Brexit update: Will the EU grant extention to Britain preventing economic chaos?

It was only yesterday when the British MPs voted in favor of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal but rejected the three-day legislation timetable which would have speeded up the procedure and met the deadline of October 31st. However, it is up to the EU now to decide whether to provide another extention to the ongoing negotiations […]

Financial support for workers affected by no-deal Brexit

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs approve change to EGF Solidarity Fund to include support for workers that would be affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU without an agreement. The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund finances active labour policies such as reskilling of individual workers, career advice, training, […]

MEPs adopt plan to keep 2020 EU funding for UK in no-deal Brexit scenario

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. UK researchers, students and farmers should continue to get EU support in the event of a no-deal Brexit, under provisions adopted by the full house on Tuesday. Parliament approved a measure to make sure that EU funds for 2020 are fully available if the […]

Plans to keep EU budget funding in 2020 in the event of a no-deal Brexit

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. UK Researchers, students and farmers would continue to get EU support in the event of a no-deal Brexit, under provisions adopted by the Budgets Committee on Monday. The Budget Committee approved a measure to make sure that EU funds for 2019 and 2020 are […]

The scheming of Boris: win an election after a no-deal Brexit

Quite blatantly Boris Johnson, the unrepentant Brexiteer Prime Minister of Britain suspended the function of the UK Parliament, openly lying about the reasons for doing so. He really wants to silence the voice of the majority of MPs and therefore of the British people who oppose a no-deal Brexit. Instead, Boris slyly offered a number […]

Boris ‘single-handed’ threatens mainland Europe; can he afford a no-deal Brexit?

No doubt a no-deal Brexit will test the unity of the United Kingdom, undermine the position of London as leading international financial center and surely divide deeply the governing Conservative Party. Still this party’s new leader and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now sailing full steam ahead towards this dreadful option. One possible explanation […]

‘No-deal’ Brexit: European Commission takes stock of preparations ahead of the June European Council (Article 50)

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Ahead of the June European Council (Article 50), the European Commission has today taken stock – in its fifth Brexit Preparedness Communication – of the European Union’s Brexit preparedness and contingency measures, particularly in light of the decision taken on 11 April by the European Council […]

Trump in London poisons UK and Europe

The unbelievable American President, while on a full state visit to Britain, didn’t hesitate to target the British crown jewel which is the country’s health system, the National Health Service. Trump plainly said he wants Britain out of the European Union, in order to open the NHS budget for the American health contractors to scavenge. […]

What could a no-deal Brexit mean for developing countries?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Director, Division on International Trade and Commodities, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) The Brexit vote of 2016 came as a powerful reminder that progress in economic integration can be reversed. And the raging debates […]

‘No-deal’ Brexit preparedness: European Commission takes stock of preparations and provides practical guidance to ensure coordinated EU approach

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Ahead of the European Council (Article 50) today, the European Commission has taken stock of the European Union’s intense ‘no-deal’ preparations and has issued practical guidance to Member States in 5 areas. These areas include citizens’ residence and social security entitlements, data protection, medicine […]

UK: Customs Union with EU or a longer delay of Brexit

Last week, the UK Parliament, the Commons, before rejecting PM Theresa May’s deal with large majority for a third time, had also voted down all eight alternative  exit options, ranging from a wild divorce to no exit at all. So far, the legislative has agreed only on delaying the exit. Now, the Prime Minister says […]

MEPs vote to limit negative impact of no-deal Brexit on citizens

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. To ensure the least possible disruption, MEPs on Wednesday vote on travel, transport, Erasmus, social security and fisheries measures. At the request of the European Parliament and the Council, the European Commission proposed urgency measures to mitigate the effects of a withdrawal of the […]

A backbencher Tory MP threatens both EU and UK with a no-deal Brexit

Last Thursday’s latest vote in the British Parliament, the Commons, revealed the real forces operating in relation to the country’s Gordian Knot, Brexit. Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May’s newest proposal for a kind of a soft Brexit deal, under the name of ‘Plan B’ was rejected last Thursday in Parliament by 303 to 258 votes. […]

Erasmus+ will finance existing UK-EU mobility in the event of no-deal Brexit

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The Culture Committee will support continued funding to all current Erasmus+ learning mobility activities, in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The European Parliament’s Culture Committee discussed with the EU Commission the proposed new contingency measures for the Erasmus+ programme, should the UK leave […]

Brexit: UK to suffer from EU’s uncompromising stance

Last Tuesday, 29 January, 317 British MPs voted for (301 against) the Tory Sir Graham Brady’s amendment, to replace the ‘Northern Ireland Backstop’ with elusive “alternative arrangements“. This NI Backstop is an integral part of the Brexit Agreement, PM Theresa May concluded with the other 27 EU leaders last December. It guarantees that, after the […]

Brexit: Only Corbyn and May in concert can make the needed compromises

A small group of British Tory MPs numbering around 120 representatives are decisively planning to send Britain to the cliff in a no-deal Brexit. Before last Xmas, they triggered an intraparty procedure to oust Prime Minister Theresa May from the party Presidency and consequently drive her out from 10 Downing Street. They were in minority […]

UK Labour Party leader Corbyn readies to change Brexit political backdrop

Tomorrow, Tuesday, the British Parliament, the Commons, is to vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposal, for a kind of soft Brexit withdrawal agreement. As everybody agrees, it’s most likely this PM’s plan will be rejected by the majority of the parliamentarians, as they have also voted down her other proposals during the past critical […]

Brexit: Is there anybody supporting a non-violent separation?

Like Christopher Clark’s ‘Sleepwalkers’, Britain alone on the one side and the European Union led by Germany and France on the other are walking apart, without a deal to jointly settle their future relations. One and a half years have elapsed since the 23 June 2016 referendum, with endless talks and self-complacency. Still, neither side […]

2019: An unpredictable, confrontational and financially ominous year

The global outlook for 2019 was already looking unpredictable and dangerously confrontational, but the firing of US Defense Secretary, the moderate retired general Jim Mattis makes it exponentially more so. During the past few months ‘America first’ President Donald Trump has dismissed all the top three reasonable American policy makers. First it was the State Department […]

Window for a Brexit deal: Brussels to think again May’s proposal

This is the first time the British Prime Minister Theresa May can tell mainland Europeans, she can guarantee her Tory conservative Party won’t topple her over her Brexit proposal. The reason is that, last week, she marked a triumph at the annual conference of the governing Party at Birmingham. Obviously, the burning subject of the […]

The Brexit factor in the US-China trade war and other conflicts

Last Friday, the American President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One threatened China with new tariffs on $267 billion of goods heading for the US markets, on top of the $200bn worth of Chinese exports Washington currently is ready to punish with extra levies. The US has already imposed extra tariffs on $50bn of Chinese […]