BREXIT and beyond ....: Jean-Claude Juncker

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Wednesday, 1 January 2020

Macron crisis: Germany turns screw on French President as top chief launches bitter attack

EMMANUEL MACRON caused “serious damage to European democracy” with his controversial intervention to block Manfred Weber’s bid to become President of the European Commission, the German politician has complained in a bitter rant.

By CIARAN MCGRATH

PUBLISHED: 08:05, Mon, Dec 23, 2019 | UPDATED: 09:44, Mon, Dec 23, 2019

He accused the French president of being in cahoots with Hungary’s right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban to ensure he was thwarted in his ambitions. Mr Weber, who has served as the leader of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament since 2014, announced his candidacy for the role in September 2018, hoping to replace Jean-Claude Juncker, having secured the backing of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

However, his bid was not supported by Mr Macron, who is believed to have campaigned widely against his appointment, and subsequently said there was “no majority for Mr Weber”.

As a result, Mr Weber’s compatriot Ursula von der Leyen got the job, and while said he did not blame her, he made his resentment plain in an interview with the Berliner Morganpost.

Asked who he blamed for his failure to land the EU’s top job, Mr Weber said: “Emmanuel Macron.

Manfred Weber has launched a bitter attack on Emmanuel Macron (Image: AFP)

"Before the European elections, he said that we need the best staff you can imagine - and not a parliamentarian without government experience.

“I think it’s pretty presumptuous. It is not the French President who decides who is eligible for the post. It is the voter alone.

“My party nominated me with a strong vote in Helsinki.

Manfred Weber said he did not blame European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Image: Reuter

“This is more democratic legitimation than many others in the EU Commission. It was an attack on democratic Europe.”

Mr Weber also suggested Mr Macron had worked with Mr Orban to deny him, despite the fact the French President has been a frequent critic of the leader of the right-wing Fidesz Party.

Mr Orban withdrew his support for Mr Weber after the latter pledged not to accept the post of President if his success depended on the support of Fidesz.

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Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Image: AFP)

Ursula von der Leyen is applauded by Manfred Weber (Image: GETTY)

Mr Weber claimed: “Macron has formed an axis in the Council with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

“Together they have caused serious damage to European democracy.”

He also absolved Ms von der Leyen of responsibility, saying: “Ursula von der Leyen loyally supported me in the election campaign - although she was being discussed as someone who would like to make the German commissioner.

Ursula von der Leyen's Commission (Image: Daily Express)

“Macron suggested it and it was accepted as a compromise candidate.

"From that moment on it was clear that she had my full support.

“I want us to be successful now - and to ensure that my campaign promises are implemented: the fight against cancer, the protection of Europe’s external borders, the creation of a European FBI.”

Mr Weber’s latest interview is not the first time he has complained about the process by which he was denied the job.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel touted Mr Weber's candidacy (Image: Reuters)

"In April, in the aftermath of Ms von der Leyen’s nomination, he once more accused Mr Macron and Mr Orban of working together to deny him, saying: “There were backroom talks and late-night sessions in which the Macron and Orban axis prevailed and the Spitzenkandidat system was dismantled.

“This is not the Europe I want and I will continue to fight for the democratisation of the EU.

“Macron said ‘vote for my Europe, not for Orban’s.’ And suddenly they are working together and damaging democratic Europe. Now we are in a shambles.”

European Union

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1220365/emmanuel-macron-manfred-weber-viktor-orban-EU-european-union?

Friday, 27 December 2019

Brexit: EU chief says 2020 trade talks deadline may need to be extended

The deadline for negotiating the UK's future relationship with the EU may need to be extended, the European Commission president has said.

27 December 2019

Boris Johnson has said the post-Brexit transition period will not be extended beyond 31 December 2020.

But Ursula von der Leyen told French newspaper Les Echos both sides needed to think seriously about whether this was enough time to reach an agreement.

She said she was "very worried" about how little time was available.

"It would be reasonable to evaluate the situation mid-year and then, if necessary, agree on extending the transition period," she told the paper.

Last week MPs backed Mr Johnson's plan for the UK to leave the EU on 31 January, which included a new clause prohibiting the government from extending the transition period beyond the end of 2020.

