Belgian Member of Parliament warn Brussels to respect the democratic will of the British people if not the EU will fail

Belgian Member of Parliament warn Brussels to respect the democratic will of the British people if not the EU will fail

World Unknown   06:39

It has been predicted by some world leaders that if the only way the EU feels it can continue its existence is to punish the United Kingdom because the British people voted to leave and being a democratic nation, the government is duty bound to respect the democratic will of the people by implementing Brexit, then the EU is doomed to collapse in the nearest future.

According to Johan Van Overtveldt, the is in a comatose state with the current happenings within bloc, due to the fact that it misplaced its priority of securing its borders and put its focus on regulation size olive pots.

Speaking further he said the "ever-closer union" needs urgent reform to become "different" and "better" and should spend its time tackling security, immigration and trade.

Mr Van Overtveldt said: "Sixty years after signing the Treaty of Rome, and 25 years after the Maastricht Treaty, the European Union is in trouble and is certainly in need of new inspiration and new directions. The EU cannot continue operating the way it does today.

"One should not underestimate the psychological effect that the Brexit vote has had, not just in Britain but also in other European capitals.

"Long time achievements of European integration such as free movement of people are being fundamentally called into question.

"If Europe focuses on how the pots in which olives are sold should be sized, then I think Europe is very wrong."

Therefore, the 61-year-old New Flemish Alliance MP stated how “sad” it would be. if the only way the EU could remain attractive to its members was “by showing them you are able to punish the UK”.

He said: "Everything in my way of thinking argues to get a good deal for the British and not have as an ultimate objective to punish them. This is democracy. We should respect that. We should strike a good deal and be reasonable people - on both sides - and then go on.

"The sooner the better because the real danger of the Brexit process is that it will go on, and on, and on, and there will come a moment where that will start impacting expectations whether it be investments, producers or consumers which is of course bad for the economy overall."

He also poked fun at Jean-Claude Juncker's assertion that Mrs May is "in a different galaxy" when it came to Brexit.

Mr Van Overtveldt said: "It’s very common in Belgian politics to say you only have an agreement when you have an agreement on everything, so in that sense Theresa May sounded very much like a Belgian politician.”

EU chiefs team up to fight Theresa May on Brexit, after claiming that the UK “underestimates” problem associated with Brexit.

EU chiefs team up to fight Theresa May on Brexit, after claiming that the UK “underestimates” problem associated with Brexit.

World Unknown   08:24

Leaders of the European Commission has made some assertions that UK’s exiting the EU is “a problem” stating that such a move is "not feasible that it can be done just like that."

Speaking, Jean-Claude Juncker stressed that the UK "underestimates" the complication of EU exit talks. This was said after the meeting of the remaining 27 member states solidly agreed their approach for Brexit talks. Juncker also stressed on in need to discuss the issue of EU and British citizens’ rights, and said that alone would take a lot of time to conclude.

According to Juncker the Commission had drawn up a suggested arrangement on the issue "which could be adopted immediately if our British friends would be ready to sign it (but) that will probably not happen".

Mr Juncker added: "I have the impression sometimes that our British friends…underestimate the technical difficulties we have to face.

"The single question of citizens' rights is in fact a cortege of 25 questions that have to be solved".

Hitting out at Theresa May over her stance during talks at No 10, he said: "Every time I was asking questions she told me to be patient and be ambitious.

"The same remarks have to be addressed to the UK".

Mr Juncker further stated that the Downing Street meeting was "excellent", before joking: "I'm not talking about the food".

He said: "Privately everything went well but we have a problem, the British want to leave the EU and it's not feasible that it can be done just like that."

Speaking together with Mr Juncker at a conference in Brussels, European Council president Donald Tusk called on the Government to provide a "serious response" on the issue of EU citizens' rights.

He also used the moment to welcomed the "outstanding unity" of EU leaders who authorised draft negotiating guidelines in under a minute.

