INTL Europe- Politics, Economics, Military- December 2019

[Plain Jane]

Thread from November 2019
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?563182-Europe-Politics-Trade-NATO-November-2019

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...w-leader-backed-by-radical-wing-idUSKBN1Y40A2

NEWSNOVEMBER 30, 2019 / 6:44 AM / UPDATED 7 HOURS AGO
German far-right AfD party elects new leader backed by radical wing
Joseph Nasr
4 MIN READ

BRUNSWICK, Germany (Reuters) - The far-right Alternative for Germany on Saturday elected a decorator from the east backed by a radical wing within the party as one of two co-leaders.

The election of Tino Chrupalla, a lawmaker from Saxony, is a tribute to former Communist eastern states where the AfD has made big gains in three elections this year.

He will lead Germany’s largest opposition party with Joerg Meuthen, an economics professor from the industrial southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg who serves as a European Parliament lawmaker.

"It is time to send a clear signal with a double leadership made up of representatives from both the east and west,” Chrupalla told delegates, who elected him in a run-off with over 54% of the vote.

Meuthen secured reelection against two candidates with a two third majority, which made a run-off unnecessary.

“We must become fit to govern,” Meuthen said. “This is our task for the next two years. My path is conservative, peaceful and patriotic.”

The AfD is the biggest opposition party in the Bundestag national parliament, which it entered for the first time in 2017, propelled by voters angry at conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision in 2015 to admit almost one million mainly Muslim asylum seekers.

The AfD also sits on opposition benches in all of Germany’s 16 state parliaments, where it is ostracized by all established parties, including Merkel’s center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).

‘RADICALIZATION’
Alexander Gauland, 78, a unifying figure in the AfD who has been a co-leader since 2017, did not stand for reelection. He has said he wants to pass on the baton to a new leadership that ensures the party join a governing coalition with Merkel’s CDU, at least at the state level.


“They call us Nazis, fascists and right-wing terrorists,” Gauland told delegates. “But we need to be wise and resilient. The day will come when a weakened CDU has only one option: us.”

Merkel’s conservatives have said they cannot work with the AfD, saying its anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic rhetoric contributes to an atmosphere of hate that encourages political violence.

As delegates started arriving at the Volkswagen Halle in the western city of Brunswick, hundreds of protesters waved rainbow flags, while some held banners reading, “Against the AfD and its incitement.” Riot police fenced off the arena.

Volkswagen had asked organizers to cover up the carmaker’s name that usually sits on top of the entrance to the venue.

Slideshow (3 Images)
“If we want more success we need to change,” Chrupalla said on Friday during a reception. “We want to move toward the center. This will work because the CDU keeps moving to the left.”

The AfD won around a fourth of votes in elections in three eastern states this year. The party is more popular in former Communist eastern states, with double the support that it has in the west of the country.

“In a few years, we may well have an AfD-CDU coalition, most likely at the state level in the east,” said Matthias Quent, director of the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society. “This could split the CDU. Some CDU members in the east are openly in favor of such a coalition.”

He added: “The AfD’s radicalization will definitely make it more difficult for the party to improve its polling numbers in the west where people are more alarmed by its ethnic nationalism than in the east.”

Additional reporting by Petra Wischgoll and Susanne Neumayer-Remter; Editing by Frances Kerry

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Plain Jane]

https://apnews.com/edbd48353f9b4766abc7ddb34c0300cb

Focus on early release of terror convict in London stabbings
By GREGORY KATZ

LONDON (AP) — Usman Khan was convicted on terrorism charges but let out of prison early. He attended a “Learning Together” conference for ex-offenders, and used the event to launch a bloody attack, stabbing two people to death and wounding three others.

Police shot him dead after he flashed what seemed to be a suicide vest. Khan is gone, but the questions remain: Why was he let out early? Did authorities believe he no longer believed in radical Islam? Why didn’t the conditions imposed on his release prevent the carnage?

Britons looked for answers Saturday as national politicians sought to pin the blame elsewhere for what was obviously a breakdown in the security system, which had kept London largely free of extremist violence for more than two years.

Police said Khan was convicted in 2012 of terrorism offenses and released in December 2018 “on license,” which means he had to meet certain conditions or face recall to prison. Several British media outlets reported that he was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet that allowed police to track his movements at the time of the attack.

Authorities seemed quick to blame “the system” rather than any one component.

The Parole Board said it had played no role in Khan’s early release. It said the convict “appears to have been released automatically on license (as required by law), without ever being referred to the board.”

Neil Basu, the Metropolitan Police counterterrorism police, said Saturday afternoon that the conditions of Khan’s release had been complied with. He didn’t spell out what those conditions were or why they failed to prevent him from killing two people.

The automatic release program apparently means no agency was given the task of determining if Khan still believed in radical views he had embraced when he was first imprisoned for plotting to attack a number of sites and individuals in London.

It is not yet known whether he took part in any of the “de-radicalization” programs used by British authorities to try and reform known jihadis.

The former head of Britain’s National Counter Terrorism Security Office, Chris Phillips, said it is unreasonable to ask police and security services to keep the country safe while at the same time letting people out of prison when they are still a threat.

“We’re playing Russian roulette with people’s lives, letting convicted, known, radicalized jihadi criminals walk about our streets,” he said.

Khan had been convicted as part of an al-Qaida linked group that was accused of plotting to target major sites including Parliament, the U.S. Embassy and individuals including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, then the mayor of London, the dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and two rabbis.

Khan admitted to a lesser charge of engaging in conduct for the preparation of acts of terrorism. He had been secretly taped plotting attacks and talking about martyrdom as a possibility.

Khan and his accomplices had links to radical preacher Anjem Choudary, one of the highest-profile faces of radical Islam in Britain. A mobile phone seized at the time contained material related to a banned group that Choudary founded. The preacher was released from prison in 2018 but is under heavy surveillance and a curfew.

Several people who attended Choudary’s rallies when he was under no controls have been convicted of attacks, including the two al-Qaida-inspired killers who ran over British soldier Lee Rigby and stabbed him to death in 2013.

The two chief contenders in the Dec. 12 election — Johnson and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn — condemned the system Saturday.

Johnson, who visited the scene Saturday, said he had “long argued” that it was a “mistake to allow serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early.” He said the criminal justice system “simply isn’t working.”

Johnson spoke Saturday with U.S. President Donald Trump, who offered his condolences following the attack, according to White House spokesman Judd Deere.

Corbyn said it is not clear if the Probation Office was involved at all and questioned whether the Parole Board should have been given a role.

“We have to ensure that the public are safe,” he said. “That means supervision of prisoners in prison but it also means supervision of ex-prisoners when they are released ahead of the completion of their sentence, to have tough supervision of them to make sure this kind of danger is not played out on the public in the future.”

He stopped short of blaming Johnson, who was not in office when Khan was set free.

Police said 28-year-old Khan was attending a program that works to educate prisoners when he launched Friday’s attack just yards from the site of a deadly 2017 van and knife rampage.

Basu, the top counterterrorism police officer, said the suspect appeared to be wearing a bomb vest but it turned out to be “a hoax explosive device.” He said police believe Khan was acting alone.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Khan was one of its fighters. The group’s statement, however, didn’t provide any evidence.

One of the victims was named in British media reports as Jack Merritt, a graduate of Cambridge University who was helping organize the conference where the attack began. His father David Merritt tweeted that his son had been killed and had a “beautiful spirit.”

Basu said he could not name the victims until they had been formally identified by the coroner. He asked the public for help with video, photos and information about the attack.

Health officials said two of the wounded were stable and the third had less serious injuries. A victim who had been in critical condition has improved and is now listed as stable, officials said.

Police on Saturday were searching an apartment block in Stafford, 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of London, for clues. Khan was believed to have lived in the area after his release from prison. Police also conducted searches in Stoke-on-Trent.

Learning Together, a Cambridge University-backed prison education program, was holding a conference at the hall when the attack started.

Footage from the attack showed several passers-by — including one armed with a narwhal tusk apparently taken from the hall and another with a fire extinguisher — fighting with the suspect before police arrived.

Queen Elizabeth II said in a statement that she and her husband, Prince Philip, were sending their thoughts to everyone affected by the “terrible violence.” She thanked police and emergency services “as well as the brave individuals who put their own lives at risk to selflessly help and protect others.”

___

Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

 

[northern watch]

Greece to ask for NATO’s support in dispute with Turkey

Greece’s prime minister says he will ask other NATO members at the alliance’s London summit to support Greece in the face of fellow member Turkey’s attempts to encroach on Greek sovereignty

By DEMETRIS NELLAS Associated Press
1 December 2019

Greece’s prime minister said Sunday he will ask other NATO members at the alliance’s London summit to support Greece in the face of fellow member Turkey’s attempts to encroach on Greek sovereignty, notably last week’s agreement with Libya delineating maritime borders in the Mediterranean.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis told the ruling conservative New Democracy party’s congress Sunday that NATO can’t remain indifferent when one of its members “blatantly violates international law” and that a neutral approach is to the detriment of Greece, which has never sought to ratchet up tensions in the area.

Cyprus, Egypt and Greece have all condemned the Libyan-Turkish accord as contrary to international law. The foreign ministers of Egypt and Greece, Sameh Shoukry and Nikos Dendias, discussed the issue Sunday in Cairo.

Spokesman Ahmed Hafez said in a statement after the meeting that the two ministers agreed that the Turkey-Libya deal was “illegal” and that Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj doesn’t have the right to sign memorandums with other countries outside (the scope of) the U.N.-brokered deal that established his government.

“We agreed that that Mr. Sarraj most likely lacks the mandate to sign (two agreements with Turkey), which anyway function as destabilizing factors in the area,” Dendias said after the meeting. “We also agreed with (Shoukry) to accelerate talks between teams of experts to define and delineate Exclusive Economic Zones between Greece and Egypt,” Dendias added.

While Greece and Egypt are across from each other in the Mediterranean Sea, as are Greece and Turkey, Libya is geographically further from Turkey and the waters between the two countries are mostly those between Greece and Egypt.

The Turkey-Libya deal added tension to an ongoing dispute with Greece, Cyprus and Egypt over oil-and-gas drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey doesn’t recognize Cyprus as a state — but does recognize the breakaway Turkish Cypriot entity, the only country to do so — and is conducting exploratory gas drilling in waters where the ethnically divided island nation has exclusive economic rights.

Ankara says it’s defending its rights and those of the Turkish Cypriots to regional energy reserves.

———

Sam Magdy contributed to this report from Cairo.

———

This story has been corrected to show that the Greek foreign minister said talks were about Exclusive Economic Zones between Greece and Egypt, not Greece and Turkey.

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...7417784?cid=clicksource_76_null_headlines_hed

 

[northern watch]

Israeli leader censures Europe for pursuing trade with Iran

Israel’s prime minister is lashing out at European countries for joining a body that would allow some trading with Iran despite U.S. sanctions

By The Associated Press
1 December 2019

Israel’s prime minister is lashing out at European countries for joining a body that would allow some trading with Iran despite U.S. sanctions.

Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday in a video statement that European countries “should be ashamed of themselves” for seeking to trade with Iran. He says the countries were enabling Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

Last week, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden said they were joining INSTEX, a body designed to facilitate European trade with Iran.

