remain the second-biggest contributor to NATO … with our armed services fortified in the recent spending review with the biggest-ever uplift since the Cold War,” he added.

    The pact averts tariffs and quotas on goods, sparing businesses on both sides seismic upheaval.

    As of New Year’s Day, the two closely intertwined partners began a new era in their relations of much looser cooperation, governed mainly by the new Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).

    Freedom of movement to live and work has ended, though short-term travel stays largely visa-free.

    Goods will be more heavily controlled, both at British-EU frontiers and within Britain – at the Irish sea border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

    Businesses on both sides now have to jump through hoops to prove they qualify for tariff exemption. Moreover, key decisions are still to be made deciding the fate of many service sector companies.

    However, the much-feared backlogs of goods at borders due to increased red tape was not immediately visible. Early January is a typically slow moment for freight.

    Over in Folkestone, in the south-eastern county of Kent, Slavi Ivanov Shumeykov was the first driver through the Eurotunnel just after 11 pm on Thursday, the Press Association said.

    John Keefe, the spokesperson for the tunnel’s operator, told dpa that Shumeykov was “so thrilled” to be the first driver through the tunnel.

    “He was returning to Belgium after making a delivery to the UK,” he said.

    Speaking about the traffic this morning, Keefe added it had been “very light” overnight and on Friday.

    “Our customers predicted all the stockpiling before Christmas in preparation for the end of the transition, traffic would be light for the first weeks of January,” he told dpa.

    “The new barcode scanning and numberplate recognition systems [installed for Brexit] showed that they don’t add any time to the journey for a truck through the Channel tunnel.”

    A last-minute deal between Spain and Britain struck on Thursday also allows for continued free movement between Gibraltar and Spain.

    As the first day of the new year progressed, the blocked roads and delays to international transport many had feared also failed to materialize in northern France.

    A spokesperson for the department there told dpa that traffic was flowing smoothly across the channel. French Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune said things were running as well as possible, in comments to French news agency AFP.

    The first ferry carrying lorries reached Calais from Britain on Friday morning, and only three of the 36 were subject to additional checks.

    Calais port chief Jean-Marc Puissesseau told dpa before the turn of the year that traffic should run almost as normal, if customs declarations were complete. Otherwise, additional checks would be carried out if companies failed to complete the paperwork, he said.

  • Post-Brexit bill receives Royal stamp of approval, becomes law

    Post-Brexit bill receives Royal stamp of approval, becomes law

    The post-Brexit trade bill has received the royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II, Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said in the early hours of Thursday, meaning it is now officially law in Britain.

    The legislation, officially called the European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020, sets out the trade rules between Britain and the bloc from Jan. 1.

    On Wednesday, it was presented to British Parliament where elected lawmakers in the House of Commons voted 521 to 73 – a majority of 448 – in support of the deal.

    It then received an unopposed third reading in the House of Lords after nearly eight hours of debate.

    Shortly after the House of Lords result, the Queen gave it her official stamp of approval, officially turning the bill into British law.

    In response to the approval from the House of Lords, Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked lawmakers and peers for passing his post-Brexit trade deal.

    “The destiny of this great country now resides firmly in our hands,” he said.

    “We take on this duty with a sense of purpose and with the interests of the British public at the heart of everything we do.

    “11p.m. on Dec. 31 marks a new beginning in our country’s history and a new relationship with the EU as their biggest ally.

    “This moment is finally upon us and now is the time to seize it,” he added.

    The approval comes after the European Union and Britain signed the post-Brexit deal on Wednesday.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel put their ink on the agreement on Wednesday morning and Johnson followed several hours later at 1600 GMT.

    “It has been a long road. It’s time now to put Brexit behind us. Our future is made in Europe,” von der Leyen said on Twitter after the signing ceremony.

    In a similar vein, Michel hailed the signing of the agreement as the beginning of different trade relations with London.

    “New chapter, new relationship,” Michel said.

    Johnson took a more humorous tone and told reporters: “I know the question you’ll all be asking yourselves is ‘Have I read it?’

    “The answer is yes, and it’s an excellent deal for this country but also for our friends and partners.”

    The 27 EU ambassadors gave their go-ahead for the provisional application on Tuesday afternoon.

    The deal – which provides for zero tariffs and zero quotas between the trading partners – still needs to be ratified by the European Parliament.

