The Nation Newspaper

Tag: EU

  • EU sets out ‘phased’ Brexit strategy

    The European Union has outlined its strategy for Brexit negotiations, suggesting talks on a trade deal could begin once “sufficient progress” is made on a separation settlement with the United Kingdom.

    The draft guidelines, issued by European Council President, Donald Tusk, argued for a “phased approach” in talks.

    The draft will be sent to the 27 member states for approval, the BBC reports.

    It will set the tone for two years of negotiations.

    The UK formally triggered the Brexit process on Wednesday.

    It had called for simultaneous talks on exit terms and future trade ties.

    In a news conference in Malta on Friday, Mr. Tusk said: “Starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time as suggested by some in the UK will not happen.”

    “Only once we have achieved sufficient progress on the withdrawal can we discuss the framework for our future relationship,” he added.

    Talks would be “difficult, complex and sometimes even confrontational,” he predicted, but the EU would not “pursue a punitive approach.”

    UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, formally triggered the Brexit process by sending the Article 50 notification letter to Mr. Tusk on Wednesday.

    The two are to meet in London ahead of an EU summit on Brexit, which will not include her, on April 29.

     

  • British govt sets out Brexit plan to ‘end EU supremacy’

    Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Government set out its plans on Thursday for a “Great Repeal Bill” to incorporate EU law into British law and “end the supremacy of EU lawmakers” after Britain leaves the European Union.

    The government white paper “lays out a pragmatic and principled approach to converting EU law into UK law on the day we leave the EU — giving businesses, workers and investors as much certainty as possible,” Brexit Secretary David Davis told parliament.

    “It also means the negotiation over our future economic partnership with the EU will be unlike any other in history, because we will start from a point of exact equivalence,” Davis said.

    “After that, it will be for parliament to determine what EU legislation it wants to amend, repeal or improve — finally ending the supremacy of EU lawmakers,” he said.

    The white paper was published one day after May formally notified Brussels of Britain’s intention to leave the EU, in a letter triggering two years of Brexit negotiations.

    Ahead of the publication, the library of the House of Commons, parliament’s elected lower house, warned that assimilating EU law into British law was “potentially one of the largest legislative projects ever undertaken in the UK.”

    The parliamentary library estimated that more than 13 per cent of primary and secondary legislation enacted in Britain between 1993 and 2004 is EU related.

    Human rights and trade union groups have raised concerns that some rights could be eroded in the legal transition.

  • British PM signs Brexit letter

    Prime Minister Theresa May has signed the letter that will formally begin the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union.

    Giving official notice under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, it will be delivered to European Council president, Donald Tusk later.

    In a statement in the Commons, the prime minister will then tell MPs this marks “the moment for the country to come together.”

    It follows June’s referendum which resulted in a vote to leave the EU.

    The BBC reports that Mrs. May’s letter will be delivered at 12:20 BST on Wednesday by the British ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow.

    The prime minister, who chaired an hour long cabinet meeting earlier, is set to make a statement to MPs confirming the countdown to the UK’s departure from the EU is under way.

    She will promise to “represent every person in the whole United Kingdom” during the negotiations – including EU nationals, whose status after Brexit has yet to be settled.

    “It is my fierce determination to get the right deal for every single person in this country,” she will say.

    “For, as we face the opportunities ahead of us on this momentous journey, our shared values, interests and ambitions can – and must – bring us together.”

  • EU demands release of Russia protesters

    The European Union has demanded the release “without delay” of hundreds of people detained in protests across Russia on Sunday.

    The U.S state department said protesters should be able to “exercise their rights without fear of retribution.”

    The protesters urged Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to quit over corruption allegations.

    The BBC reports that Russia’s main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who called the protests and was one of those arrested, appeared in court on Monday.

    Mr. Navalny, 40, tweeted from the building: “Hello everyone from Tversky Court. The time will come when we will have them on trial (but honestly).”

    He has yet to go before a judge but is likely to face charges relating to organising banned protests and could be held for 15 days.

