Juncker warns Turkey it CANNOT join the EU in its current state but REFUSES to scrap talks

TURKEY cannot join the European Union (EU) in its current state, Brussels chief Jean-Claude Juncker has said in a furious outburst.

By KATIE MANSFIELD AND MONIKA PALLENBERG

PUBLISHED: 02:33, Fri, Aug 5, 2016 | UPDATED: 08:01, Fri, Aug 5, 2016

REUTERS/ GETTY

Jean-Claude Juncker said Turkey cannot join the EU in its current state

The EU boss said in the wake of the failed military coup and President Erdogan’s current purge Turkey is in no position to consider joining the bloc. 

But despite the outburst Mr Juncker said it would be “unwise” to freeze negotiations with Ankara, a move which could lead the EU-Turkey migrant deal to implode. 

The EU sealed the controversial deal in March, in a plan to halt migrants travelling to Europe in return for visa-free travel for Turkish people.

Mr Juncker said: "Turkey, in the state it is currently in, cannot become a member of the European Union and certainly not if it reintroduces the death penalty as some are demanding."

"I don't think it would be helpful if we would unilaterally tell Turkey that the negotiations are over."

Concerns have been raised that if talks fail Turkey could simply open its Western border and allow millions of asylum seekers currently in Turkish camps to enter Europe.

As many as 8,000 migrants a week arrived in Greece in March but numbers have stabilised to around 495 a week since the EU-Turkey deal was struck, according to figures by the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees.

But there has been an increase in migrants trying to reach Italy. 

Recently Turkish officials have threatened to scrap the deal claiming Ankara is yet to receive the £6 billion in aid promised as part of the agreement.

ANADOLU

President Erdogan's government has rounded up more than 60,000 people since the coup

REUTERS

294 people were killed in the failed military coup last month

Political commentator Thorsten Denkler wrote in German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung: “If the agreement bursts, will the thousands of refugees from Turkey make their way back to Europe? 

“At present, the message to the more than three million refugees in Turkey is clear: The irregular road to the EU is virtually hopeless. 

“Those who try to reach the beach of a Greek island by boat are risking their life - and also have to expect to then be returned. The money that smugglers take from the fugitives would have been spent in vain. For the vast majority this is too high a price. 

ANADOLU

Migrants have tried to reach Italy and Greece by boat

“This message is the psychological core of the deal. And although Greece has only sent back 498 people since the beginning of the agreement, and actually hasn't sent anyone back since June 16, it seems to work.”

Mr Denkler claims the number of migrants heading to Greece will increase if the EU-Turkey deal fails, forcing Brussels to take control of the crisis. 

He said: "The number of refugees heading out to Greece will probably increase though. Then the EU would be required to not leave Greece alone with the problems. 

“They should also be better distributed. That, however, seems utopian. The EU is too divided to agree on a solution here.

“For the refugees in Turkey and Greece, who are desperate to get to central and northern Europe, there is currently only one way: they have to take high risks. The new half way point is Italy.

“Some are already trying to reach Greece by boat from Greece or to go directly from Turkey to Italy. Since the EU-Turkey deal, the number of refugees who have attempted this every this month has almost doubled. In April it was about 9,000 people. Then, the number rose to more than 19,000. 

“For German Chancellor Angela Merkel the bursting of the deal with Turkey would be a bitter personal defeat. She decided, despite a lot of criticism from within the party as well as from the opposition, for a deal with the unloved Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an - to ultimately save the free movement within the EU. 

“The deal has also covered up conflicts within the EU. However they are not resolved. They would also immediately resurface if the deal falls through.”

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/696763/Juncker-warns-Turkey-cannot-join-EU-current-state-refuses-scrap-talks?

Don't forget England in the Brexit process

Brexit is a Union matter and has to proceed as such. Other matters like the financial settlement within the UK are as much English as Scottish issues. England still needs more recognition in our democratic structure, and Scottish separatism hasn't been boosted by Brexit anyway

John Redwood MP

On 4 August 2016 06:05

This flag needs recognition too

The  arrival of a new Prime Minister in office has reminded us of how complicated our constitution has become in recent years. Theresa May has had to go to visit the First Minister of Scotland, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, the Prime Minister of the Irish Republic, the President of France and the Chancellor of Germany to discuss vital matters of UK national interest as well as of wider significance.

In “The Death of Britain?” book I wrote I explained how too much devolution at home would be destabilising to the Union it was meant to sustain, and how too much transfer of power to the EU would damage UK democracy and lead to more popular disillusion with government and politics.

The rise and rise of the SNP in Scotland has underlined the first argument, with the arrival of almost a full slate of MPs in Westminster from Scotland wedded to independence.

They will look to use any opportunity to make the case for independence, and see in the relationship with the EU one of the routes to adopt. The outcome of the referendum has underlined my second argument.

In all of the changes, England was deliberately left out. England had no matching First Minister or formal political identity as Scotland enjoys. England was left off the maps of the EU, seen as a target for break up into regions that in many cases attracted little loyalty or support.

The  public voted down the idea of elected regional government in the North East, the one Labour dominated area at the time where the Labour government thought it would be supported.

As  the new government pilots its way through Brexit and seeks to reassure all those of the current devolution settlement, it also needs to heed the voices of England.

Scotland makes a lot of its wish to stay in the EU by a majority. Latest polls however, show no overall change in support for the union of the UK after the Brexit vote, to the disappointment of the SNP.

England does not have a First Minister to remind the government that England by a convincing margin voted to leave the EU. Brexit is a Union matter and has to proceed as such. Other matters like the financial settlement within the UK are as much English as Scottish issues.

England still needs more recognition in our democratic structure.

http://www.thecommentator.com/article/6385/don_t_forget_england_in_the_brexit_process

Here's why parts of London's prime rental market have been boosted by Brexit vote

Data released today suggests that there are sections of the prime rental market in central London that have benefited from Brexit.