INSTEX was created by Germany, France and Britain to coordinate import and export payments so European companies can do business with Iran despite U.S. pressure, and thereby convince Tehran to stick to a 2015 deal that limits its nuclear efforts.

Iran has given INSTEX a cool reception in part because it doesn’t include vital oil trade.

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...19639?cid=clicksource_76_null_articleroll_hed

 

[Plain Jane]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ys-mali-military-operation-poll-idUSKBN1Y610T

NEWSDECEMBER 2, 2019 / 5:32 AM / UPDATED 29 MINUTES AGO
Majority of French support country's Mali military operation: poll

PARIS (Reuters) - Fifty-eight percent of French people back the country’s military operations in Mali, despite last week’s army helicopter crash that resulted in the deaths of 13 troops, said a survey on Monday.

“The level of support from French people remains very stable,” said Jerome Fourquet, who helped carry out the survey for Ifop, which was published in La Lettre de l’Expansion.

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the military to review its operations against Islamist militants in West Africa and pressed his allies to do more after the 13 soldiers died during their combat mission.

A national ceremony for the 13 dead soldiers is due to take place in Paris later on Monday.

Reporting by Caroline Pailliez and Sudip Kar-Gupta

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Plain Jane]

https://apnews.com/ecb9fbfc7d5e48d8a8dad60251f30adf

Hungarian police find 2 tunnels used by migrants on border
November 29, 2019


BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian police said Friday that they discovered two tunnels used by migrants to enter the country from Serbia.

Police said that a tunnel 34 meters (37 yards) long was discovered near the southern village of Asotthalom, where they also detained 44 migrants who had used the precarious passageway.

Police Col. Jeno Szilassi-Horvath said a Serbian citizen suspected of human trafficking had been detained along with the migrants.

The tunnel near Asotthalom was about 50 centimeters (20 inches) wide, 60 centimeters (2 feet) high, and had been dug as deep as about 6 meters (20 feet) below the surface without any support beams or other elements to prevent its collapse.

Szilassi-Horvath said the dig, which likely lasted a few weeks and was done without any machines, had gone undetected thanks to the thick underbrush in the area and because the soil dug out was dumped in a nearby canal.

He added that security officials were using drones and scanners to search for any more tunnels.

The other tunnel, in the village of Csikeria, was 21.7 meters (71 feet) long, but no successful migrant crossings took place there. Police said they discovered both tunnels not long after their construction was completed, and filled both of them up again.

In 2015, at the height of the migration crisis, Hungary built razor-wire fences on its southern borders to stem or divert the flow of people, many from the Middle East and Asia, making their way to Western Europe.

In recent weeks, the number of migrants found near the border in Hungary and expelled back to Serbia through gates in the fences has been on the rise, from usually far less than 200 a week earlier this year to 375, 492 and 642 in the past three weeks.

Asylum-seekers may file their claims at two transit zones along the border, but recent legal changes allow authorities to reject the vast majority of the claims of those arriving from Serbia.

 

[northern watch]

Survey: National populist True Finns Party largest party in Finland

By Arthur Lyons
Voice of Europe
2 December 2019

The True Finns Party, a national populist party that’s critical of the European Union, mass migration, and the Islamization of the West, is now the largest party in Finland, a new survey has revealed.

The survey, carried out by the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, showed that if an election was held today, the True Finns would garner more than 22.4 percent of the vote, making them the largest party in the country.

Research data shows that the True Finns enjoy widespread support throughout Finland which spans across various population groups and ages. The party does, however, enjoy substantially more support from men than it does women, Susanna Ginman – a lead writer for Hufvudstadsbladet, one of the largest newspapers in Finland – says.

Like other populist parties operating throughout Europe, the True Finns have positioned themselves as the only real alternative to the globalist visions adhered to by traditional center-right and center-left parties.

The poll also revealed that the Social Democrats, who won April’s parliamentary elections by a slim majority, slipped to the third most popular party in the country just after the centrist Coalition Party.

A separate survey carried out by Yle early last month put the Social Democrats as Finland’s fourth-largest party.

The survey’s results come just weeks after a poll in Sweden revealed that the national populist Sweden Democrats are now the most popular party in Sweden, with 24 percent of the country’s electorate supporting it.

Despite constant attempts by the mainstream media to smear them as a radical right-wing party, support for the True Finns has only continued to expand

https://voiceofeurope.com/2019/12/s...st-true-finns-party-largest-party-in-finland/

 

[Plain Jane]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ropean-allies-before-nato-talks-idUSKBN1Y7005

NEWSDECEMBER 2, 2019 / 7:02 PM / UPDATED 4 MINUTES AGO
Trump criticizes European allies before NATO anniversary meet
Robin Emmott, Phil Stewart
5 MIN READ

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at European allies before a NATO anniversary summit in London on Tuesday, singling out France’s Emmanuel Macron for “very nasty” comments on the alliance and Germany for spending too little on defense.


Underlining the breadth of strife in a transatlantic bloc hailed by its backers as the most successful military alliance in history, Trump demanded that Europe pay more for defense and also make concessions to U.S. interests on trade.

The attack echoed a similar tirade by Trump ahead of NATO’s last summit in July 2018. It will add to the growing doubts over the future of the 29-member alliance, described last month by Macron as “brain dead” in the run-up to a London meeting intended to be a 70th anniversary celebration.

It’s a tough statement, though, when you make a statement like that, that is a very, very nasty statement to essentially 28, including them, 28 countries,” Trump told reporters as he met the head of NATO in London.

“Nobody needs NATO more than France,” he said, adding that France, where Macron is seeking to push through delicate reforms of its large state sector, was “not doing well economically”.

Explicitly linking his complaint that Europe does not pay enough for NATO’s security missions to his staunch “America First” defense of U.S. commercial interests, Trump said it was time for Europe to “shape up” on both fronts.

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“It’s not right to be taken advantage of on NATO and also then to be taken advantage of on trade, and that’s what happens. We can’t let that happen,” he said of transatlantic disputes over everything from the aerospace sector to a European “digital tax” on U.S. technology giants.

Dismissing recent signals from Germany that it was ready to do more to match a NATO target of spending two percent of national output on defense, Trump accused it and other nations which spend less than that of being “delinquent”.

ERDOGAN THREAT ON BALTICS PLAN
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who shared omelette and sausages with Trump at their breakfast meeting, tweeted that the pre-summit talks had got off to an “excellent start”.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, ahead of the NATO summit in Watford, in London, Britain, December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
But the U.S. leader’s broadside came only hours after splits opened up elsewhere in the alliance, with Turkey threatening to block a plan to defend Baltic states unless the alliance backs it in recognizing the Kurdish YPG militia as a terrorist group.

The YPG’s fighters have long been U.S. allies on the ground against Islamic State in Syria. Turkey considers them an enemy because of links to Kurdish insurgents in southeastern Turkey.

"If our friends at NATO do not recognize as terrorist organizations those we consider terrorist organizations... we will stand against any step that will be taken there,” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said before traveling to London.

Erdogan, who has already strained alliance ties with a move to buy Russian air defense systems, said he would meet Polish President Andrzej Duda and leaders of Baltic countries.

While Trump hailed Turkey as a good NATO ally, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper earlier warned Ankara in a Reuters interview that “not everybody sees the threats that they see” and urged it to stop blocking the Baltics plan.

Queen Elizabeth will host the leaders at Buckingham Palace. But even the British hosts, for generations among the most enthusiastic champions of the trans-Atlantic partnership that NATO represents, are disunited over their project of quitting the EU and distracted by a rancorous election due next week.

“The question is, as we celebrate 70 years, are we waving in celebration or do people think we are drowning?” said a senior European NATO diplomat.

In a bid to placate Trump, Europe, Turkey and Canada will pledge $400 billion in defense spending by 2024, and also agree to reduce the U.S. contribution to fund the alliance itself.

Slideshow (7 Images)
The allies will approve a new strategy to monitor China’s growing military activity, and name space as a domain of warfare, alongside air, land, sea and computer networks.

Leaders will issue a statement condemning Moscow’s Crimea annexation and its military build-up, recommitting to the alliance’s collective defense pledge.

While giving few specifics, Trump said he believed Russia wanted deals on arms control and nuclear issues, and that he would be willing to bring China into such accords.

Reporting by Robin Emmott in London, Ali Kucukgocmen in Istanbul, Joanna Plucinska in Warsaw; Writing by Mark John; Editing by Gareth Jones and Peter Graff

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[northern watch]

Finland’s prime minister resigns over postal service dispute

Finland's prime minister says he is resigning after a key coalition partner withdrew its support from his five-party Cabinet

By JARI TANNER Associated Press
3 December 2019

Finland's prime minister resigned Tuesday after a key coalition partner withdrew its support from his five-party government following a strike at the country’s postal service that spread to the national flag carrier Finnair.

Antti Rinne, who only took office in June, has faced heavy criticism in recent days over how he and a fellow Social Democratic minister dealt with a two-week strike of the country’s state-owned postal service Posti in November.

Rinne, who used to be a trade union leader, and Sirpa Paatero were accused of giving inaccurate and contradictory information in the run-up to the strike, specifically over the transfer of work contracts for 700 Posti package handlers, which effectively would have led to lower pay. Paatero, a minister who was in charge of state-owned companies, resigned on Friday.

Rinne had been under pressure for days over the Posti case and his role in the strike that ended on November 27 after a compromise deal was reached that allowed package handlers to remain under current work contracts for now.

He said it became “obvious” after Paatero’s resignation that the Posti affair, which he described as “a messy case with plenty issues to be cleared” wouldn’t be settled with the minister’s departure.

“My biggest mistake has been that I’ve trusted only in the information I’ve been presented with,” Rinne said, without elaborating.

Rinne had accused Posti’s senior management for misleading him over potential pay cuts.

The strike led to a one-day sympathy strike by the Nordic country's transport sector, including Finnair, which had to cancel almost 300 flights.

Rinne, who will remain in post until a successor is decided upon next week, has denied any wrongdoing. His government holds a comfortable majority of 117 seats in the 200-seat Eduskunta, Finland’s parliament.

His resignation prompted the formal resignation of the Cabinet that is made up of Rinne's Social Democratic Party, the Center Party, the Greens, the Left Alliance and the Swedish People's Party of Finland.

Lawmakers will decide on a new prime minister next week. Until then, the current Cabinet will continue as a caretaker government until a new one takes over as planned on December 13, according to Finnish media. It’s unclear whether Rinne will represent Finland at next week’s European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels. Finland currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.

The Social Democrats retain the power to appoint one of their own to the post of prime minister and are set to decide in the coming days on Rinne’s successor.

Transport minister Sanna Marin or Antti Lindtman, who leads the Social Democrats’ parliamentary grouping, are widely considered to be the most likely successor to Rinne.

The Center Party pulled its support from Rinne’s government on Monday and urged him either to resign or to face a no-confidence vote.

“There has been lack of trust shown by the Center Party and in discussions today they detailed reasons for that,” Rinne said in his resignation statement.

“After receiving that reply, I naturally reflected on what that meant for the government and I drew my own conclusions.”

Rinne said he would continue as the chairman of the Social Democratic Party at least until next summer’s party congress.

“Thanks for the short, but many moments of good cooperation,” Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said on accepting Rinne’s resignation.

