Israel Rafalovich | Last week’s summit was seen as the deadline for the European Union and the United Kingdom agreeing on a deal. Now this date has passed and time is running out, although theoretically there is another chance to reach a deal at the summit in December.
This week the EU summit has been seen as the make or break summit. As the last chance to negotiate an orderly Brexit. It looked like a possibility during this intensive weekend in Brussels and it prompted rumors that a full agreement might be imminent. All of a sudden we were drowning in rumors and assertions, whirl and swirl secret deals being cooked up between the EU and the UK ahead of another crunch EU leaders summit on Wednesday.
Israel Rafalovich (Brussels) | Mr. Draghi urged action through organisations such as the WTO to address variations in tax regimes, take a stand on labour regulations and put in place tougher rules for cross border finance. Mr. Draghi pointed out that in order to accomplish that the EU would have to strengthen it own institutions including setting up a country risk sharing institution for the of the 19-country euro zone.
By Israel Rafalovich (Brussels) | Relaunching his diplomatic agenda after his leadership ambitions suffered a blow when his Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot resigned, French President Emmanuel Macron called for the EU to stop relying on the United States for its military defence. He pushed for a fresh EU integration and announced that in the coming months he will put new proposals to boost EU defence cooperation.
By Israel Rafalovich (Brussels) As Jean-Claude Juncker announced his intention not to seek a second term as European Commission president Germany is entering the race for the job and possibly giving up the backing for Mr. Jens Weidmann, German Bundesbank chief, to succeed Mr. Mario Draghi as president of the European Central Bank (ECB).russels) |
Israel Rafalovich (Brussels) | A rise in Unfair Trade Practices in the EU detailing 46 ongoing investigations for unfair commercial practices in 2017 the EU Commission reported in its annual report.
Israel Rafalovich | During a meeting on Friday in Brussels between the European Commission and the Spanish government both sides decided to continue the dialogue and cooperation on migration and especially in regard to the challenges Spain face because of the increased migration pressure along the Western Mediterranean route.
Israel Rafalovich | French President Emanuel Macron met with two southern allies, Spain and Portugal in his attempt to overhaul the European Union while Spain and Portugal are trying to get French help to connect the countries energy grids to Europe.
Israel Rafalovich | A remarkable summit between the EU and China in Beijing was marked by a turning point in Chinese views of the European Union. The summit unblocked talks about further opening of Chinese and EU market access and investment and speed up negotiations over geographical indications.
Israel Rafalovich | As the European Union embarks on a new round of trade talks voice are heard in the European Commission for the EU to enforce environmental and social clauses in commercial agreements. The French government presented at this year Environmental Council a proposal to add compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement as an essential element of the region trade agreements.