All posts tagged: customs union

Zelenskyy rejects Merz proposal for associate EU membership

Zelenskyy rejects Merz proposal for associate EU membership

Published by Sam Flores

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday rejected a German proposal to grant Ukraine associate membership in the EU because it would leave Kyiv without a voice inside the bloc. “There can be no complete European project without Ukraine, and Ukraine’s place in the European Union must also be complete — full and equal,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “It is important to open the clusters” on negotiation areas, he said. “It is important to make meaningful progress in the negotiations. It is important to work at one hundred percent for security and for our people,” Zelenskyy stressed. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested that Ukraine should be granted an “associate member” status in the EU that would come with benefits such as participation in meetings of the European Commission and the European Council. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Thursday appeared to endorse the incremental approach touted by Merz, arguing that EU candidate countries could be granted access to the “single market, customs union, the roaming area, Erasmus and Horizon” programs as steps …

Brexit is already dominating the battle to replace Keir Starmer – POLITICO

Brexit is already dominating the battle to replace Keir Starmer – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Many businesses are saying that it’s been a challenge, that Brexit and the way in which it was implemented has challenged their ability to be competitive to get access to the EU market and therefore we should be addressing those challenges not going back to the old argument [of] are we in or out,” she said. That position hasn’t stopped her blasting Farage over the decision to leave, accusing the Reform UK leader of having promised “the moon on a stick.” She’s also declared that “when we left the European Union people were promised more money into the NHS, your living standards will be better — and the opposite has happened.” Keir Starmer What about the man himself? Starmer’s position on the EU has shifted several times already. Running for leader in 2019, he pledged to defend the free movement of people. Then, in opposition, he made it a red line, along with staying out of the EU’s customs union and single market. Before taking power, he talked about Brexit as little as possible. In office, …

UK must drop ‘red lines’ for real EU reset, Brussels warns – POLITICO

UK must drop ‘red lines’ for real EU reset, Brussels warns – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Moving target The latest round of negotiations, which come almost a decade after the U.K. voted to leave the EU, center around a landmark summit between the two sides set to be held this summer. While July is considered the most likely month, two officials expressed frustration that the date is still unconfirmed and plans have fallen through several times. The European Commission has indicated it is open to making progress on a number of technical issues. “We have a shared interest in a stronger cooperation that delivers for our security, our economies and our citizens,” said a spokesperson. “In view of the next Summit, we are working to conclude the key files of last year’s Common Understanding: an SPS [agricultural standards] agreement, [Emissions Trading System] linkage, and a Youth Experience Scheme, and to advance work on electricity trading,” the Commission spokesperson said. Despite the skepticism, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told POLITICO that the momentum is genuinely in favor of closer ties. | Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images A British government spokesperson said future …

What he said … and what he meant – POLITICO

What he said … and what he meant – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

What he meant: Folks, have you noticed there’s a war on? Kicking me out while there’s such instability in the Middle East might not be the best look. ‘Heart of Europe’  What he said: “The last government was defined by breaking our relationship with Europe. This Labour government will be defined by rebuilding our relationship with Europe, by putting Britain at the heart of Europe, so that we are stronger on the economy, stronger on trade, stronger on defense.” What he meant: I’ve got to talk about Europe because otherwise Wes Streeting (a possible leadership contender) will —  but I can’t really announce anything new without complex negotiations with Brussels. Any time to chat later, Ursula?  What he said: “What I want to do is take a big leap forward with the EU-U.K. summit this year and take us closer, both on trade, the economy, defense and security and that will then be a platform on which we can build as we go forward. And as we do that, I strongly believe we’ve got to turn our back on the arguments of the past, not open old grievances.” What he meant: I’m not ruling out rejoining the customs …

Starmer to bring back 76 EU laws

Starmer to bring back 76 EU laws

Published by Sam Flores

Sir Keir Starmer is set to bring 76 European Union directives back on to the UK statute book as the Government seeks closer alignment to the single market. The Prime Minister will introduce new legislation in the King’s Speech in May to allow Labour to transfer swathes of European regulation covering the agriculture and food sectors. The new bill will pave the way for a sector-wide trade deal with the EU, which would see the UK adopt reams of Brussels red tape covering areas such as food hygiene, organic pet food and even marmalade production. Rachel Reeves set out plans last week to incorporate EU laws in key sectors into British law. Speaking at her Mais economic lecture, the Chancellor said the Government would seek closer alignment in the “national interest”. Certain industries with “unique characteristics or strategic importance for the UK” would remain under British law, she explained, but that would be the “exception, not the norm”. The transfer of Brussels powers back on to the UK statute book will be outlined in the …