———

Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...56567?cid=clicksource_76_null_articleroll_hed

 

[northern watch]

France threatens retaliation if US doubles Champagne price

France’s finance minister is threatening a “strong European riposte” if the Trump administration follows through on a proposal to hit French wine, cheese, handbags and other products with tariffs of up to 100%

By ANGELA CHARLTON Associated Press
3 December 2019

The president will meet with the Queen and our allies as tensions run high over Brexit and a possible trade war between the U.S. and France.

France is threatening a “strong European riposte” if the Trump administration follows through on a proposal to hit French cheese, Champagne, handbags and other products with tariffs - of up to 100%.

The U.S. Trade Representative proposed the tariffs on $2.4 billion in goods Monday in retaliation for a French tax on global tech giants including Google, Amazon and Facebook.

“I’m not in love with those (tech) companies, but they’re our companies,” Trump said Tuesday ahead of a sure-to-be-tense meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in London.

The move is likely to increase trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe. Trump said the European Union should “shape up, otherwise things are going to get very tough.”

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the U.S. tariff threat is “simply unacceptable. ... It’s not the behavior we expect from the United States toward one of its main allies.”

Le Maire said the French tech tax is aimed at “establishing tax justice.” France wants digital companies to pay their fair share of taxes in countries where they make money instead of using tax havens, and is pushing for an international agreement on the issue.

“If (the world) wants solid tax revenue in the 21st century, we have to be able to tax the digital economy,” he said. “This French taxation is not directed at any country, or against any company.”

He also noted that France will reimburse the tax if the U.S. agrees to the international tax plan.

Le Maire said France talked this week with the European Commission about EU-wide retaliatory measures if Washington follows through with the tariffs next month.

EU Commission spokesman Daniel Rosario said the EU will seek “immediate discussions with the U.S. on how to solve this issue amicably.”

The U.S tariffs could double the price American consumers pay for French imports and would come on top of a 25% tax on French wine imposed last month over a separate dispute over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing.

French cheese producers expressed concern that the threatened new tariffs would hit small businesses hardest. It would also further squeeze exporters hit by a Russian embargo on European foods.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative charges that France’s new digital services tax discriminates against U.S. companies.

Le Maire disputes that, saying it targets European and Chinese businesses, too. The tax imposes a 3% annual levy on French revenues of any digital company with yearly global sales worth more than 750 million euros ($830 million) and French revenue exceeding 25 million euros.

“What we want is a plan for international tax that is on the table” at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Le Maire said.

The U.S. investigated the French tax under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 — the same provision the Trump administration used last year to probe China's technology policies, leading to tariffs on more than $360 billion worth of Chinese imports in the biggest trade war since the 1930s.

———

Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in London, Darlene Superville and Paul Wiseman in Washington and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed to this report.

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...plan-67455827?cid=clicksource_76_null_bsq_hed

 

[Melodi]

I am pretty sure (but not certain) that as a sovereign nation France is perfectly free to put a tax on a multinational company like Amazon if wants to.

Amazon is also perfectly free not to sell anything in France.

This is the flipside of formerly US Corporations going "global" to avoid paying taxes in the US.

If I recall Trump was pretty unhappy when he visited Ireland when he found out that the official Apple HQ (and tax base) was in Ireland and not the US.

He actually said something like "I thought Apple was a US company, not an Irish one?" not his exact words but you get the drift.

The US is also perfectly free to tax Amazon/Facebook/Google etc and to pass laws that make it more attractive to have an HQ in the US rather than Ireland (I think that would be wise actually).

This whole France vs. The US spat (really the Macaroon trying to play tough guy vs Trump) during an already difficult NATO summit is, I'm sorry to say, making both of them look like little boys in a sandbox - although yes, this time the Macaroon did start it.

 

[Plain Jane]

They may be trying to put a good face on it but this NATO summit seems to be more about clearing the air than actually getting something done. Clearing the air is probably necessary though.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-brain-dead-meet-the-delinquent-idUSKBN1Y8005

Division pervades NATO as the 'brain dead' meet the 'delinquent'
Robin Emmott, William James
5 MIN READ

WATFORD, England (Reuters) - NATO leaders gathered at a golf resort near London on Wednesday for a summit acrimonious even by the standards of the Trump era, aiming to tackle sharp disagreements over spending, future threats including China and Turkey’s role in the alliance.

With U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron blowing hot and cold over NATO’s function, the 29-member military alliance is looking for reinvigoration as it marks the 70th anniversary of its Cold War-era founding.

“Clearly it is very important that the alliance stays together,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters as he prepared to welcome heads of state and government. “But there is far, far more that unites us than divides us.”

Leaders held preliminary meetings in London on Tuesday, during which stark differences were aired, with Trump, who in the past has called NATO obsolete, criticizing Macron for comments last month about NATO’s strategic “brain death”.

Trump said Macron’s remarks were “nasty”. He also described allies who spend too little on defense as “delinquent”.

Macron held his ground, saying as he arrived that it was important for leaders to discuss issues in an open and forthright manner if they were to find solutions.

“I think it’s our responsibility to raise differences that could be damaging and have a real strategic debate,” he said. “It has started, so I am satisfied.”

Earlier, in a message on Twitter, Macron was direct about the challenges NATO faces. “It is a burden we share: we can’t put money and pay the cost of our soldier’s lives without being clear on the fundamentals of what NATO should be,” he said.

In an illustration of the awkward mood, Macron, Johnson and the prime ministers of Canada and the Netherlands were caught on video at a Tuesday evening Buckingham Palace reception, apparently making light of Trump’s media appearances.

“It was like a 40-minute press conference,” Canada’s Justin Trudeau can be heard saying, with Queen Elizabeth’s daughter Princess Anne listening on. “I just watched his team’s jaws drop to the floor,” Trudeau added with a chuckle.


WHITHER TURKEY
One of Macron’s chief complaints is that Turkey, a NATO member since 1952 and a critical ally in the Middle East, has increasingly acted unilaterally, carrying out incursions into Syria, taking up arms against the Kurdish YPG militia that had been allied with Western forces against Islamic State, and buying the S-400 missile defense system from Russia.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has pushed back, saying he will oppose NATO’s plan for the defense of Baltic countries if the alliance does not recognize groups that Turkey deems terrorists, including the YPG.

As he arrived at the summit, his back stooped, Erdogan declined to speak. His increasingly close ties with Russia, particularly over Syria, and his differences with the European Union over migration among other issues, have made him a more difficult NATO partner and, conversely, a more essential one.

Arriving at the 18th-century estate that once hosted a golf championship won by Tiger Woods, Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas - whose country depends on NATO as a shield against Russia - said he was confident divisions could be overcome.

NATO is strong. NATO’s deterrence is 100% credible,” he said. “Transatlantic ... cooperation is a cornerstone for us, for our security, for both sides of the Atlantic.”

At the summit, Europe, Turkey and Canada are expected to respond to Trump’s accusations that they spend too little on defense by pledging an extra $400 billion by 2024. Germany, a frequent target of Trump’s blandishments to spend more, has promised to spend 2% of national output by 2031.

France and Germany want the alliance to consider a bigger role in the Middle East and possibly Africa, a shift from its historically eastern-facing posture. They aim to win support to set up a “wise persons” group to draw up reform plans.

Slideshow (34 Images)
In a final communique, NATO allies will recommit to their pledge to defend each other. Britain is expected to put six warships, two fighter squadrons and thousands of troops at NATO’s disposal to meet a U.S. demand for European armies to be more combat-ready.

NATO will also warn China for the first time that it is monitoring Beijing’s growing military might. Leaders will agree to prepare for conflicts in space, the Arctic and computer networks, as well as traditional land, sea and air battles.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told diplomats ahead of the gathering that even though disputes were making headlines, the alliance was flourishing.

“I’m a politician, and I’m used to being criticized for good rhetoric but bad substance,” Stoltenberg said. “In the case of NATO it is the opposite. We have had bad rhetoric but extremely good substance.”

Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke, John Chalmers and Johnny Cotton in Watford, and Estelle Shirbon in London; Writing by Luke Baker; Editing by John Chalmers and Peter Graff

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Zagdid]

Belarus invites Serbia to join Russian economic bloc

https://euobserver.com/tickers/146802 (fair use)
By EUOBSERVER TODAY, 08:52

In a joint press conference with Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic, Belarus' president Alexander Lukashenko called on Serbia to establish closer ties to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a Russian-led economic bloc, AP reports. Lukashenko said that it will take at least 10 to 15 years before Serbia might join the EU and that Serbia "will not regret" joining the EEU - which comprises Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

 

[Plain Jane]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ion-if-no-agreement-with-russia-idUSKBN1Y912T

NEWSDECEMBER 5, 2019 / 5:25 AM / UPDATED 25 MINUTES AGO
Ukraine threatens to wall off part of Donbass region if no agreement with Russia
1 MIN READ

LONDON (Reuters) - A top Ukrainian presidential aide on Thursday said Ukraine would wall off the rest of the country from occupied territories if Russia failed to agree to a ceasefire and prisoner swap at a summit in Paris next week.

If Russia doesn’t want to agree to a deal “in this case we will be building a wall and life will go on,” Andriy Yermak said at a forum in London. “We will be living unfortunately in a scenario of a frozen conflict.”

The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany will meet on Monday for the first time in more than three years to try to end a conflict in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed forces and Ukrainian troops that has killed more than 13,000 people.

Reporting by Marc Jones; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Hugh Lawson

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Plain Jane]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...france-in-stand-off-with-macron-idUSKBN1Y903F

NEWSDECEMBER 4, 2019 / 8:02 PM / UPDATED 19 MINUTES AGO
Striking unions cripple France in stand-off with Macron
Sybille de La Hamaide, Richard Lough
4 MIN READ

PARIS (Reuters) - Railway workers, teachers and emergency room medics launched one of the biggest public sector strikes in France for decades on Thursday, determined to force President Emmanuel Macron to abandon plans to overhaul France’s generous pension system.


Transport networks in Paris and cities across France ground to a near halt as unions dug in for a protest that threatens to paralyze France for days and poses the severest challenge to Macron’s reform agenda since “yellow vest” protests erupted.

Railway and metro stations in Paris were largely deserted during the early rush hour as commuters dusted off old bicycles, turned to carpooling rides or worked from home.

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“What we’ve got to do is shut the economy down,” Christian Grolier, a senior official from the hard-left Force Ouvriere union, told Reuters. “People are spoiling for a fight.”

Airport workers, truck drivers, police and garbage collectors and others are all expected to join the strike at a time of widespread discontent towards Macron’s drive to make France’s economy more competitive and cut public spending.

Macron wants to simplify France’s unwieldy pension system, which comprises more than 40 different plans, many with different retirement ages and benefits. Macron says the system is unfair and too costly.

French SNCF railway workers stand on a platform to provide assistance for passangers at Lille railway during a day of national strike and protests against French government's pensions reform plans, in Lille, France, December 5, 2019. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
He wants a single, points-based system under which for each euro contributed, every pensioner has equal rights.

The battle between Macron and the unions for public support will be pivotal to the strike’s success. An Opinion poll last month showed almost half of all French opposed the reform.

"For 30 years successive governments have tried to bring reform and fail because the unions cripple the country,” said 56-year-old cafe owner Isabelle Guibal. “People can work around it today and tomorrow, but next week people may get annoyed.”