    Sunday’s protests drew thousands of protesters nationwide, including in Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, Tomsk and several other cities, as well as Moscow.

    At least 500 protesters were detained. Most of the marches were organised without official permission.

    TV pictures showed demonstrators chanting “Down with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin!”, “Russia without Putin!” and “Putin is a thief!”.

    The marches appear to be the biggest since anti-government demonstrations in 2011 and 2012.

    An EU spokesman said the Russian police action had “prevented the exercise of basic freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly, which are fundamental rights enshrined in the Russian constitution.”

  • Plateau earmarks N1bn for water treatment chemicals

    The Plateau Government has awarded N1 billion contract for the purchase of water treatment chemicals to boost potable water consumption, Mr David Wuyep, the Commissioner for Water Resources and Energy, said.

    The commissioner told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Jos that the purchase of chemicals would sustain the state government’s drive to provide clean water to the public.

    Wuyep said the government would resuscitate the water treatment plants in Shendam, Pankshin and Bokkos local government areas to ensure that residents got clean water for their daily use.

    He noted that the provision of potable water would also guard against waterborne diseases.

    He added that rusty water pipes in Jos and Bukuru areas had been replaced, while asbestos water pipelines had been replaced.

    According to him, the ministry, in collaboration with the EU and UNICEF, drilled 340 hand pumps in Shendam and Riyom local government areas of the state.

    He said additional 250 drilled hand pumps would be inaugurated in other local government areas “to check cholera incidences and waterborne diseases.”

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  • British PM to trigger Brexit process next week

    Prime Minister Theresa May is to officially notify the European Union next Wednesday that the United Kingdom is leaving the body.

    Downing Street said she would write a letter to the European Council, adding that it hoped negotiations on the terms of exit and future relations could then begin as quickly as possible.

    The move comes nine months after a referendum in which the UK voted to leave by a margin of 51.9 per cent to 48.1 per cent, the BBC reports.

    An EU spokesman said the body was “ready and waiting” for the letter.

    Under the Article 50 process, talks on the terms of exit and future relations are not allowed until the UK formally tells the EU it is leaving.

    If all goes according to the two year negotiations allowed for in the official timetable, Brexit should happen in March 2019.

    A No 10 spokesman said the UK’s Ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, informed the European Council, headed by President Donald Tusk, earlier on Monday of the date that Article 50 would be triggered.

    Mrs. May is expected to make a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday shortly after invoking Article 50, setting out her aims.

    A spokesman said the government wants negotiations to start as soon as possible but added that they “fully appreciate it is right that the other 27 EU states have time to agree their position.”

     

  • ‘Increase vegetables export to EU’

    Nigerians have been urged to increase their vegetables exports to reap  from the reported shortage of vegetables in Europe.

    According to a February 8 story in The Wall Street Journal, consumers in northern Europe are seeing extremely limited availability of a number of vegetables. The shortages started in December, when severe flooding and snow hit Spain’s Murcia region along the Mediterranean Sea, damaging crops and preventing farmers from planting. Spain is the primary source of vegetables for the continent during the winter.

    Agriculture and Rural Management Training Institute’s (ARMTI’s) Acting Executive Director Dr. Olufemi Oladunni has urged farmers to take advantage of the situation and export vegetables to Europe.

    He advised them to address quality certification issues that have been a major hindrance food exporters have been facing in the European Union (EU) market.

    He stressed the need to strengthen food export policy with clearly-defined safety standards, traceability norms, soil certification guidelines and good agricultural practices, saying this would boost exports of agricultural products and processed food from the country.

    To avoid rejection, he said vegetables exports should be carried out only by complying with the guidelines issued by the 28-member EU bloc, adding that there should be strict monitoring and in-house certification for the export of perishable goods, and that government officials should inspect farms.

    Oladunni urged the government to support every efforts to increase exports’ competitiveness. To attain an improved export growth trajectory, he urged the government to maximise its strengths and reduce structural bottlenecks to enhance the nation’s competitiveness

    Meanwhile, the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) is striving to get the EU to lift its ban on the export of beans from Nigeria to member-countries. The agency’s Coordinating Director, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, said all hands were on deck to ensure that the EU lifts the ban before 2019.