    The European Commission proposed a period of provisional application until Feb. 28, but this might be extended if the lawmakers are scheduled to give their approval in March.

  • EU chiefs sign post-Brexit trade deal, Johnson to sign for Britain

    EU chiefs sign post-Brexit trade deal, Johnson to sign for Britain

    The European Union (EU) signed the post-Brexit deal on Wednesday, setting it on the path to be provisionally implemented.

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to sign it for London in the afternoon.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel put their ink on the agreement on Wednesday morning – just a week after the deal had been struck.

    The 27 EU ambassadors gave their go-ahead for the provisional application on Tuesday afternoon.

    The deal – which provides for zero tariffs and zero quotas between the trading partners – still needs to be ratified by the European Parliament.

    The European Commission proposed a period of provisional application until February 28, but this might be extended if the lawmakers are scheduled to give their approval in March.

    Also on Wednesday, the British parliament will vote on whether to accept the deal.

  • Post-Brexit deal to be signed Wednesday after go-ahead by EU members

    Post-Brexit deal to be signed Wednesday after go-ahead by EU members

    The 27 states of the European Union (EU) on Tuesday paved the way for the provisional application of the new post-Brexit trade agreement as of Jan. 1, a commission spokesperson confirmed.

    In a so-called written procedure, none of the EU ambassadors objected to applying the deal provisionally – making it possible for EU chiefs to sign the deal.

    The provisional application of the last-minute deal is necessary because the European Parliament will still have to give the green light next year.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel will sign the draft agreement on Wednesday morning, according to commission spokesperson Dana Spinant.

    According to media reports, the signed papers will then be flown to Britain by the Royal Armed Forces, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson will give his signature.

  • BREAKING: European Union, UK sign BREXIT deal

    BREAKING: European Union, UK sign BREXIT deal

    The agreement will allow for tariff and quota-free trade in goods and services across a range of areas. Crucial for film and TV production is the ease of movement of people and equipment, details of which are expected.

    The structure and negotiation of the deal were held on Wednesday and lasted throughout the night to Thursday and had in presence the U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

    The negotiations saw brinksmanship on both sides with matters seeming to have reached an impasse on more than one occasion, meaning that the U.K would have left with no deal, a scenario that would have been severely damaging to economies on both sides.

    The final sticking point was the question of fisheries, with the U.K. treating it as a sovereignty issue and making it a major factor in discussions. It was a major plank of the Leave campaign in 2016. The EU catches approximately $790 million worth of fish in the hitherto shared waters annually and the U.K. $1.1 billion. Though this is a mere fraction of the $624 billion worth of goods traded annually between the EU and the U.K., the sovereignty issue made it a flashpoint.

    Johnson’s stance was that the EU’s share of fishing in U.K. waters drop by 80% in three years and he finally agreed to a fall of 25% over three and a half years.

    The deal will be fully done when it is approved by the U.K. parliament before the end of the year and a provisional approval by governments of the 27 EU states prior to a ratification by their respective parliaments in the new year.

  • Britain to require passports from EU travellers from 2021

    Britain to require passports from EU travellers from 2021

    Britain’s government on Thursday said travellers from the European Union wanting to enter the country would be required to show their passports as from October 2021.

    Previously, EU citizens were allowed to use identity cards to enter Britain, as is the case in the rest of the 27-member bloc.

    The requirement will be in place from October 2021, according to the British government’s policy paper “The Border Operating Model’’ .

    The new regulation also applies to visitors from Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

    The government argues that identity cards are less secure than passports.

    Britain officially left the EU at the end of January but remains in a transition period until the end of the year, during which little has changed in terms of practical arrangements.

    Britain is set to leave the EU internal market and customs union on Jan. 1, but is yet to close a new trade agreement with the bloc.

    Without an agreement in place, there is a threat of serious disruption for businesses and supply chains.

  • Britain to require passports from EU travellers from 2021

    Britain to require passports from EU travellers from 2021

    Britain’s government on Thursday said travellers from the European Union wanting to enter the country would be required to show their passports as from October 2021.

    Previously, EU citizens were allowed to use identity cards to enter Britain, as is the case in the rest of the 27-member bloc.

    The requirement will be in place from October 2021, according to the British government’s policy paper “The Border Operating Model’’ .

    The new regulation also applies to visitors from Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

    The government argues that identity cards are less secure than passports.

    Britain officially left the EU at the end of January but remains in a transition period until the end of the year, during which little has changed in terms of practical arrangements.