The terms of the approach adopted by the bloc states that the controversial divorce bill must first be accepted by the UK as well as the issue of the rights of EU nationals before the commencement of any trade deal

Also on the EU strategy, the issue of the Irish border was included saying, the UK must reach a deal, and make it clear the extent at which EU laws will still be applicable in the UK, during the negotiation period.

A lot of EU leaders have used the summit as a platform to issue different threats against the UK, as they all have agreed unanimously to take a very hard stance with Britain.

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel accused the Prime Minister of attempting to cherry-pick a Brexit deal.

He said: "Before you had the soft Brexit and the hard Brexit, and in future maybe you will have Theresa's Brexit, so maybe that is the reason she organised the elections."

Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said Britain may attempt to "split the 27 nations and it is a trap we need to avoid".

He added: "If you are no longer part of a club, it has consequences. A Brexit for free is not possible."

Brexit talks are expected to begin after the General Election on 8 June.

Brussel in uproar as Jean-Claude Juncker battles some EU member nations on mortgage policies

Brussel in uproar as Jean-Claude Juncker battles some EU member nations on mortgage policies

World Unknown   07:24

EU leader Jean-Claude Juncker attacks some EU member states for failing to introduce laws that will govern mortgage in line with EU policies. The countries affected are Spain, Croatia, Cyprus and Portugal.

As a result of their reluctance to put the legislation in place, as demanded by the EU, the bloc is considering taking the affected nations to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

Even when they were given up till March 21 2016 to put in motion the legislation on credit, they still failed to meet up the targeted date, as a result, igniting wrath from Juncker even as some member states are calling for his resignation.

The essence of EU leaders making serious moves to take control of mortgage is to make countries like Germany provide debt facilities. This is due to the EU’s resolve to offer "potentially more advantageous credit offers of lenders from other Member States".

Nevertheless, such a move may not gain any ground in Spain, as several thousands of in the country have been leading street campaigns because of the huge public debt the government is involved in. accordingly, the Spanish government has expressed their defiance to the compulsory law of the EU saying Spain does not have any graving for such a law.

A spokesman for the Spanish Ministry for the Economy said: "It is preparing a normative text that it hopes to approve before a possible sentence occurs.

"With this objective we are working to reach the necessary consensus that will allow us to overcome the parliamentary process, an issue that is not only up to the Government.

"Throughout 2016, no progress could be made in transposing European legislation when the Government was in office.”

So far the EU leaders have been accused by the Spanish people for forcing them to pay for a "scandalous manipulation" of the economic data that has the potential to lead to the destruction of the Eurozone.

It was reported that the said document was signed by economists Juan Laborda, Juan Carlos Barba, Juan Carlos Bermejo, and Roberto Centeno, Professor Emeritus of Economy at the Technical University of Madrid, compares the country's misfortune to Greece.

It says they felt compelled to flag the false figures because the entire system is flawed.

The letter states: "Mr President, you assert that Eurostat checks Spain’s economic figures on the basis of ‘appropriate quality measures’.

"However, until now Eurostat has taken for good the most false and incongruent public accounts of the Eurozone.

"In addition the European Commission has looked elsewhere to the repeated non-compliance with the macroeconomic objectives, ignoring Spain’s obligation to comply with the Stability and Growth Pact, which makes them necessary accomplices in the generation of a gigantic bubble of debt already impossible to pay back, and that will ruin the next generations of Spaniards for not less than 50 years."

European Union removes Britain from its map

European Union removes Britain from its map

Regional News Unknown   11:41

The reality of Brexit is beginning to hit the EU after the union removed the United Kingdom from the EU’s map after the triggering of Article 50.

The blunt removal of Britain from the EU map shows how the EU is beginning to adjust itself to carry on its task without the UK.

Launching a social scheme for Europe, Mr Juncker said: "As Commission President, I have been seeking to put social priorities at the heart of Europe's work, where they belong.

"With the European Pillar of Social Rights and the first set of initiatives that accompany it, we are delivering on our promises and we are opening a new chapter.

"We want to write this chapter together: Member States, EU institutions, the social partners and civil society all have to take their responsibility."

