European Union

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An ambitious free trade deal between the United Kingdom and China is on the cards. Britain’s new finance minister has started discussions with China that could ease access for major Chinese banks and businesses to the UK economy.

In an interview with the BBC, Chancellor Philip Hammond said it was time to explore “new opportunities” across the world, including with China, one of the UK’s biggest inward investors. China invested over $5bn (£3.8bn) in the UK in 2014.

“What we now need to do is get on with it in a way that minimises the economic impact on the UK economy in the short term and maximises the benefit in the long-term,” Hammond said, admitting that there had been “global disappointment” about the Brexit vote.

Earlier this month, the Chinese state media reported that the Chinese ministry of commerce wants to do a UK free trade deal. Hammond has now revealed that Britain is also keen.

And in return for greater access to the UK for its manufactured products and investment, China would reduce barriers to Britain’s service industries like banking and insurance as well as UK goods, reported the BBC.

“The mood music that I have heard here is very much that this will mean more opportunity for countries like China that are outside the European Union to do business with Britain,” Hammond said at the end of a G20 summit in China. “And as Britain leaves the European Union and is not bound by the rules of the European Union perhaps it will be easier to do deals with Britain in the future.”

In a separate report, the Telegraph noted Hammond’s warning to European leaders. He said they must respond “positively” to Brexit negotiations or they will risk years of damaging economic uncertainty.

“I think what will start to reduce uncertainty is when we will set out more clearly the kind of arrangement we envisage going forward with the EU,” explained Hammond. “If our EU partners respond to such a vision positively, obviously it will be subject to negotiation, but positively, so that there is a sense later this year that we’re all on the same page where we expect to be going. I think that will send a reassuring signal to the business community and to markets.”

The post UK keen to strike free trade deal with China appeared first on New Europe.

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Hüseyin Özgürgün, the leader of the Turkish-Cypriots is scheduled to visit Ankara to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım.

As reported by Famagusta Gazette, Turkey’s top envoy in the unrecognised Turkish-occupied state in northern part of Cyprus, Derya Kanbay, said that the break-away areas are not affected by the State of Emergency in Turkey, but media reports suggest a trustee will take over at three universities and two colleges “as a precaution”.

The FETO organisation, which is linked to cleric Fethullah Gulen, has been added to a list of terror organisations in the occupied territories of north Cyprus, he said. A special task force has also reportedly arrived in the north from Turkey to determine if the military in Cyprus have any links to the failed coup.

Turkey maintains more than 35,000 troops in the northern part of Cyprus.

The post Gulen group banned in north Cyprus appeared first on New Europe.

The offices have cleared, the traffic is calm, the sun is (supposed) to be out. Brussels is tranquil. But it belies a precarious week for the poor souls still left in town. There are still some delicate issues to deal with.

Italian banks are top of the list. Stress tests results will be released on Friday and a fix for the troubled Monte dei Paschi di Siena is still to be found. Matteo Renzi will be more fidgety than ever.

Germany and France are grappling with the aftermath of attacks – Germany faced an apparent suicide bombing last night, its fourth violent incident in a week – which are as unnerving as they are different.

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In an audio recording posted online, Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has called on the global militant network to take Western hostages and exchange them for jailed jihadists.

The monitoring service SITE Intelligence Group quoted Zawahiri as saying that Westerners should be kidnapped “until they liberate the last Muslim male prisoner and last Muslim female prisoner in the prisons of the Crusaders, apostates, and enemies of Islam”.

As reported by the Reuters news agency, the authenticity of the recording cannot be verified. Zawahiri is believed to be seeking refuge in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area that is the Taliban’s base.

The post Al Qaeda chief calls on militants to kidnap Westerners appeared first on New Europe.

General : Words will only get you so far, sometimes you need images to convey the full picture. For this article we go easy on the text and let our photos do the talking. Take a look at our favourite pictures of the year so far in our photo gallery and discover how you can find many more of them online.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Words will only get you so far, sometimes you need images to convey the full picture. For this article we go easy on the text and let our photos do the talking. Take a look at our favourite pictures of the year so far in our photo gallery and discover how you can find many more of them online.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 18 - Draft opinion on the General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2017 - all sections
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

A delegation of Members of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Security and Defence and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by Anna Fotyga (ECR, PL), Chair of the Subcommittee, travelled to Mali on 19-20 July. The delegation included Mr David McAllister (EPP, DE), Mr Bogdan Zdrojewski (EPP,PL), Mr Gilles Pargneaux (S&D, FR), Mr Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar (S&D, ES), Mr Ryszard Czarnecki (ECR, PL), and Mr Javier Nart (ALDE, ES).

The Members express their deepest condolences to the Malian people and the families of the Malian soldiers who lost their lives during the terrorist attack that took place yesterday, 19 July in Nampala, in the central region of the country.

The delegation was visiting Bamako in order to discuss with the Malian political authorities concerned with foreign, security and defence matters and with related cooperation with the EU, to visit the EU missions on the ground and their international partner missions.

The Delegation of Members travelled to the Koulikoro Training Centre of the EUTM Mali and saw the important work that the EU mission carries out there. The Members were particularly impressed to see the first joint training of the Liaison Officers of from the G5 countries. This is in the framework of the enhancing of cooperation in the Sahel region.

The Members also expressed their high regard for the work and professionalism of both EU Missions' ability to coordinate work with MINSUMA.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The Republican presidential candidate Trump would only assist the Baltic states in the event of a Russian attack if they fulfil their obligations vis-à-vis Nato. This statement made in an interview throws six decades of US alliance policies out the window, according to a few commentators. For others, Trump is merely repeating the usual US criticism of European military reticence.

Following the failed coup and thousands of arrests and suspensions President Erdoğan has proclaimed a state of emergency, meaning even more basic rights are being curtailed. Turkey is turning into a dictatorship, commentators fear. Others hold out hope that Erdoğan may yet return to the moderate style of goverment he used in the past.