Labour wants closer ties with the EU. The result would be disastrous

Labour wants closer ties with the EU. The result would be disastrous

Published by Sam Flores

Labour’s 2024 election manifesto promised that Britain would not rejoin the EU Customs Union or Single Market. People voted Labour on that belief. Yet, it is already clear that these words were never to be relied upon. The Prime Minister and his colleagues are becoming increasingly open about that fact. In his speech at the Munich security conference last month – that is, in carefully considered words, not casual remarks – he said “we must look at where we can move closer to the Single Market”. Rachel Reeves said in the same week that “deeper economic integration is in all of our interests”. Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary, said last week that “having two sides that are aligned, that’s where the magic happens”. David Lammy and Wes Streeting have both told us we should look again at the customs union. They really aren’t hiding it. The words in the manifesto are in fact not a promise but a distraction. They are intended to get us to look the other way while the Government gets on …

Britain told to stop being so ‘secretive’ about its Brexit reset – POLITICO

Britain told to stop being so ‘secretive’ about its Brexit reset – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The government is yet to say exactly which sectors it would prioritize, however — and Starmer has said he wants the U.K.-EU relationship to be “iterative” with new cooperation added on an annual basis at regular summits. Scrutiny The new report also calls for the re-establishment of a dedicated European Scrutiny Committee in the House of Commons, to oversee the Brexit reset and Britain’s wider relationship with the continent. A version of the specialized EU affairs committee had existed since 1972, but it was disestablished by Starmer’s new government in 2024 — with responsibility for the topic passing to Thornberry’s Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as a group of unelected lawmakers in the House of Lords. Thornberry told POLITICO: “The truth is that there are only 11 of us … we had, at one stage, ten reports open, which sounds ridiculous, but then you think about the state of the world, and you think, well, yeah, of course. “We haven’t properly done a study into China yet. And how can we not have done an …

Weak Starmer has been forced into an unthinkable betrayal

Weak Starmer has been forced into an unthinkable betrayal

Published by Sam Flores

After his failure as shadow Brexit secretary to secure a second referendum in 2019, it was little wonder that Sir Keir Starmer lacked any appetite to reopen old wounds five years later. In a speech on the campaign trail in June 2024, just under two weeks before he swept to power, Sir Keir warned any revival of the Brexit debate would only bring “turmoil” and “uncertainty” into politics. But more than 18 months into his turbulent tenure, the now-Prime Minister is facing growing pressure from inside his own ranks to shift his position on Europe. The Labour manifesto of 2024 promised that Britain would stay outside the European Union, before going on to draw three more red lines by stating: “There will be no return to the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement.” Sir Keir pledged in his election manifesto that there would be no return to the single market, but his position may be shifting – Stefan Rousseau/AFP via Getty Images Downing Street insists these red lines are still in place. …

Starmer vows to take UK deeper into EU single market – POLITICO

Starmer vows to take UK deeper into EU single market – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Officials are also wary that the EU-U.K. relationship may come to resemble the worst aspects of the Swiss one, a complicated mess of agreements which is subject to endless renegotiation and widely disliked in Brussels. Chemical attraction The prime minister would not elaborate on which sectors the U.K. should seek agreements with the EU on, stating only that “we’re negotiating with the EU as we go into the next summit.” British officials say that for now they are focused on negotiating the agreements promised at last May’s meeting. One senior business representative in Brussels, granted anonymity because their role does not authorize them to speak publicly, said alignment in sectors including chemicals, cosmetics, and medical devices could be advantageous to businesses on both sides of the English Channel. As well as the agreements on electricity and agriculture, the U.K. and EU last May agreed a security agreement to cooperate more closely on defense, and to link their emissions trading systems to exempt each other from their respective carbon border taxes. They also agreed to establish …

The Labour tribes shaping Britain’s Brexit reset – POLITICO

The Labour tribes shaping Britain’s Brexit reset – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

To Starmer’s left, backbench rebels including Richard Burgon and Dawn Butler backed the push toward a customs union by the opposition Lib Dems. The members of the left-wing Socialist Campaign Group frame their argument around fears Labour will lose voters to other progressive parties, namely the Lib Dems, Greens and SNP, if they fail to show adequate bonds with Europe. Some other, more centrist MPs fear similar. Labour MPs with a military background or in military-heavy seats also want the U.K. and EU to cooperate further. London MP Calvin Bailey, who spent more than two decades in the Royal Air Force, endorsed closer security relations between Britain and France through greater intelligence sharing and possibly permanent infrastructure. Alex Baker, whose Aldershot constituency is known as the home of the British Army, backed British involvement in a global Defense, Security and Resilience Bank, arguing it could be key to a U.K.-EU Defence and Security Pact. The government opted against joining such a scheme.   Parliamentarians keen for young people to bag more traveling rights were buoyed by …