    He said the EU ban on Nigerian beans had affected the economy, adding thats there was a need to avoid future rejection of Nigeria’s agricultural commodities.

  • EU seeks El-Zakzaky’s unconditional release

    EU seeks El-Zakzaky’s unconditional release

    The European Union (EU) Heads of Mission has condemned the continued detention of leader of the Shi’ites, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, despite court orders.
    The mission, in a statement in Abuja, urged the Federal Government to ensure El-Zakzaky is released in accordance with the ruling of the court or is charged formally.
    The statement reads: “The EU Heads of Mission note that the decision of a Federal High Court, ordering Mr. Ibrahim El-Zakzaky’s release from custody of the State Security Service (SSS) has not been enforced.
    “The EU underlines the universality of fundamental human rights, which includes the right to a fair trial and freedom from arbitrary detention. We find it worrying that Mr. Zakzaky has been detained for more than a year without having been brought to Justice.
    “We, therefore, urge the Nigerian authorities to ensure Mr. Zakzaky is released in accordance with the ruling of the court or is charged formally in accordance with law. He should also face an impartial and balanced trial without further delay.
    “We encourage transparency and believe it is important that findings by past or ongoing investigations into December 2015 violence are published.
    “The EU Heads of Mission are of the view that those responsible for the violence must be prosecuted according to the law and anyone found guilty sentenced accordingly.
    “The right to peaceful assembly, association, and free speech is enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. The EU Heads of Mission remind Nigeria that it is essential to promote religious tolerance and respect religious rights.
    “The EU Heads of Mission will continue to follow the judicial situation of Mr. Zakzaky and his wife closely.”

  • UK envoy to EU resigns

    The United Kingdom’s ambassador to the European Union, Sir Ivan Rogers, has resigned.

    Sir Ivan, appointed to the job by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2013, had been expected to play a key role in Brexit talks expected to start within months, the BBC reports.

    The government said Sir Ivan had quit early so a successor could be in place before negotiations start.

    Last month the BBC reports that he had privately told ministers a UK-EU trade deal might take 10 years to finalise, sparking criticism from some MPs.

    Ministers have said a deal can be done within two years.

    Labour said Sir Ivan’s departure was “deeply worrying” and Prime Minister Theresa May must be prepared to listen to “difficult truths” about the likely complexity of the Brexit process.

  • World Bank, EU to engage 880 youths in Delta

    The World Bank and European Union (EU) says they will engage 880 youths under a public works programme, tagged State Employment and Expenditure for Result (SEEFOR), in collaboration with Delta Government.

    The Delta Coordinator of SEEFOR, Mr Benson Ojoko, disclosed this on Thursday at a one-day orientation programme organised for the first batch of 299 selected youths who are going to participate in the public works projects in Asaba.

    The state coordinator said that the beneficiaries would work in 12 locations of the state where the public works programme would be implemented.

    He explained that the state government in collaboration with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the state Ministry of Works had identified 12 locations in the three senatorial districts of the state where the project would be implemented.

    Ojoko also said that out of the 880 youths to be engaged by SEEFOR, the first batch of 299 beneficiaries would work in four locations in Asaba.

    “Prior to this time, we carried out sensitisation of the traditional institutions, stakeholders in churches that this is the intervention that is coming into the state.

    “The CSOs which we are going to use for this project have also interacted with the community members who are living in the respective locations where the programme is going to be executed.

    And these community members also worked hand in hand with the CSOs in the registration of the youths who registered on the days that were agreed for the exercise.

    “The 299 beneficiaries are going to work in Asaba axis,” he said.

    Ojoko said the beneficiaries would be involved in various road maintenance activities in the 12 locations of the state.

    “Some of the roads need rehabilitation and construction of drains, while some others, it will just be the rehabilitation of an existing roads where you have failed portions,” he added.