While waiting for the United Kingdom government to trigger negotations, we should diagnose the state and the prospects of a post Brixt EU, ” said EU Council president Donald Tusk.
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In a sign of her waning power, she has failed to convince eastern European countries like Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and summit host Slovakia to accept refugee quotas.
He and French President Francois Hollande want to ask member countries to pay a greater attention to the ratification of the climate agreement approved in Paris previous year.
He told Mrs May: “Millions of people from across the United Kingdom depend on freedom of movement across the European Union for business and for pleasure”.
Economic woes weigh heavily too.
However, Donald Tusk, the man who chairs the regular summits of European Union leaders, is keen to avoid sweeping gestures that he fears could backfire.
“I do expect the issue of security and defence cooperation to be raised in Bratislava [at the informal meeting on Friday] but this particular initiative [of creating the European Union army] will not be discussed in any detail”, the source said.
But the day of that planned meeting has now dawned, and unity of goal couldn’t be a more distant prospect. That group has been vocal in its constant criticism of European Union policies, and demands powers be taken away from Brussels and given back to national parliaments.
The search for the EU’s diagnosis must be matter-of-fact and maximally frank, an informed official said hinting at Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn’s recent proposal to expel Hungary from the European Union over its stand on migrants.
Concluding his letter of recommendations to leaders, Tusk offered his final thoughts on the necessity of simple but fundamental changes: “We do not have to change everything if we want things to stay as they are”.
The PM insisted there had been a “very clear message” from the British people in the referendum vote; that they wanted to see an end to free movement as it operated.
London accounts for 69 percent, or $928 billion, of the off-exchange euro-denominated interest rate derivatives market and President Francois Hollande of France has said clearing in euro-denominated contracts should be moved to the euro zone. Uncertainty and even fear abound, and a strong vision for the future of the European project is needed to stop others weighing the benefits of heading for the exit door.
Arriving in Bratislava for a one-day meeting of EU leaders at which plans for further EU cooperation in security and defence will be discussed, Mr Kenny said that Ireland “has always contributed -taking into account the red line issues we have in terms of neutrality – to European co-operation and we will continue to do so”.
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