    Britain is set to leave the EU internal market and customs union on Jan. 1, but is yet to close a new trade agreement with the bloc.

    Without an agreement in place, there is a threat of serious disruption for businesses and supply chains.

  • Petition seeking to ban El-Rufai from EU, UK garners 7,000 signatures in 24 hours

    Petition seeking to ban El-Rufai from EU, UK garners 7,000 signatures in 24 hours

    A petition seeking to ban Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai from entering the United Kingdom and European Union (EU) nations has gathered over 7,000 signatures in 24 hours of setting up.

    This is coming after reports that the governor was among those on the list of Nigerian politicians banned by the United States from entering its territory.

    The petition, which was initiated by a former Presidential aide, Reno Omokri, on Tuesday, was addressed to the UK Parliament, the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson; Council of the European Union and the European Parliament.

    Checks on Change.Org showed that the petition had hit 7,000 as of 11.15 am on Wednesday.

    Omokri, who initiated the petition, accused El-Rufai of being a threat to the peace and security of Nigeria for many reasons.

    He noted that on December 3, 2016, the governor admitted that he paid herdsmen who had been accused of killing several persons.

    “Since that admission, there has been an intense escalation of the killings of mostly Christians in Kaduna, and on August 25, 2020, suspected herdsmen abducted seven schoolchildren and their teacher from Prince Academy, in Kaduna. They have not been seen or heard of since then,” Omokri said.

    Omokri, who was a social media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, said el-Rufai on January 27, 2013, insulted Jesus Christ on Twitter

    The petition further read, “On February 6, 2019, he threatened foreign observers, including observers from the EU and UK with death, warning that they would return in body bags should they intervene in Nigeria.

    “On July 15, 2012, Nasir El-Rufai said, and I quote ‘We will write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes.’ This threat has been carried out in Southern Kaduna where there is an ongoing genocide of Christians under el-Rufai’s watch.”

    Omokri said on August 23, 2019, the governor charged the Anglican Bishop of Zaria province of Kaduna, Abiodun Ogunyemi, for defamation.

    “On April 24, 2019, another of his sons, Bashir el-Rufai, described the pogrom against Igbos as sweet.

    “It is for this reason that Nigerian citizens call on the government of the United Kingdom and the European Union Presidency to follow the lead of the United States and place a visa ban on Nasir El-Rufai, who is scheming to become Nigeria’s President, to prevent a Rwandan style genocide in Nigeria,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Government is yet to respond to the latest development.

  • International flight: Nigeria vows to retaliate EU, other countries’ ban

    International flight: Nigeria vows to retaliate EU, other countries’ ban

    Ahead of the August 29 restart of international flights, the Federal Government has pegged the number of inbound passengers at 1280, Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 Control briefing on Thursday.

    According to the PTF, the 1280 passengers are those that will be allowed to fly into two airports authorised to operate international flights for now – the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja.

    The Task Force also said it will ban countries that have banned Nigeria and its residence from flying into it.

    It, however, disclosed that a decision has not been taken on the amount to be paid by international passengers for COVID-19 test upon arrival.

    Sirika, who was represented by the Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Captain Musa Nuhu, said: “Since the announcement of the resumption of international flight from 29th August was made, we have ramped up preparations. We have been preparing and we are almost there, a few logistics to be resolved within the next few days.

    “We are going to start partially with Lagos and Abuja airports and we are going to restrict the number of passengers coming in initially to about 1280 both to Lagos and Abuja airport while other logistics are being put in place before we ramp the number of passengers that will be allowed to come in.

    “So, we are working on the logistics and the process on how to determine which flights will be allowed to come and that should be done by tomorrow and hopefully, by Monday we will get everything in place.”

    On the ban placed on Nigerians from flying into certain countries, the minister said: “There are certain countries that have placed a ban on Nigeria and its residents from going to their countries; in this process, we are going to determine who and who will be allowed to fly into Nigeria and the principle of reciprocity will be applied.

    “The conditions you give Nigerians who travel to your country will be applied. If you ban us from coming to your country, the same will apply the other way.

    “We are working on the comprehensive list but the list that is out is when the European Union (EU) opened their borders effective July 1, Nigeria was one of the 54 countries that were not allowed to enter EU.