He added: "I believe we do well to start this initiative within the euro area, while allowing other EU member states to join if they want to do so."

Mr Juncker had stated in the past that he wants to restore the EU's "triple A" rating for social standards, and has now announced a "social scoreboard" which will rank countries on how they treat their workers.

Britain is ommitted from all the charts and maps contained in a Reflection Paper of the Social Dimension of Europe, which documents the history of European social policy and outlines possibilities for future changes to legislation.

Britain ready for a show down with Brussels over Brexit

Britain ready for a show down with Brussels over Brexit

World Unknown   11:02

Britain fully ready to face Brussels as the PM holds call talks with the EU president Jean-Claude Juncker together with Michael Barnier in Downing Street.

During the meeting issues such as the huge £50 billion divorce bill, Span’s threat to veto on the future of Gilbralter would be top on the agenda.

Despite the fact the Mrs May has had several clashes with Mr Juncker, this meeting would be seen as the first of its kind with Barnier, who is tagged as "the most dangerous man in Europe".

The greatest quarrel during the meeting is said to be Barnier’s demand for the £50bn bill for exiting the bloc.

Recall how the French political leader threatened to punish the UK last month, if the controversial money is not paid. Also for the UK to have a good deal in the negotiations, it may continue to pay into the EU’s budget till 2020.

And which is currently being placed on the table by UK’s Brexit negotiators, and may force the UK to backtrack on its hard Brexit stance in order to have good political relationship with Brussels.

That meeting and the PMQ may likely be the last prior to the June 8 snap general election in the UK.

The Labour party released a statement after Sir Keir Starmer unveiled a fresh Labour strategy to Brexit saying that Corbyn and Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood had met "to discuss the transition to government if Labour wins the General Election".

However, as the campaign progresses, the Labour party is beginning to shift its attention from Brexit to the NHS.

However, the Liberal Democrats will attempt to keep up the pressure on Brexit when leader Tim Farron attempts to woo business leaders in Tory-held St Albans.

"My message to business is this - dump the Tories," he will say. "Every penny you give them will hurt you; you are funding your own funeral."

"With this disastrous hard Brexit the Government is hurting businesses, both big and small, costing jobs and hitting families."

The UK warned of bloodbath by the EU concerning trade deals with the US

The UK warned of bloodbath by the EU concerning trade deals with the US

World Unknown   11:43

The EU has threatened a "bloodbath" against the UK over a projected trade agreement with the US, an EU commissioner has warned.

According to Phil Hogan, head of the EU agricultural and rural development commission, the British PM’s moves to enter into various trade deals with countries outside the EU is a fanciful idea of a new British Empire.

Mr Hogan while delivering his speck in Dublin also frowned at Liam Fox’s push for cheap food importation into the UK from the US and said, such an attempt is seen as reducing the standard being set in the past and may be revolted against by the masses.

Mr Hogan said: ”Liam Fox is pushing for agriculture to be included in such discussions claiming that Americans have been eating hormone beef and chlorine chicken perfectly safely for years, so what's all the fuss about?

"Would British farmers and consumers accept hormone beef and chlorine chicken on their supermarket shelves?

"I seriously doubt it. There may yet be a bloodbath over these issues."

Mr Hogan told the conference, organised by the Irish Farmers' Association, that EU member states ”can rest easy in the knowledge that our negotiating weight in trade deals means that our partners rise to our standards, rather than us lowering to theirs”.

He also suggested claims by Theresa May that the UK will strike similar deals with other countries outside the EU was also questionable.

Mr Hogan further said: ”This aim, based on notions of an Empire 2.0, is somewhat fanciful when you look at the trade-offs the UK would have to submit to in order to do deals around the world.”

He said he hoped June's general election would strengthen Mrs May's hand in facing down the "looney voices on the right of the Tory party" and that Britain would remain within the EU's Customs Union.

He said: ”It is my hope that, over the course of the coming months, the British Government will recognise that the best way to maintain the freest possible trade in goods such as agri-food products is to remain in the Customs Union, and that sense will prevail.”