During this 11-month period, the UK will cease to be an EU member but its trading relationship will remain the same and it will continue to follow the EU's rules, such as accepting rulings from the European Court of Justice. It will also continue to contribute to the EU's budget.

The UK will use the time to negotiate a free trade deal as well as other aspects of its future relationship with the EU, including law enforcement, security and access to fishing waters.

Earlier this month, Ms von der Leyen said the timeframe was "extremely short" to discuss not only trade, but also other issues.

If negotiators fail to agree a trade deal by the deadline and no extension is agreed, this would leave the UK trading on World Trade Organization (WTO) terms with the EU, with the likelihood of tariffs on imports and exports.

If other aspects of the future relationship are not ready, they too would have to proceed on no-deal terms.

Ms von der Leyen, a former German defence minister and long-time close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, replaced Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission president earlier this month.

The Commission drafts EU laws, enforces EU rules and has the power to impose fines on member states if necessary.

Meanwhile, the Times reports that the European Commission will warn Britain that access from the City of London to European markets would be jeopardised unless Britain aligns closely with European regulations.

According to the paper, EU chiefs will threaten to block access unless both sides agree on two key issues - equivalence in financial services, meaning the UK's rules on financial regulation are deemed in effect as good as those of the EU, and adequacy, which means Britain's level of data protection is comparable to that of EU law.

Failure to be granted "data adequacy" could inhibit vital EU data being shared with Britain for trade, security and medicine.

The Financial Times quotes a senior European official as saying the UK is at "the end of the queue" for a deal to allow data to continue to flow freely with the EU after Brexit.

Wojciech Wiewiorowski, the EU's new data protection supervisor, told the paper that assessing the UK's data adequacy would be a lengthy process which may fall down the list of priorities in negotiations.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-50928295

Saturday, 23 November 2019

EU’s Juncker Admits Brits ‘Don’t Feel at Home in EU’, Brexit Party Topping Polls

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has admitted that Britain has never felt “at home in the EU” while a poll has put Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party in first place ahead of the European Parliament elections.

VICTORIA FRIEDMAN

2 May 2019

399144 04: Ray Egan poses as a traditional symbol of British patriotism, John Bull, during a demonstration against the euro January 2, 2002 outside the Bank of England in London. The protest, organized by The Campaign for an Independent Britain, insists that Britain must retain its sovereignty by remaining outside …

Mr Juncker lamented Thursday that the British “political elite” are not “passionate about Europe,” telling Hungarian media on Thursday in comments reported by POLITICO, “Over decades of meeting British politicians, my impression has always been that they don’t feel at home in the EU.”

He also complained that “for decades” British politicians had told Britons that the bloc was “about economic interests, not values” — while Brussels has been moving towards greater integration and federalisation underpinned by progressive, globalist “European values” — saying that MPs’ focus on economic interests instead of on inducing the British to love the European superstate resulted in the country’s decision to vote for Brexit.

The acknowledgement that the United Kingdom has always set itself apart from European politics comes as another poll puts the Brexit Party several points in the lead of the establishment parties ahead of European Parliament polls on May 23rd.

A YouGov poll published Thursday revealed the Nigel Farage-led party has 30 per cent of voters’ intention, nine points ahead of Labour at 21 per cent and more than double that of the Tory Party at just 13 per cent.

52 per cent of people who voted Conservative in the 2017 General Election back the Brexit Party as well as 60 per cent of people who voted Leave in the 2016 referendum.

News that criminal MP Fiona Onasanya was ousted by her constituents in a recall petition on Wednesday has also triggered a by-election in Brexit-supporting Peterborough, a seat which Mr Farage said the Brexit Party would be challenging for.

However, the party leader confirmed to The Sun that he would not be running as the Peterborough candidate himself, saying it would be “impossible — I have a national campaign to run!”

The Tories have been falling in the polls ahead of the European Parliament election as a result of Prime Minister Theresa May failing to deliver Brexit on time on March 29th, delaying the country’s exit until October 31st. Consequently, the British have been pulled into the EU-wide poll nearly three years after they voted to leave the bloc.

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https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/05/02/eu-juncker-admits-brits-dont-feel-home-eu-brexit-party-topping-polls/

BREXIT and beyond ....