    “By my understanding, they said as the situation changes, they will look at it and change it but so far, we don’t have any contrary information to that first list where Nigeria is banned and not allowed entry into the EU but we are also looking at other countries and as we open our airspace, we are going to apply the issue of reciprocity to those countries.”

    On efforts made to ensure smooth operation when flight resumes, he said: “We had a meeting with foreign airlines yesterday via zoom and we gave them our requirements on the resumption of flights and for those who will ultimately be allowed to resume flight operations to Nigeria and so far, we have gotten a positive response from quite a number of them in meeting our requirements.

    “So, we are almost finished discussing with the health authorities on the protocols for people coming in on the test of COVID-19 and hopefully by the close of work tomorrow, everything will be ready and the information will be officially given to all the airlines on the requirements for people to come into Nigeria.”

    The minister spoke on what will happen to flight crew members on arrival, whether they will be quarantined or not.

    He said: “The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) does not recommend quarantine of crew. What we have in place is that the crew goes to the hotel, they stay in their hotel rooms and they isolate from mixing and whenever they are ready, they go to the airports and they jump into the plane and go.

    “Most of the crew stay in Nigeria for just a day and some airlines and countries demand that the crew have a COVID test before they fly and they are also required to provide their health information.”

    On the amount to be paid for the COVID-19 test after eight days on arrival by international passengers, the National Coordinator, Dr. Sani Aliyu said: “We are still working on the platforms and as soon as that is available, it will probably be a competitive process and hopefully, that will reduce the cost for passengers.”

  • Beirut explosion: China, UK, EU, US, Qatar pledge €252m aid to Lebanon

    Beirut explosion: China, UK, EU, US, Qatar pledge €252m aid to Lebanon

    Britain, Qatar, the United States, the European Union, China, the World Bank have pledged immediate humanitarian relief worth over 252 million euros (297.08 million U.S. dollars) to Lebanon.

    Beirut, the Lebanese capital was rocked last week by two huge explosions that have claimed at least 158 lives and injured 6,000 others.

    The aid pledge followed a UN-backed virtual conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

    The donors thereafter issued a joint statement, pledging solidarity with and support for the Lebanese people.

    “The participants agreed that their assistance should be timely, sufficient and consistent with the needs of the Lebanese people, well-coordinated under the leadership of the United Nations, and directly delivered to the Lebanese population, with utmost efficiency and transparency,” said the statement.

    “To help Lebanon overcome the tragedy and recover better, we will need all hands on deck,” UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the conference.

    Noting that the devastating Beirut port blast will have “deep social and economic impacts,” Mohammed called for a focus on the support of “four priority sectors — health, food, the rehabilitation of buildings and the rehabilitation of schools.”

    “The Lebanese people deserve a stable and secure future,” the UN deputy chief said, adding that “with determination and solidarity, we can help them reach that long-sought goal.”

    Calling for quick reconstruction support at the conference, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said “we have great needs at the moment and we must meet them quickly before the winter as citizens will suffer a lot without shelters during the cold weather.”

    “The earthquake struck us while we are in the midst of economic and financial crisis, in addition to the existence of over 1 million refugees in Lebanon and the repercussions of COVID-19. Dealing with all these is way beyond the capacity of Lebanon,” Aoun added.

    A dozen of countries and international organizations have expressed solidarity and sympathy with Lebanon over the deadly explosions, with medical supplies and foodstuff to the Middle East country.

    The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Friday that it is mobilizing assistance to support its staff and refugees affected by the deadly blasts.

    “We are making available our stocks of shelter kits in the country, plastic sheets, rub halls, and tens of thousands of other core relief items including blankets and mattresses for immediate distribution and use. Additional stockpiles in the region will come in reinforcement,” the UNHCR said in a statement.

    Lebanon has received field hospitals from a number of countries in the past few days, including France, Jordan, Russia and Qatar, to aid in the treatment of injured people and COVID-19 patients.

    The blasts hit the Port of Beirut at around 6:10 p.m. local time (1610 GMT) on Tuesday, causing massive casualties and costing the city 3 billion to 5 billion dollars in property losses.

    The causes of the blasts remain unknown and an investigation is underway, but Interior Minister Mohammad Fahmi said the 2,700 tons of explosive chemicals stored at Port of Beirut may have led to the explosions.

    Lebanese Environment Minister Demianos Kattar and Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad on Sunday submitted their resignations following the blasts, local media reported.

    A number of members of parliament also presented their resignations a day earlier due to the explosions.