EU

EU and UK reach post Brexit deal on Britain’s financial services firms – reports

The U.K. and EU struck a tentative deal that would give Britain’s financial services firms continued access to European markets after Brexit, the Times reported Thursday citing anonymous government sources. British and EU negotiators…

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A no-deal Brexit would have a price tag of £30 billion over the next five years – NIESR

The impact of Brexit on next week’s UK budget has been spelled out by one of Britain’s leading economic forecasters, with the difference between a soft and no-deal outcome worth £30bn over the next…

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Putin and Conte say EU sanctions against Russia must come to an end

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday that EU sanctions against Russia had to come to an end, but declined to say if his government was ready to veto…

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European Parliament votes for extensive ban on single-use plastics

The European Parliament has voted for to implement an extensive ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution entering the world’s oceans. Products including plastic plates, cutlery, straws and cotton buds…

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Europe Explained – European Commission’s position on Italian budget

The Commission has issued an opinion on the Italian draft budgetary plan for 2019. It requests that Italy presents a revised draft budgetary plan as soon as possible, and in…

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EU ready to amend Northern Ireland clause to break Brexit impasse (FT) – Updated

The Financial Times reports that the EU is offering to remove the most contentious phrase from its Brexit plans for Northern Ireland in a bid to break the deadlock in negotiations…

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Brexit agreement negotiations enters into extra time

The awaited EU summit ended with no final agreement, but neither a final disagreement. The following presents how the various media outlets have reported the outcome of the summit, the…

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US-EU trade gets in Mid-Term electoral narrative and ‘fragile’ peace deal on trade seems to be at a breaking point

Europe’s fragile peace deal with the U.S. on trade is at a breaking point. Washington is again threatening high tariffs on Europe’s all-important car industry just as U.S. President Donald…

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EU Council Summit – Brexit Update

With negotiations over Britain’s withdrawal from the EU at an impasse, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May arrived at what was supposed to be a climactic EU leaders’ summit with no new…

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Mixed optimism feelings ahead of Brexit Summit starting today

Ahead of a Brexit summit on Wednesday, the EU has urged the UK to make "concrete proposals" to break a stalemate in negotiations. German Chancellor Angela Merkel compared any solution…

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On Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder anniversary the EU Commission appeals for a pause and think about one’s right to speak freely

"Today marks one year since the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Today, we honour the hard work and relentlessness of Daphne, of Jan Kuciak and many other journalists who sacrifice…

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Let’s not give up (on Brexit) – Donald Tusk

The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk wrote a letter to the leaders of the countries in the EU ahead of this week's summit. In his letter he said that…

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EU unveils framework to allow sanctions against use of chemical weapons

The European Union on Monday unveiled a legal framework to allow sanctions against the use of chemical weapons. The new framework could see restrictions placed on Russia over the poisoning…

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Italian Government submits budgetary plan by midnight deadline after agreement between coalition is reached on Monday

Italy’s coalition government has approved budget plans for next year that will lower the retirement age and allow for a partial amnesty on unpaid taxes. Speaking after a cabinet meeting…

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Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Talks on Brexit seems to have stalled, Merkel's ally CSU seemed to win most votes, despite losing support and Turkish and Saudi Arabian leaders discussed the Khashoggi's case.…

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Scotland’s first minister to unveil alternative to UK government’s Brexit plans

Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is to unveil a “commonsense” alternative to the UK government’s Brexit plans. A new Scottish government paper, due out on Monday, will reinforce the case for…

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Italy should ‘calm down with the tone and re-establish trust in Euro – Mario Draghi

Italy should “calm down with the tone” and re-establish trust in the euro to quiet down the markets, European Central Bank’s President Mario Draghi said today. Draghi, speaking at a…

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Greece to expand “golden visa” programme

The expansion of the “golden visa” foreign investors incentive program is among the priorities of the Economy and Development Ministry of Greece. At a press briefing on the Ministry’s plan…

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Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your morning briefing, with an update and review of the latest headlines from the main news agencies, news media and newspapers from Malta, Europe and the World. Start…

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May expected to ask Brexit ‘war cabinet’ to agree to plan which would keep Britain in a customs union with EU

Theresa May will today ask her Brexit “war Cabinet” to agree a backstop plan that would keep Britain in a customs union with Brussels until a permanent trade deal can be agreed.…

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€7M of suspect spending by EASO highlighted by EU Court of Auditors in report

More than a tenth of the payments made by the EU’s asylum agency last year, amounting to €7.7 million, involved non-compliance with EU financial rules, according to the body that…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning, The latest revelations from the #DaphneProject dominate the headlines in Malta. The murder of the Bulgarian journalist, almost a year after Caruana Galizia's murder, also leads to focus…

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OLAF started looking into allegations being explored by murdered Bulgarian journalist last month

The EU’s anti-fraud agency last month began looking into allegations of misuse of EU funds in Bulgaria, the same issue being explored by a journalist who was killed at the…

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Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning, AFM's rescue of migrants distressed in the Mediterranean, the warning about the climate change, the elections in Brazil, the smuggling of fuel from Libya to Italy via Malta…

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Deal or No Deal – The consequences of Brexit (TMI)