STREET PROTESTS
Before sunrise, riot police erected barriers in streets surrounding the president and prime minister’s offices and searched the bags of pedestrians along the Champs Elysees boulevard, ahead of a day of street protests which the government has warned may be infiltrated by violent groups.

Protesters will march from the capital’s Gare du Nord to Place de la Nation in the afternoon.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said thousands of anarchist “black bloc” and hardcore “yellow vest” protesters were expected to wreak havoc. He ordered shops along the route to close. Some 6,000 police will be deployed, including dozens of rapid-response officers on motorbikes.

The SNCF state railway said only one in 10 commuter and high-speed TGV trains would run. Train operators Eurostar and Thalys have canceled services linking Paris with London and Brussels. The civil aviation authority asked airlines to cancel 20% of flights because of knock-on effects from the strike.

In southern France, protesters blocked at least one oil facility. Power output was down at two coal-burning power plants and one gas plant as some energy workers walked out, though there were no impact on nuclear output, grid operator RTE said.

Past attempts at pension reform have ended badly. Former president Jacques Chirac’s conservative government in 1995 caved into union demands after weeks of crippling protests.

For Macron, this week’s showdown with strikers will set the tone for the second half of his mandate, with more difficult reforms to come, including to unemployment benefits.

Reporting by Caroline Pailliez, Geert de Clercq, Sybille de La Hamaide, Marine Pennetier and Richard Lough; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Christian Lowe

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Zagdid]

Greece to expel Libyan ambassador over maritime border MoU

http://www.ekathimerini.com/247268/...el-libyan-ambassador-over-maritime-border-mou (fair use)
FRIDAY DECEMBER 6, 2019 [Reuters]

Greece said on Friday it was expelling the Libyan ambassador, angered by an accord between Libya and Turkey signed on Nov. 27 that maps out a sea boundary between the two countries close to the Greek island of Crete.

Libya called the move unacceptable. Turkey dismissed it as outrageous.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said the Turkey-Libyan accord was a "blatant violation of international law", telling a news briefing that the ambassador, Mohamed Younis AB Menfi, had 72 hours to leave the country.

The move did not mean Greece was severing diplomatic relations with Libya, Dendias said. Another foreign ministry official said Libya had "deceived" Greece.

"This is a legally invalid document," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament.

"Not only is it geographically and historically invalid -- wiping Greek islands off the map -- but because it led Turkey to an unprecedented diplomatic isolation," he said.

"It's just a piece of paper nobody recognizes."

Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Siyala told Reuters Greece's decision was not acceptable, and Libya would have reciprocated if Greece had diplomatic representation in the country.

"It is Greece's right to go to the International Court of Justice and to the legal channels to remove any confusion. But to take the stand of expelling the ambassador, summoning him and escalating the situation, this is unacceptable to the Libyan government," Siyala said.

Oil, gas reserves

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also condemned the move. "Expelling an ambassador just because of the (agreement) that we signed is not a mature behaviour in diplomacy. This is outrageous," he told reporters in Rome.

The expulsion is the latest twist in a saga of Mediterranean states jostling to claim mostly untapped oil and gas reserves in the region.

Turkey and the internationally recognised government of Libya signed the accord in November defining their boundaries and a deal on expanded security and military cooperation, a step Turkey said was protecting its rights.

Greece called the accord absurd because it ignored the presence of Crete between the coasts of Turkey and Libya.

"The text of this agreement carries the signature of the Libyan foreign minister. It is the same person who, in September, had assured the Greek side otherwise," Dendias said.

Mitsotakis said the speaker of Libya's parliament would be in Athens in coming days for consultations.

Greece and Turkey are at odds over a host of issues ranging from mineral rights in the Aegean Sea to ethnically-split Cyprus. Tensions are also running high because of Turkish drilling off Cyprus, and the European Union has prepared sanctions against Turkey in response.

On Thursday, Cyprus said it had petitioned the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to safeguard its offshore rights. It said an attempt to deliver a notice of its intentions to the Turkish embassy in Athens was not accepted.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy told reporters in Ankara that Turkey was not aware of any such petition.

 

[Plain Jane]

https://apnews.com/e176fc3c2e5c043426940c8010d21dfb

Protests erupt as Russia seeks closer ties with Belarus

By YURAS KARMANAU and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV


MINSK, Belarus (AP) — The leaders of Russia and Belarus spent more than five hours Saturday in sensitive talks on deepening ties between the two allies — a meeting that triggered a protest in the Belarusian capital among those who fear Russia’s intentions.

No immediate deal was announced after the talks in Sochi on Russia’s Black Sea coast between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, but a senior Russian official said they edged closer to an agreement.

More than 1,000 opposition demonstrators rallied in Minsk to protest closer integration with Russia, which they fear could erode the post-Soviet independence of Belarus, a nation of 10 million. The protesters marched across the Belarusian capital, chanting “No to integration!” and “Belarus to Europe!”

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for more than a quarter-century, relies on cheap Russian energy and loans to maintain his country’s Soviet-style economy.

Russia and Belarus signed a union agreement in 1997 that envisaged close political, economic and military ties, but stopped short of forming a single nation.

The Kremlin has recently cranked up the pressure on Belarus, raising energy prices and cutting subsidies. Russian officials say Minsk should accept closer economic integration if it wants to benefit from lower energy prices.

Speaking at the start of talks in Sochi, Lukashenko urged Putin to continue sending fuel shipments to Belarus at Russia’s domestic prices.

“We just want equal conditions — nothing else,” Lukashenko said with a wry smile as he faced Putin across the table.

“We shall talk about future prospects. It’s a landmark meeting,” Putin said. “I hope we will keep doing all we can to make our peoples and nations feel close and keep moving primarily in the economic sphere, but also in the social field, to benefit from that integration.”

Russian Economics Minister Maxim Oreshkin said the two sides narrowed their positions on oil, gas and other disputed issues and the leaders instructed officials to continue to iron out the remaining differences. Putin and Lukashenko are to meet again on Dec. 20 in St. Petersburg.

Some in Belarus fear the new agreements could pave the way for a full merger of the two countries, concerns fueled by Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

There also has been speculation that Putin, who has been in power for nearly two decades, could contemplate a merger with Belarus as a way to stay at the helm of the new union state of Russia and Belarus after his current Russian presidential term expires in 2024.

"The Kremlin no longer wants to pay for rhetoric and is starting to demand political concessions from Minsk ahead of 2024, in a hint at the new state and the new job for Putin,” said Valery Karbalevich, an independent Minsk-based political analyst.

Putin has been coy about his future plans.

Lukashenko has bristled at the Russian pressure, charging that some Russian officials want to push Belarus into weakening its sovereignty. The Belarusian leader has vowed not to surrender Belarus’ post-Soviet independence but the opposition in Belarus has remained nervous.

“Politicians are playing with Belarusian sovereignty like in a card game, and we will keep protesting as long as a threat to our independence remains,” said Pavel Severinets, the organizer of Saturday’s rally.

The protest wasn’t sanctioned by the authorities, but police allowed the demonstrators to march across downtown Minsk.

“They are again trying to pull us back into that rotten empire that is trying to revive itself at the expense of neighbors,” said 19-year-old student Mikhail Olshansky, who covered his face with Belarus’ pre-Lukashenko red-and-white flag.

Lukashenko has shown little tolerance for dissent, earning him the nickname of Europe’s last dictator, but he has increasingly sought to reach out to the West as he faces pressure from Russia.

The U.S. and the European Union have repeatedly criticized Belarusian authorities for flawed elections and crackdowns on the opposition, but they have lifted some their sanctions in recent years as Belarus freed political prisoners.

“Minsk is playing a simple game, trying to win advantages for its Soviet-style economy by threatening to break the union with Russia and get closer to the West,” Karbalevich said. “That is the reason why repressions against the opposition were put on standby. Lukashenko doesn’t want to wake up one day as a provincial governor in Russia.”

___

Isachenkov reported from Moscow.

 

[Plain Jane]

https://balkaninsight.com/2019/12/06/bosnia-to-close-terrible-camp-despite-migrants-resistance/

Bosnia to Close ‘Terrible’ Camp Despite Migrants’ Resistance
Danijel KovacevicBanja LukaBIRNDecember 6, 2019
Authorities vow to close camp widely described as a disgrace – although migrants hoping to cross into nearby Croatia have told media they don’t want to move.

Migrants from the improvised Vucjak camp near the northwestern Bosnian town of Bihac will be moved to an army barracks near Sarajevo on Monday, Bosnia’s Foreign Minister, Dragan Mektic, and the Prime Minister of Una Sana Canton, Mustafa Ruznic, agreed on Friday.

Tents from the camp will be removed and space cleared so that there will be no possibility of anyone returning there, they said.

“We are working intensively on equipping the Blazuj barracks and it will be ready very soon. By the end of next week, Vucjak will be closed,” Mektic told the media after the meeting.

He added that they also have a plan for migrants located in Miral and Bira to move them outside the northwestern Bosnian canton, which has become a hub for migrants seeking to enter EU-member Croatia and then Western Europe.

"We have some time ahead of us before we expect a new migrant wave, but by then we should have a transit centre to where the migrants will be directed, so the pressure on Bihac and Velika Kladusa will be reduced,” Ruznic said, mentioning the two main towns in the canton.

He said police in Una-Sana Canton would be engaged in helping to transport the migrants with the support of the Ministry of Security.

But the plan threatens to run into bitter opposition from the migrants themselves, who have told the media they don’t want to be moved away from the Croatian border that they intend to cross.

Some in Vucjak told the Bosnian media that they would only be removed from the camp with force; they all intended to go to Croatia and continue on to the European Union. The Blazuj Barracks is hundreds of kilometres from the border with Croatia.

Mektic said the migrants will be transferred to Sarajevo whether they want to go or not, because they were in Bosnia illegally and so had no right to decide the exact locations where they are hosted.

Conditions in the Vucjak camp have been widely described as shameful. “This camp should never have been opened,” the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, said on Friday, concluding her four-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“It should have closed a few months ago. I was assured that it would be closed. However, the fact that the camp did not close was exactly one of the reasons for my visit,” Mijatovic added. “What I saw on Vucjak was something I had never seen before. At Vucjak, the living conditions are terrible,” she continued.

 

[Plain Jane]

Russia, Ukraine agree to ceasefire by year-end – DW – 12/09/2019

Russia and Ukraine have made progress on restoring peace in eastern Ukraine at a Paris summit mediated by Germany and France. In addition to implementing a ceasefire, the two sides also agreed to a prisoner exchange.

www.dw.com

Russia, Ukraine agree to cease-fire by year-end at Paris talks
Russia and Ukraine have made progress on restoring peace in eastern Ukraine at a Paris summit mediated by Germany and France. In addition to implementing a cease-fire, the two sides also agreed to a prisoner exchange.




Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to implement a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine by year-end, following their first meeting on Monday at a summit in Paris mediated by France and Germany.
"The sides commit to a full and comprehensive implementation of the cease-fire, strengthened by the implementation of all necessary cease-fire support measures, before the end of the year 2019," according to a joint communique.
The four-way summit with the leaders of Germany and France also led to all sides agreeing to implement an "all for all" prisoner exchange by the end of the year.
Zelenskiy, who met Putin in person for the first time, has made resolving the conflict in the country's east a priority of his presidency.
Read more: Should Europe adjust to US foreign policy based on favors?
Hope for Minsk peace deal
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the outcome of the meeting gave renewed momentum on reviving a 2015 peace agreement for eastern Ukraine that has stalled.
"I say very openly, we have a lot of work to do but my feeling from this meeting here today is that there is goodwill to resolve difficult questions," Merkel told a joint news conference with the leaders of France, Ukraine and Russia.

Monday's talks brought Putin and Zelenskiy face-to-face for the first time
Some 13,000 people have died since fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian soldiers began in 2014.
The Paris meeting aimed to get a 2015 peace agreement signed by Ukraine and Russia in Minsk back on track. Brokered with help from France and Germany, the accord called for the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the restoration of Kyiv's control over its borders, and wider autonomy and local elections for the separatist regions. The last time the four national leaders gathered in the so-called Normandy format was in 2016.
Read more: Vladimir Putin's 'Crimea effect' ebbs away 5 years on
Disagreements over elections
French President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine and Russia failed to agree on a calendar for elections in eastern Ukraine, but that he hoped the two sides could reach a compromise within four months.
"We know there are disagreements on the calendar and phasing and we had a long discussion on it, but we said let's give ourselves four months to articulate the security and political conditions for these local elections," Macron told a news conference.

Some 13,000 people have died since fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014
Zelenskiy wants to adjust the agreement's timeline to allow Ukraine to take back control of its border with Russia before local elections in the separatist regions, rather than afterwards as stipulated in the accord. Moscow has objected to any change to the timeline.
Zelenskiy less optimistic
Despite some progress in the talks, Zelenskiy said he had hoped to achieve more.
"Many questions were tackled and my counterparts have said it is a very good result for a first meeting. But I will be honest, it is very little, I wanted to resolve a larger number of problems," he said after the talks in Paris.
Putin said Ukraine should give autonomy to the rebel-held regions in line with the deal and also approve legislation granting amnesty to the rebels.
Monday's summit built on progress in recent weeks, including a prisoner exchange deal between Ukraine and Russia, and the two countries' pledge to pull back troops from the front lines in eastern Ukraine.
cw/dr (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

No Compromise": Maidan Protesters Threaten 'Overthrow' As Zelensky Meets With Putin In Paris

by Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/09/2019 - 17:20
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Headlines are suggesting it's a "now or never" opportunity to bring the five-year long war in eastern Ukraine to an end, and to initiate a lasting peace. The meeting dubbed the "Normandy Four" summit kicked off in Paris Monday, crucially including Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron playing host for the talks.
It marked the first face to face meeting ever between Putin and Ukraine's leader, who assumed office in May of this year, after an unlikely landslide victory based largely on promising to end the war in Donbass and improve relations with Russia.
Normandy-format summit in Paris on Monday, via Reuters.
The Minsk agreements brokered with the help of Germany and France have been largely a stalled disappointment in terms of solving the stalemate.

Though the conflict has been in and out of the headlines, a shocking 13,000 people have died since 2014, including civilians and militants on both sides, according to UN estimates. A further nearly four million people have been displaced by fighting, and a fragile ceasefire is currently in effect in the region.
Zelensky has lately come under fire especially from Ukrainian nationalists over his controversially agreeing to major concessions based on a road map to peace, including holding elections in the Russian-speaking war-torn region; however, he's said “there won’t be any elections under the barrel of a gun,” meaning pro-Russian separatist militants and their backers would have to lay down their arms for it to work.
The summit kicked off with a few awkward moments Monday, with Putin appearing to give some cues to the lesser experienced Zelensky:

Кремлевский пул РИА@Kremlinpool_RIA
https://twitter.com/Kremlinpool_RIA/status/1204083582945447937

Путин подсказал Зеленскому, что нужно развернуться для совместного фото



46
12:01 PM - Dec 9, 2019
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There have been few significant statements given to the press, as the schedule appears to have shifted, and no 'breakthroughs' on the Ukraine crisis are expected, but it's hoped that the meeting will reinvigorate negotiations potentially leading to a permanent ceasefire.
But at home Zelensky is facing threats that civil unrest could break out if he says anything seen as giving Putin too much.

Christopher Miller

✔@ChristopherJM
https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1203644849024581633
Replying to @ChristopherJM

Protest underway against tomorrow’s talks between Zelensky and Putin in Paris. Crowd probably over 4,000 but not as big or as energized as October demonstrations. Most flags are Ukrainian and the nationalist Svoboda party, which lost in parliamentary elections.



111
6:57 AM - Dec 8, 2019
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The iconic Maidan square has since filled with thousands of demonstrators Sunday into Monday, with one prominent speaker addressing the crowd with a warning for Zelensky himself: “Your flight will be not from Paris to Kiev, but from Paris to Rostov[-on-Don]. If it won’t be tomorrow then it’ll be a bit later,” prominent news host Vitaly Gaidukevich warned, referencing the southern Russian port city as a potential place of exile.

Hardline nationalists have promised to effectively overthrow the young Ukrainian leader should he cross 'red lines' in Paris.
Protests amid the "Normandy Four" summit underway in Kiev's Maidan Square, via Reuters.
This also as the Russian and Ukrainian leaders are expected to engage in an unprecedented one-on-one meeting later in the summit :

A special bilateral meeting of the presidents of Russia and Ukraine – Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky – is scheduled for Monday at the Elysee Palace after the completion of the negotiations between the leaders of the “Normandy format” (Germany, Russia, France, Ukraine). This was announced by a source close to the organization of the summit in Paris.

The protesters, in a reminiscent scene to 2014, have demanded that Zelensky not cave to a "peace at any cost" program, including holding the line of 'no compromise' when it comes to "de-occupation" and return of Crimea.

 

[Plain Jane]

Russia hands out passports to 125,000 residents of rebel-held east Ukraine

Russia has issued passports to 125,000 residents of rebel-held eastern Ukraine, Russia's interior minister said on Monday, deepening Moscow's ties with the separatist region even as it begins talks with Kiev aimed at ending the conflict.

www.reuters.com

NEWS
DECEMBER 9, 2019 / 11:19 AM / UPDATED 9 HOURS AGO
Russia hands out passports to 125,000 residents of rebel-held east Ukraine


2 MIN READ
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has issued passports to 125,000 residents of rebel-held eastern Ukraine, Russia’s interior minister said on Monday, deepening Moscow’s ties with the separatist region even as it begins talks with Kiev aimed at ending the conflict.
President Vladimir Putin in April simplified the procedure for residents of pro-Russian, separatist-held Ukraine to obtain Russians passports, prompting Kiev to call on the West to target Moscow with new international sanctions.
More than 160,000 residents of rebel-held Ukraine have applied for Russian passports, of which 125,000 have received them, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.

President Vladimir Putin arrived in Paris on Monday to hold talks on the conflict in eastern Ukraine with the leaders of Ukraine, Germany and France. It is the first time the leaders have met for such a summit in three years.
They are expected to push for a ceasefire in the conflict, which has lasted more than five years and killed over 13,000 people. But the prospects of a breakthrough remain bleak, diplomats say.
Kiev accuses Moscow of waging an undeclared war in eastern Ukraine, supplying troops and heavy weapons to the Donbass region. Russia denies that and says the conflict is a civil war.
Reporting by Anton Zverev and Tom Balmforth; Editing by Pravin Char
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[northern watch]

Britain faces most history-shaping election since WWII
Britain is facing the most testing and significant period in its modern history
By TAMER FAKAHANY Associated Press
9 December 2019

Britain is facing the most testing and significant period in its modern history since World War II.

The polarized electorate now has a critical choice to make -- but it seems unlikely the result, whatever it may be, will heal deep and toxic divisions that could last a generation or more.

The 20th century saw Britain fight alongside and against Europeans and then help make the prosperous peace into the 21st century. This election will help determine where Britain’s formal relationship with the European Union lands and what the impact will be on all walks of life.
In 1945, after punishing years of war, Nazi bombardment, self-sacrifice and rationing, the voting populace shifted in huge numbers after Victory in Europe Day, casting aside wartime leader Winston Churchill for a Labour Party committed to economic rebuilding from the ashes of war.
In the nearly 75 years since, there have been other pivotal polling days — in 1964, 1979, 1997 and 2010 — and now the “Brexit election” serves up another inflection point that will shape the country’s future.

CHURCHILL SWEPT ASIDE IN 1945

Churchill epitomized Britain in its war years: The bulldog spirit and features and the iconic victory sign are still well-ingrained on the national psyche.

That didn’t count for much at the polls, though, in 1945 when a population weary from the German blitz and day-to-day suffering and shortages delivered the biggest election swing ever in Britain.

No elections had been held since 1935. Churchill’s Conservatives, who had presided over a national government during the war years, were unceremoniously dumped with a stunning nearly 11% election tilt to the Labour Party led by Clement Attlee.

It was a landslide triumph based on an economic program which had some similarities to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1930s New Deal.

In Britain, the National Health Service and welfare state came into being, full employment was sought and social reform was at the fore. This became the bedrock of the nation for decades until Margaret Thatcher’s rise in 1979.

LABOUR’S WILSON ENDS TORY RULE IN 1964

The Conservative government began to come off the rails as the 1960s dawned. They were beset by economic problems, the Profumo Affair, a sex scandal that had threatened national security, and an old guard establishment in charge that seemed out of touch with modernity.

Voters wanted to move on. Labour’s Harold Wilson, a pipe-smoking economist, made the then remarkable life journey from a northern town to 10 Downing Street. The year before his victory, Wilson had famously captured the now, in stark contrast to his opponents, with a speech extolling a new Britain that would need to be forged in the “white heat of a scientific revolution.”

London would swing later that decade. The Beatles were the country’s greatest export. But as viewers of “The Crown” TV series will know, Wilson had to dig Britain out of a deep economic hole and eventually devalue the pound when the deficit he had inherited from his predecessors became too crippling, He faced plots against his tenure both in the 1960s and during a second, briefer stint as prime minister in the mid-1970s.

THATCHER’S RADICAL RIGHT ASCENSION IN 1979

The "Winter of Discontent," a period in the late 1970s that saw Britain steeped in a mire of nationwide strikes by potent public sector trade unions, paved the way for a radical right-wing government led by Margaret Thatcher. Her rule would upend and divide the country.

She was dubbed “Iron Lady.” The domineering right-wing press backed her to the hilt. Thatcher saw the unions as the “enemy within” and sought to destroy them.

She waged war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands, also known as Las Malvinas. She won both battles. But they came at a cost. When Britain sank an Argentinian ship, the Belgrano, which was sailing away from the area of conflict, hundreds of young conscripts were killed. One headline in a Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid crowed, “Gotcha!”

Parts of society benefited hugely under Thatcher during the 1980s. But unemployment and poverty rocketed, especially in the north of the country where long-established industries, like mining, were destroyed and with them their communities. A dominant and divisive Thatcher won three consecutive elections. She was felled in 1990 by her own party over her belligerent stance over ties with the EU — a fate that would befall her Tory successors as well.