Wednesday 3 August 2016 3:02pm
Helen Cahill

I report on retail and property for City A.M. I have covered the investigation into BHS and London's housing crisis.

Kensington and Chelsea has performed well despite Brexit uncertainty (Source: Getty)

According to data from London estate agents Portico, rent prices for two-bed properties in Kensington and Chelsea have gone up by 0.4 per cent from May to July. The average rental price for a two-bed in the west London borough is now £3,989.

Read more: Sales of prime central London properties are now lower than they were in 2008

Rental prices in Westminster have performed particularly well, increasing by 1.7 per cent.

Robert Nichols, managing director at Portico, said: "Caution in the sales market has pushed demand into the prime rental market, and as such we have seen rental prices rise over the past few months.

"We expect the market to remain stable throughout the summer months, but whether rental prices will continue to rise will depend on the economic consequences of Brexit."

Read more: Mapped: First-time buyer house prices in every London borough

Other boroughs where rents have grown from May to July include Camden, where rents have increased by 3.3 per cent, Tower Hamlets, with rents increasing by 1.2 per cent and Newham, where rents have increased by 2.6 per cent.

Nichols said: "Outside prime central London, the rental market has remained stable, with tenants still keen to snap up properties in hotspot areas created by infrastructure projects like Crossrail and Crossrail 2, such as Tower Hamlets, Newham, Haringey, Hillingdon and Waltham Forest."

http://www.cityam.com/246789/heres-why-parts-londons-prime-rental-market-have-been

Are you getting a Brexit bargain? Buyers are asking 10 per cent off house prices in London

Buyers looking for prime central London properties are typically asking for discounts of 10 per cent or more, according to estate agent Knight Frank.

Wednesday 3 August 2016 4:09pm
Helen Cahill

I report on retail and property for City A.M. I have covered the investigation into BHS and London's housing crisis.

Everyone is looking for a bargain in the housing market (Source: Getty)

Buyers looking for prime central London properties are typically asking for discounts of 10 per cent or more, according to estate agent Knight Frank.

A report on home sales from the company showed Brexit has triggered sellers to make "overdue reductions" to the asking price of their properties, with prices contracting by 1.5 per cent in July year-on-year.

Knight Frank said: "It is too soon to say what impact Brexit will have on pricing but, in many cases, reductions reflect what would have been an appropriate price before the referendum."

Read more: Mapped: First-time buyer house prices in every London borough

The number of rental transactions in prime central London increased since the Brexit vote - but values have fallen.

Knight Frank said the number of tenancies agreed in the three months to June rose three per cent compared to the same period last year, and viewings were up 15.8 per cent.

However, annual rental prices contracted 3.6 per cent in the year to July, due to higher levels of stock in the capital.

Read more: Rent on the finest properties in the Home Counties has fallen due to over-supply

This reflected trends Knight Frank has observed in prime rents in the Home Counties.

Tim Hyatt, head of lettings at Knight Frank, said: "The current lettings market in prime central London is encouragingly stable. We saw a spike in new instructions in the aftermath of the referendum vote, although the number of new applicants registering is slightly down creating an imbalance of supply and demand.

"From a transaction perspective, the level of new deals has remained strong. In particular, the number of corporate enquiries was encouragingly positive as it was dramatically up on last year, highlighting that confidence in London as a capital of choice remains strong."

http://www.cityam.com/246797/you-getting-brexit-bargain-buyers-asking-10-per-cent-off

Brexit vote reminds us of existing concerns

The full consequences of the UK's vote to leave the European Union are not yet known. Advocates of a painless Brexit can point to data that refutes the worst fears put about by a panicking Remain campaign.

Wednesday 3 August 2016 6:00am

Christian May

Christian May is the editor of City A.M. 

It's still too far too soon to settle on an accurate picture of Britain's post-referendum economic landscape (Source: Getty)

But those looking for evidence to demonstrate that those fears weren't baseless have plenty to go on, too. In other words, it's still too far too soon to settle on an accurate picture of Britain's post-referendum long-term economic landscape. What we can do, however, is remind ourselves of the problems that existed before the vote and agree that the referendum result has brought them into sharp focus.

That's exactly what industry group TheCityUK has done with its latest publication, analysing the challenges and opportunities facing the UK's financial and related professional services. This is a sector that employs over two million people and accounts for 12 per cent of the UK's economic output. It's the UK's biggest single generator of tax revenues and supports a workforce that stretches across the country.

Read more: Bremainer and Brexiteer team up to bolster British businesses

TheCityUK's chairman, John McFarlane, says the report focuses “on the structural industry challenges that remain relevant despite the Brexit decision”.

Chief among the issues identified is the need for this sector to connect globally. This was true before the referendum and it's true now. This means ensuring that global talent can be attracted while building links with emerging markets and strengthening expertise in specialist areas such as capital markets and Islamic finance. It also means working to keep UK financial and professional services at the cutting edge of innovation, leading research into cyber, blockchain technology and cognitive analytics while incentivising investment and venture capital activity.

Read more: Brexit doom-mongers are wrong: London house prices aren't going to crash

Perhaps TheCityUK’s toughest demand is that the UK maintains access to the EU's Single Market. The early signs are that May's team of Brexit ministers are less wedded to this as a priority. But if they’re to make a success of their plans (whatever shape they may take) they should listen to groups such as TheCityUK, who are committed to promoting the interests of our vital financial and professional services industry and, therefore, the wider interests of the British economy.

City A.M.'s opinion pages are a place for thought-provoking views and debate. These views are not necessarily shared by City A.M.

http://www.cityam.com/246752/brexit-vote-reminds-us-existing-concerns