While the departure of the UK from the EU will have some effects, seen from a general political and economic perspective, that are quite easy to foresee, other consequences will…

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Brexit Deal ‘very close’ – EU diplomat

The European Union’s Brexit negotiators believe a divorce deal with Britain is “very close”, diplomatic sources said, in a sign a compromise on the most contentious issue - the future…

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Estonia disagrees with an EU which would have lesser role for smaller nations

In his speech focusing on the future of the European Union before the European Parliament on Wednesday, Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said that Estonia does not wish for the…

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Ukraine expels Hungarian consul

Ukraine has given a Hungarian consul 72 hours to leave country after accusing his consulate of illegally issuing passports to ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on…

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EU highest officials express serious concerns and deplores Russia’s cyberattacks

In a joint statement by the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and High Representative / Vice-President Federica Mogherini joined US,…

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Malta’s Finance Minister expresses disappointment at ‘unfair’ treatment against Malta by Commissioner Jourova

Malta's Finance Minister Edward Scicluna has expressed disappointment at what he described as the “unfair” treatment meted out against Malta by European Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova. The Finance Minister took…

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European Commission welcomes progress on improvements on VAT in EU

The European Commission has welcomed the progress made today by Member States on much-needed improvements to how Value Added Tax (VAT) works in the EU. Tuesday's meeting of EU finance…

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The European Union and the Soviet Union are not the same – Theresa May

British Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday the European Union is not like the Soviet Union, after her foreign secretary sparked anger among EU leaders by likening the bloc to the USSR.…

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Analysis on Macedonia’s EU and NATO future and Russian influence after Macedonia’s vote

Snap elections are likely to decide Macedonia's EU future after most people failed to vote in a referendum on changing the country's name. ust 36.5 percent of eligible voters turned…

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Italy urged to respect EU spending rules

Finance ministers from the eurozone’s largest economies have urged Italy’s populist government to respect the bloc’s spending rules, as they pushed Rome for clarity on its plans to tear up…

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Investigations linked EU-wide crackdown on fuel smuggling off Malta, passed to international investigators

Intelligence on fuel smuggling off the Maltese coast was passed to international investigators as part of an EU-wide crackdown, sources told the Times of Malta. Senior investigators said intelligence on…

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Jeremy Hunt’s likening EU membership to USSR attracts ire and criticism

Two former leaders of the Foreign Office and a former president of Estonia were among those who condemned the speech, in which Hunt described the EU as a prison. Peter…

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Iran and European states close to oil deal

Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said on Saturday that Tehran was closing in on an agreement to sell oil to European nations despite American threats of sanctions against any…

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Boris Johnson urges May to abandon Chequers plan

Boris Johnson has urged the prime minister to abandon her Chequers plan and “change the course of the negotiation” on Brexit, in a 4,000-word intervention aiming to recapture the narrative…

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European Commission propose additional support for UNRWA to allow the agency to keep providing access to education, primary health care and assistance to Palestine refugees

The European Commission proposed additional support for UNRWA to allow the agency to keep providing access to education for 500,000 Palestine refugee children, primary health care for more than 3.5…

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Netanayhu says Europe is appeasing Iran, tries to rally support for US sanctions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday described what he said was a secret atomic warehouse in Tehran and accused Europe of appeasing Iran as he sought to rally support…

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Friday Morning Review

Good morning Your morning briefing brings you the latest news as reported by the main news outlets from Malta, Europe and the World. The Latest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin…

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EU ambassadors hold emergency meeting after Labour’s position on Brexit

The Telegraph reports that EU ambassadors have held an emergency meeting with the European Commission in Brussels amid concerns that Labour will vote down any Brexit deal. During this week’s party…

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Pompeo expresses disagreement at EU’s SPV to circumvent Iran sanctions

The European Union’s plans for a “special purpose vehicle” (SPV) designed to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran’s oil exports is deeply counterproductive, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on…

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Wednesday Morning Briefing

Good morning, From the recent controversy, in the already controversial dbgroup 38-storey tower, to the ideological clashes between globalism and isolationism, from the latest twist in the 'Brexit' saga to…

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EU and Iran agree to create ‘special vehicle’ to maintain trade despite US sanctions

The remaining signatories of the Iran nuclear deal announced on Monday that they would establish a channel to facilitate payments for Iran's exports, including oil, as well as its imports.…

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Airlines, Water, Pets and Driving amongst the latest elements the UK government issued notices in case of No-Deal Brexit

Flights could cease between the UK and the rest of the EU if Britain crashes out of the bloc without a deal, the government has said. In its latest set…

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Corbyn prepared to back second referendum on Brexit if party activists forced change in Labour policy

Jeremy Corbyn would be prepared to back a second referendum on the European Union if activists at his party conference forced a change in Labour policy. But the Labour leader insisted he was not…

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EU adds pressure to end Libyan conflict

The EU delegation in Libya has urged battling militias in Tripoli to end the conflict which "has caused civilian fatalities". "The solution to the Libyan crisis remains political, not military," the…

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Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt urges EU not to mistake British politeness for weakness after Brexit negotiations reached an impasse

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has urged the EU not to mistake British politeness for weakness after Brexit negotiations reached an impasse. British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday demanded new…

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