There was no love lost between Thatcher and Ted Heath, prime minister from 1970-1974 after she had ousted him as Conservative leader. When she was deposed Heath was said to have exclaimed, “rejoice, rejoice, rejoice!”

BLAIR’S ‘NEW LABOUR’ TAKES POWER IN 1997

After 18 years of Conservative power, Tony Blair won over voters with a pledge of a fresh start: His “New Labour” would be a new incarnation of the party, no longer left-leaning as they had historically been, much more centrist and highly EU- and business-friendly.

At first Blair declared his priorities to be “education, education and education.” But military interventions followed on behalf of Kosovo against Serbia and in Sierra Leone in 1999/2000.

A much-hyped millennium night display that fizzled out seemed to capture the way the government was headed — style and spin over substance. With the September 11 attacks came Blair’s determination to “stand shoulder to shoulder” with the U.S. He duly followed President George W. Bush into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. London was then targeted in deadly terror attacks in 2005. Blair handed over the premiership after 10 years to Gordon Brown with an Iraq War-tainted legacy.

CAMERON’S COALITION EKES OUT WIN IN 2010

Brown’s three years at the helm were punctuated by the global financial crisis of 2008 and its fallout. He was a less charismatic leader than Blair and faced a young and energetic David Cameron on polling day.

Various Conservative leaders had painted themselves as one-nation Tories since the Thatcherite era ended. Cameron also attempted to cultivate a more compassionate Conservative approach than years previous.

A hung parliament ensued: Cameron cobbled together a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and harsh austerity years followed. Labour was out after 13 years, but the British political landscape would come to be dominated by a new word to enter the lexicon later the same decade: Brexit.

———

EDITOR’S NOTE — Tamer Fakahany is AP’s deputy director for global news coordination and has helped direct international coverage for the AP for 16 years. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/tamerfakahany

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...7591106?cid=clicksource_76_null_headlines_hed

 

[northern watch]

Holger Zschaepitz‏ @Schuldensuehner
9 hours ago


It looks as if the ECB will ensure that the eurozone could reach the 60% debt ratio enshrined in the Maastricht Treaty. Effective debt to GDP ratio in the #Eurozone way lower than official debt data. (Chart via Standard Chartered)

 

[Plain Jane]

France is currently having another day of huge protests over the proposed pensions changes but this decision by the oil workers union could add a new dimension to the whole thing.

France's CGT says decision on unlimited strike at refineries mid next week

France's CGT union will decide next week whether to declare an unlimited strike at oil refineries, including potential production shut down mid next week if unions decide to harden that stance in the ongoing protest over planned pension reform.

www.reuters.com

NEWS
DECEMBER 10, 2019 / 5:45 AM / UPDATED 27 MINUTES AGO
France's CGT says decision on unlimited strike at refineries mid next week


1 MIN READ



FILE PHOTO: A French SNCF railway worker on strike holds a CGT labour union flag as he walks on a platform at Nice railway station during a day of national strike and protests against French government's pensions reform plans, France, December 5, 2019. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
PARIS (Reuters) - France’s CGT union will decide next week whether to declare an unlimited strike at oil refineries, including potential production shut down mid next week if unions decide to harden that stance in the ongoing protest over planned pension reform.
Workers at six of France’s seven refineries joined the nationwide protest on Tuesday following a call by unions for workers to stage one of the biggest protests in decades, against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.
Thierry Defresne, an official of the hardline CGT trade union, told Reuters that oil sector workers will continue the strike for 72 hours and will decide mid next week whether they’ll declare an unlimited strike.
Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Plain Jane]

Turkey hints it could bar US from using key air bases

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's foreign minister suggested Wednesday that the United States could be barred from using two strategic air bases in retaliation to possible U.S. sanctions against his country, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

apnews.com

Turkey hints it could bar US from using key air bases
2 hours ago

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s foreign minister suggested Wednesday that the United States could be barred from using two strategic air bases in retaliation to possible U.S. sanctions against his country, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Mevlut Cavusoglu comments came amid reports that U.S. lawmakers had agreed on a defense bill that also includes calls to sanction Turkey over its decision to proceed with the purchase and deployment of Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems.
“In the event of a decision to sanction Turkey, the Incirlik and Kurecik airbases can be brought to the agenda,” Anadolu quoted Cavusoglu as saying.

He said: “Congress members must understand that it is not possible to get anywhere with sanctions.”
Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey has been a main base for U.S. operations in the Middle East and more recently in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, while Kurecik, in eastern Turkey, is a key NATO base.
Turkey’s decision to proceed with the purchase of the Russian system has added to growing tensions between the two NATO allies. Washington says the Russian system poses a threat to NATO and has removed Turkey from the U.S.-led F-35 stealth fighter jet program.
Tensions were raised further after Turkey launched an incursion into northeastern Syria to drive away Syrian Kurdish forces that had partnered with the U.S. in the fight against the Islamic State group. Turkey considers the Kurdish fighters as terrorists because of their links to outlawed Kurdish rebels fighting inside Turkey.

 

[northern watch]

Germany Pushes Forward on European Financial Transactions Tax
Wednesday, December 11, 2019, 9:43 AM ET
By Patricia Kowsmann
Wall Street Journal

Germany, France, Italy and seven other countries are moving forward with a plan to impose a joint financial transaction tax on stock trading, an effort that has proved elusive in Europe.

Under a new blueprint for the tax, sent by Germany Finance Minister Olaf Scholz to the other governments on Monday and seen by The Wall Street Journal, anyone buying shares in large companies domiciled in those countries and with a market value of over EUR1 billion ($1.1 billion) will have to pay a minimum 0.2% tax over the transaction value.

No levy would be imposed on initial public offerings, market making, share buy backs and purchases by pension funds.
Companies whose shares would be subject to the tax include Germany's BMW AG, French drugmaker Sanofi SA, Inditex, the Spanish owner of fast-fashion retailer Zara, and Italian lender UniCredit SpA.

The move comes as discussions over such levies have become part of the campaign platforms of candidates in coming elections in the U.S. and the U.K.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has vowed to use the tax to finance her Medicare for All health-care plan. In the U.K., where for decades there has been a stamp duty on real-estate transactions and share transfers, the main opposition Labour Party is proposing to widen the securities included, from forex to derivatives.

France and Italy have already moved forward with their own national transaction taxes but have vowed to join the new system set up across the 10 European countries once it is in force.

Taxing financial trades have gained popularity after the financial crisis as a way to curb speculative excess and to fund government expenditures. Some in Europe have resisted the move, fearing taxing financial trades could further erode the development of the Continent's already weak capital markets.

Proceeds from the charge, which the German blueprint estimates at EUR3.4 billion, would be split among the countries, which also include Spain, Greece, Portugal, Belgium, Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia.

Earlier plans for a European Union-wide transaction tax failed to materialize in 2012 over disagreement among members. Back then, the European Union's executive arm proposed a 0.1% tax on share and bond trades and a 0.01% levy on derivative transactions, generating an estimated annual revenue of EUR30 billion to EUR35 billion if imposed by all 28 countries. After the deal fell apart, 11 countries remained committed to striking a deal. Estonia eventually dropped out.

The draft plan sent out by Germany to the other nine countries this week suggests they may be close to completing a deal, which is smaller in scope. At their last meeting in November, the participants tasked Mr. Scholz with coming up with a compromise proposal.

"In recent months, we successfully pressed forward with negotiations at the European level. We are now close to reaching our goal," Mr. Scholz wrote.

Germany is under some time pressure to deliver an agreement since the government has already earmarked the expected proceeds to pay for higher state pensions for the poor starting in 2021. It expects revenues of about EUR1.5 billion a year from the tax.

Given the glacial pace of progress at the European level, however, a debate has opened in Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition over whether Germany should deploy its own national tax ahead of a European agreement, following the French and Italian approaches.

Write to Patricia Kowsmann at patricia.kowsmann@wsj.com

Germany Pushes Forward on European Financial Transactions Tax

Germany, France, Italy and seven other countries are moving forward with a plan to impose a joint financial transaction tax on stock trading, an effort that has proved elusive in Europe.

www.wsj.com

 

[Zagdid]

Serbian President: “Serbia Will Always Support Greece’s Territorial Integrity and Sovereignty”
Serbian President: "Serbia Will Always Support Greece's Territorial Integrity and Sovereignty" - The National Herald (fair use)
By ANA December 11, 2019

ATHENS – Serbia’s visiting President Aleksandar Vucic was on Tuesday presented with the Gold Medal of Merit of the City of Athens by Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, at a special Athens City Hall event.

Bakoyanis said that he welcomed “the president of a friendly country, a seasoned politician, a legal expert but also a friend of literature and history” and added that “our peoples are bonded by both geography and history, this rich yet also disturbed centuries-old course in history to our common ‘home’, the Balkan peninsula.”

President Vucic, who is on an official two-day visit to Athens, said the medal reflects “the close and great friendship between our peoples,” and “our excellent relations since the Middle Ages.” He also mentioned the Mount Athos monastic community as “a meeting place for our two cultures” through history.

The Serbian president then commented on Greek-Turkish relations and said that “now that Greece is threatened in the Mediterranean by Turkey, we must tell you that Serbia will always stand by and support Greece’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

 

[northern watch]

Danish police carry out major operation over 'terror attack plot'
Ritzau / The Local
news@thelocal.dk
@thelocaldenmark
11 December 2019
17:49 CET+01:00

Police in Denmark on Wednesday arrested up to 20 people in a major anti-terror operation at several locations in the country.

A number of the arrested individuals are reported to be suspected of terrorism offences.

"The reason for this operation is the suspicion of preparation to carry out terrorist attacks with a militant, Islamist motive," Copenhagen Police said in a press statement on Wednesday.

In a brief tweet earlier in the day, police wrote that several police districts were involved in the action, which was led by Copenhagen Police.

The operation included “searches and arrests… in several parts of the country,” the tweet read.

Six police districts confirmed to broadcaster DR that they have were part of the operation: Copenhagen West Police, North Jutland Police, Funen Police, Central and West Jutland Police, and Central and West Zealand Police, as well as Copenhagen Police.

East Jutland Police confirmed to TV2 that it had also been involved.

Police operations have been reported in northern city Aalborg as well as in Valby and Herlev near Copenhagen, although it is currently unconfirmed whether these are part of the same case.

In Aalborg, two men were led away in white suits by armoured police, newspaper B.T. reported. It is also unclear whether this is related to the Copenhagen Police action.

In Valby, witnesses told B.T. they had seen a vehicle from bomb disposal unit EOD.

Copenhagen Police and police intelligence service PET are scheduled to give more detail at a press briefing which is ongoing at the time of writing.

At the briefing, Copenhagen Police chief inspector Jørgen Bergen Skov said that police "now have the situation under control", with all suspects in the case now arrested and none remaining at large.

Some of the arrested individuals had "acquired components for making explosives or attempted to acquire firearms", Skov also said.

Preliminary court hearings for some of those arrested are likely to take place on Thursday, the inspector confirmed.

Danish police carry out major operation over 'terror attack plot'

 

[northern watch]

Italian Interior Ministry: 42 percent of rapes committed by migrants
By Arthur Lyons
Voice of Europe
10 December 2019

Figures from Italy’s Interior Ministry have revealed that 42 out of 100 rapes in the country are carried out by migrants.

The Interior Ministry’s numbers also revealed that Italian women are more likely to be victims of sexual harassment or so-called minor sexual assaults than foreign women are. At the same time, foreign women are slightly more likely to experience major sex crimes like violent rape, daily newspaper Il Giornale reports.

The report comes just days after four African migrants appeared in court, facing charges of voluntary homicide, aggravated sexual violence, and distributing illegal drugs to 16-year-old Desirée Mariottini.

The four defendants, Alinno Chima and Mamadou Gara, Yusef Salia, and Brian Minteh are accused of having drugged and gang-raped Mariottini before leaving her to die alone in a drug den.

Last week, a 30-year-old migrant was arrested in near Naples and charged with kidnapping, stalking, and raping a 17-year-old girl. The migrant, who had been stalking her for some time, is said to have forced the young girl into his car before he bound her wrists, drove to an isolated location, and raped her.

Earlier this year in May, the African migrant drug dealer Innocent Oseghale who was found guilty of murdering and dismembering 18-year-old Pamela Mastropietro was sentenced to life in prison.

Italian Interior Ministry: 42 percent of rapes committed by migrants - Voice of Europe

 

[northern watch]

French government raises retirement age as strikes grind on

France's prime minister says the full retirement age will be increased for the country's youngest. But he offered concessions on Wednesday in an ill-fated effort to calm a nationwide protest against pension reforms that has lasted a full week

By THOMAS ADAMSON and SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press
11 December 2019

PARIS -- France's prime minister said Wednesday the full retirement age will be increased for the country's youngest, but offered concessions in an ill-fated effort to calm a nationwide protest against pension reforms that critics say will erode the nation's way of life.

The government is trying to make the pensions system sustainable and simpler but is facing huge public pressure, including a week of the most debilitating transport strikes in decades.

Major unions were quick to reject government proposals and vowed to strike on.

The day after over 300,000 protested across France, authorities measured a log-jam of some 460 kilometers (285 miles) of traffic in Paris. All metro lines bar two were closed and many train routes remained canceled as unions dig in their heels against President Emmanuel Macron, who they accuse of shaping policies in favor of the rich.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe detailed the pension reforms in a speech on Wednesday, saying bluntly that the French “will need to work longer.”

It was rich in detail. People born after 1974 will have to work until the age of 64 to get a full pension, instead of 62 previously. Those born before that date will not be affected in any way, he said, throwing out a sweetener.

The leader of the prominent CGT workers' union, Philippe Martinez, flatly rejected the new plans.

“The government is making fun of everyone,” he said. Several other unions including Workers' Force, said the prime minister's address only “confirms the necessity to step up the strike action.”

The new scheme is aimed at replacing a complicated pension system that included dozens of special privileges for some sectors, like public transport, with one set of rules for all.

Philippe said the changes would ensure the pension system is “fair and sustainable" in the face of a growing population with, a record number of people over 90.

For people entering the workforce, the reforms will only start to apply in 2022, which happens to be the last year of Macron's term. The government also introduced the country's first ever minimum pension, which will be available to those who worked their whole life, at a relatively high 1,000 euros ($1,100) per month. That compares with 858 euros (723 pounds) a month in the U.K.

Beginning under Macron's watch, it will be harder for the law to be undone by a successive president but late enough in his mandate to avert protracted political harm.

The plans though seem to have done little to abate the strikes that were billed as “unlimited” and threatened to mirror similar ones in 1995 that caused the ousting of Prime Minister Alain Juppe. That action paralyzed the country with widespread public support and were themselves compared to the events of May 1968, when France reached the brink of revolution.

Many French people and the unions leading the strikes fear the new system will force people to work longer for smaller pension allocations.

Amid all the political speeches, the strikes continue to cripple the eurozone's second-largest economy and the mood among the public remains strained but understanding.

French government raises retirement age as strikes grind on

 

[Zagdid]

Italy sends frigate to Cyprus saying “we are ready to show Turkey our flag”
Italy sends frigate to Cyprus saying “we are ready to show Turkey our flag” - Greek City Times (fair use)
WORLD NEWS 20 HOURS AGO

The frigate Federico Martinengo from the Italian Navy has made a stop in the port of Larnaca, Cyprus and is conducting a patrol operation in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea to carry out activities of presence and surveillance of maritime spaces, in compliance with international law and the protection of national interests.

During the stop, which began last Friday, December 6, the commander and crew representatives took part in the celebrations of the Feast Day of Agios Nikolaos, Patron Saint of the sea, sailors and the navy.

After leaving the port, frigate Martinengo will conduct training activities with ships from the navies of neighbouring countries, including Greece and Cyprus. This is expected to take place from December 12 to 14.

Its presence in the port of Larnaca is part of the Naval Diplomacy activities, carried out in the field of international cooperation and dialogue between the countries of the area, with which Italy has important political relations- diplomatic, economic and industrial.

“Italy has sent a military ship to Cyprus to protect its national interests,” Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported, adding that it is a “patrol in the eastern Mediterranean, aiming at the presence and surveillance of maritime areas, respecting international law and protecting national interests.”

“The message to Ankara is clear: if we need to show our flag, we are ready,” Italian officials told the Rome newspaper.

 

[Plain Jane]

EU leaves Poland out of 2050 climate deal after standoff

The European Union left Poland out of a 2050 climate neutrality agreement on Friday after hours of summit haggling with three poorer eastern member states that demanded more funds for economic transition and support for nuclear power.

www.reuters.com

NEWS
DECEMBER 11, 2019 / 7:38 PM / UPDATED 38 MINUTES AGO
Easterners demand funding and nuclear power to support EU climate deal

Michel Rose, Marton Dunai
4 MIN READ

BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic set out demands on Thursday that could block agreement on the European Union’s new push for climate neutrality by 2050, trumpeted by the bloc’s new chief executive as Europe’s “man on the moon” moment.

Tense talks are expected at a summit in Brussels of 27 EU leaders, at which the majority will offer financial incentives to the eastern member states to win their support for the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.
The summit is the first since Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen took office as the new head of the EU’s executive commission, and a failure to agree on the Green Deal, her biggest initiative, would be a setback for the bloc’s new leadership.

With floods, fires and droughts wrecking lives around the world, Greenpeace climate activists scaled the glass-fronted Europa building where the leaders were to meet, unfurling banners reading “Climate Emergency”, firing off red flares and blaring fire alarm sirens.
Some activists were detained by police and the protest ended well before the start of the summit at 3:00 p.m. (1400 GMT).
The eastern countries want more money to fund a transition to lower emissions, including a role for nuclear power, which emits no carbon but which Germany and others aim to phase out.

"It is important to have certainty that nobody will stop us in the construction of nuclear power units,” Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis told reporters before leaving for Brussels. “We have to have electricity for people, for firms, and heating.”
Hungary said it wants EU guarantees that a climate deal would not lead to price hikes in the energy and food sectors, and that costs would be borne by big polluters.
“Hungary agrees with the ambitious goals set by the EU but we cannot sign a blank cheque,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, told a news conference in Budapest.

THORNY BUDGET DEBATE
The bloc’s new chief executive proposed a Green Deal this week to mobilise 100 billion euros worth of investment to help economies move away from fossil fuels.
But the three eastern states are not yet on board, demanding that any decision spells out in more detail the scale and scope of financing available, as well as funding for nuclear energy.
The Czech Republic generates about half of its electricity from coal and wants to phase most of it out over the next 20 years, replacing part of it with new nuclear power plants.
Hungary relies on nuclear for about a third of its energy needs, with coal making up less than 15% of its energy mix. It wants to abolish coal by 2030 and replace it with a mix of nuclear, gas, renewables and energy imports.


Slideshow (2 Images)
Poland produces some 80% of its power from coal and discussions about introducing nuclear energy have not yet been settled, partly due to high costs.
One EU diplomat estimated chances for an agreement at the summit - which must be unanimous - at 50/50.

The climate discussion feeds into another tricky debate, over the next long-term budget, where no agreement is expected after a latest proposal to cap joint spending at 1.087 trillion euros for 2021-27 was rejected by both the frugal camp and those seeking a heavier outlay.
“Some people want to pay less, some people want to get more, others to do new things,” Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel told reporters in Brussels. “I wasn’t the best at mathematics but this, I think, is not going to add up.”
Additional reporting by Christian Levaux, Jason Hovet, Jonas Ekblom, Robin Emmott, Philip Blenkinsop, John Chalmers, Gabriela Baczynska, Andreas Rinke, Marine Strauss, Marcin Goclowski, Francesco Guarascio and Jan Lopatka; Writing by Gabriela Baczynska and John Chalmers; Editing by Peter Graff

 

[Plain Jane]

Belgium ordered to take in 10 children born to IS fighters

A Brussels court ordered the Belgian government on Thursday to help bring to Belgium 10 children who were born in Syria to Islamic State fighters of Belgian nationality.

www.reuters.com

NEWS
DECEMBER 12, 2019 / 8:16 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Belgium ordered to take in 10 children born to IS fighters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Brussels court ordered the Belgian government on Thursday to help bring to Belgium 10 children who were born in Syria to Islamic State fighters of Belgian nationality.

The children, aged between seven months and seven years, must be brought to Belgium within six weeks, the court said. They are now at the Al-Hol refugee camp in northeastern Syria which is under Kurdish control.

If the government does not comply by providing consular assistance and administrative documents for the children, it will be fined 5,000 euros ($5,511) per child per day, the court said.
Belgium’s justice minister, Koen Geens, told public radio the government was ready to take back the children as long as it did not have to take in their mothers as well.
Last month the court requested that the government take back within 75 days a woman whose husband fought for Islamic State, and her two children.
Reporting by Marine Strauss @StraussMarine, Editing by Timothy Heritage
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Germany Slams Trump's 'Meddling' In Europe's Energy After Nord Stream 2 Sanctions Passed
Profile picture for user Tyler Durden
by Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/13/2019 - 02:45

Included in Wednesday's just passed mammoth 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — which increases the Pentagon budget by $22 billion (to a whopping $738 billion) — were long-threatened sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream 2 underwater natural gas pipeline.

In the House bill, expected to be approved by the Senate sometime next week before Trump signs it into law, are measures which specifically target companies assembling the pipeline, a last ditch US effort to block the controversial 760-mile project that would allow Russia to export natural gas directly to Germany, depriving Ukraine of badly needed gas transit fees along the current route for Russian supplies.


Via Russia Business Today
The $10.5 billion Nord Stream 2, which runs parallel to the existing Nord Stream pipeline, has been spearheaded by Gazprom and five European energy companies, and is reportedly nearing completion. It's expected to double Russian gas shipments to the EU's biggest economy Germany. Washington fears it will give Moscow significant geopolitical leverage over Europe while also punishing Ukraine.


Over the past months projected completion has been consistently named as "by year's end", hence the Congressional scramble to 'act now' on sanctions, but reports say it's still months away from completion.

Regardless, Gazprom head Alexei Miller has for months said it's “past the point of no return” and that nothing would derail it. “We are working from the idea that Nord Stream 2 will be realized strictly in accordance with the planned timetable,” he previously told shareholders.

Trump has long charged Germany with essentially giving "billions" of dollars to Russia. Earlier this year a France-led effort in the European Union attempted to halt the project, however, Germany came out on top.

And now Berlin is hitting back over the new sanctions effort, charging Washington with "interference" and meddling in European energy policy.


Angela Merkel’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, told Bloomberg:

“European energy policy must be decided in Europe, not the U.S.” And added, “We fundamentally reject outside intervention and sanctions with extraterritorial effect.”

Completion is still months away, though it was expected to be operational by end of 2019. No doubt US sanctions could complicate its completion further.

Germany has expected such punitive actions, which have bipartisan support in Congress. The measures additionally target executives of companies operating vessels laying the pipeline.

French electricity and gas firm Engie SA and Royal Dutch shell are among other major companies alongside Gazprom which are major players in the controversial project.

 

[Plain Jane]

Ukraine extends law on special status for rebel regions

Ukrainian lawmakers have extended a law offering special status to separatist-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine in accordance with a peace deal brokered by France and Germany.

apnews.com

Ukraine extends law on special status for rebel regions

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian lawmakers have extended a law offering special status to separatist-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine in accordance with agreements brokered by France and Germany.

Thursday’s vote follows talks in Paris between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany that focused on efforts to revive a 2015 peace agreement. The 2015 Minsk deal envisaged a high degree of autonomy for the rebel regions, in what was considered a diplomatic coup for the Kremlin.

Ukraine has codified the provisions of the deal in a special law. It has been extended repeatedly but never implemented as fighting in the east has continued and efforts aimed at a political settlement have stalled.

The fighting between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces has killed over 14,000 since 2014 and devastated Ukraine’s industrial heartland.

 

[Plain Jane]

UK's Johnson says no to Sturgeon's Scottish referendum demand

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Friday he would not support her plan for a second independence referendum, clashing just hours after the two leaders emerged triumphant from a national election.

www.reuters.com

NEWS
DECEMBER 13, 2019 / 1:27 PM / UPDATED 16 HOURS AGO
UK's Johnson says no to Sturgeon's Scottish referendum demand

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Friday he would not support her plan for a second independence referendum, clashing just hours after the two leaders emerged triumphant from a national election.
Sturgeon had earlier on Friday demanded another independence referendum after her Scottish National Party (SNP) won a better-than-expected 48 out of Scotland’s 59 seats in the U.K. parliament in London.

Johnson, whose Conservatives won a resounding victory in Thursday’s election, spoke to Sturgeon later in the day and said he would not agree to another independence vote, after Scottish voters backed remaining in the United Kingdom in a 2014 vote.
“The Prime Minister made clear how he remained opposed to a second independence referendum, standing with the majority of people in Scotland who do not want to return to division and uncertainty,” Johnson’s office said in a statement.

He added how the result of the 2014 referendum was decisive and should be respected.”
Sturgeon responded shortly after on Twitter, saying she had told the prime minister that her political mandate to give people a choice must be respected, “just as he expects his mandate to be respected”.
Reporting by Kate Holton, Editing by Paul Sandle and Gareth Jones
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Plain Jane]

Three Five Star Movement Senators Defect To Salvini's League

Three Five Star Movement senators have defected to populist Matteo Salvini's League as the leftist coalition govt continues to struggle.

www.breitbart.com

Three Five Star Movement Senators Defect to Salvini’s League

CHRIS TOMLINSON December 15, 2019

Three Five Star Movement senators have defected to populist Matteo Salvini’s League as the leftist Five Star-Democratic Party government coalition continues to struggle.

The first senator to defect to the League (Lega) was Senator Ugo Grassi, who explained that he left the Five Star Movement (M5S) due to his severe disagreement with changing the European Union’s European Stability Mechanism (ESM), a move some have said could undermine Italy’s economy and sovereignty, Il Giornale reports.

Grassi added that he saw in Salvini and the League an opportunity to pursue “targeted investments for the development of the South.”

Matteo Salvini, who is a major critic of ESM reform, welcomed the defection, saying: “We welcome Senator Grassi. There are open doors for those who, with consistency, competence and seriousness, have positive ideas for Italy and are not under the thumb of the Democratic Party.”

“On reform and efficiency of justice and revival of Italian universities, we will work well with Senator Grassi,” he added.

Breitbart London
@BreitbartLondon

Later in the day, senators Francesco Urraro and Stefano Lucidi also announced they would be leaving the M5S and joining Salvini.

“Today some Five Star senators joined, not because we offered or promised anyone but because they felt betrayed,” Salvini said, and attacked M5S leader Luigi Di Maio and founder Beppe Grillo.

“The problem of the M5S is the inconsistency of Grillo and Di Maio and not the coherence of someone who yesterday in the parliament said that within the programme with which he was elected it was written to cancel the ESM,” Salvini added.

The loss of three senators is a blow to the leftist government coalition, which is already unpopular with the vast majority of Italians — with only one in four saying they had confidence in the government in a recent poll.

Salvini, meanwhile, has enjoyed consistently high polling and has been rated to the most popular and trusted politician in Italy, ahead of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

 

[Plain Jane]

Major states snub calls for climate action as U.N. summit wraps up

A handful of major states resisted pressure on Sunday to ramp up efforts to combat global warming as a U.N. climate summit ground to a close, angering smaller countries and a growing protest movement that is pushing for emergency action.

www.reuters.com

BUSINESSDECEMBER 14, 2019 / 10:02 PM / UPDATED 15 HOURS AGO
Major states snub calls for climate action as U.N. summit wraps up
Matthew Green, Jake Spring
5 MIN READ

MADRID (Reuters) - A handful of major states resisted pressure on Sunday to ramp up efforts to combat global warming as a U.N. climate summit ground to a close, angering smaller countries and a growing protest movement that is pushing for emergency action.

The COP25 talks in Madrid were viewed as a test of governments’ collective will to heed the advice of science to cut greenhouse gas emissions more rapidly, in order to prevent rising global temperatures from hitting irreversible tipping points.

But the conference, in its concluding draft, endorsed only a declaration on the “urgent need” to close the gap between existing emissions pledges and the temperature goals of the landmark 2015 Paris climate agreement - an outcome U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called disappointing.

Many developing countries and campaigners had wanted to see much more explicit language spelling out the importance of countries submitting bolder pledges on emissions as the Paris process enters a crucial implementation phase next year.

Brazil, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the United States had led resistance to bolder action, delegates said.

“These talks reflect how disconnected country leaders are from the urgency of the science and the demands of their citizens in the streets,” said Helen Mountford, Vice President for Climate and Economics, at the World Resources Institute think-tank. “They need to wake up in 2020.”

The lack of a strong outcome to reinforce the Paris accord raises the stakes for the next big climate summit, in Glasgow in November next year. As hosts, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government faces the task of persuading countries to submit more ambitious plans to cut carbon emissions.

The Madrid summit had been due to end at the two-week mark on Friday but ran on for two extra days - a long delay even by the standards of often torturous climate summits.

After final decisions were made, Chile’s environment minister Carolina Schmidt - who served as president of the talks - said she was “of mixed emotions”.

The country had earlier triggered outrage after drafting a version of the text that campaigners complained was so weak it betrayed the spirit of the Paris Agreement.

'A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY’?
The process set out in the Paris deal hinges on countries ratcheting up emissions cuts next year.

The final draft did acknowledge the “significant gap” between existing pledges and the temperature goals adopted in 2015.

Nevertheless, it was still seen as a weak response to the sense of urgency felt by communities around the world afflicted by floods, droughts, wildfires and cyclones that scientists say have become more intense as the Earth rapidly warms.

Guterres, who opened the talks on Dec 2., said he was “disappointed”.

“The international community lost an important opportunity to show increased ambition on mitigation, adaptation and finance to tackle the climate crisis,” he said in a statement. “We must not give up and I will not give up.”

Delegates drew some consolation from an agreement reached in Brussels last week by the European Union’s 28 member states, bar Poland, to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, under a “Green Deal” to wean the continent off fossil fuels.

“It seems that EU now needs to be the leader and we want to be and we are going to be and that is what we are doing,” said Krista Mikkonen, Finland’s environment minister and the EU’s representative at the talks.

Slideshow (11 Images)
The negotiations became mired in disputes over the rules that should govern international carbon trading, favored by wealthier countries to reduce the cost of cutting emissions. Brazil and Australia were among the main holdouts, delegates said, and the summit deferred big decisions on carbon markets.

“As many others have expressed, we are disappointed that we once again failed to find agreement,” said Felipe De Leon, a climate official speaking on behalf of Costa Rica.

Smaller nations had also hoped to win guarantees of financial aid to cope with climate change. The Pacific island of Tuvalu accused the United States, which began withdrawing from the Paris process last month, of blocking progress.

“There are millions of people all around the world who are already suffering from the impacts of climate change,” Ian Fry, Tuvalu’s representative, told delegates. “Denying this fact could be interpreted by some to be a crime against humanity.”

Reporting by Matthew Green, Valerie Volcovici and Jake Spring; Editing by David Gregorio and John Stonestreet

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[Plain Jane]

Britain threatens Brexit cliff-edge to force EU trade deal by December 2020

Britain set a hard deadline of December 2020 on Tuesday to reach a new trade deal with the European Union, betting that the prospect of another Brexit cliff-edge would force Brussels to move more quickly than usual to seal an accord.

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NEWSDECEMBER 16, 2019 / 5:30 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
UK uses threat of Brexit cliff-edge to demand EU trade deal by end of 2020
Guy Faulconbridge
4 MIN READ

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the prospect of a Brexit cliff-edge at the end of 2020 to demand the European Union gives him a comprehensive free trade deal in less than 11 months.

In his boldest move since winning a large majority in last Thursday’s election, Johnson will use his control of parliament to outlaw any extension of the Brexit transition period beyond 2020.

“Our manifesto made clear that we will not extend the implementation (transition) period and the new Withdrawal Agreement Bill will legally prohibit government agreeing to any extension,” a senior government official said on Tuesday.

Asked if the government would legislate to rule out any extension of the transition beyond 2020, one of Johnson’s most senior ministers, Michael Gove, said: “Exactly, absolutely.”

After the United Kingdom leaves the European Union on Jan. 31, it enters a transition period in which it remains an EU member in all but name while both sides try to hammer out a deal on their post-Brexit relationship.

A comprehensive free trade deal would encompass everything from financial services and rules of origin to tariffs, state aid rules and fishing, though the scope and sequencing of any future deal is still up for discussion.

The pound fell 1.2% to $1.3155 and to 84.59 pence against the euro, levels where it had traded before the scale of Johnson’s victory became clear on Thursday evening and prompted strong gains. The pound is down more than 2% from a post-election high above $1.35 against the dollar.

By enshrining in law his campaign promise not to extend the transition period beyond the end of 2020, Johnson cuts the amount of time he has to negotiate a trade deal to 10-11 months - and possibly quite a lot less, given the time needed for UK and EU parliamentary approval of any deal.

The EU hopes to start the trade talks with Britain by March.

Trade deals usually take many years. The 2,000-page EU-Canada trade deal known as CETA, or the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, took seven years to negotiate.

While Johnson’s large majority gives him the flexibility to change the law should he need to, he is sending a message to the EU - whose leaders have cautioned London that more time would be needed for a comprehensive trade deal.

EU DEAL?
If the United Kingdom and the EU failed to strike a deal on their future relationship and the transition period were not extended, then trade between the two would be on World Trade Organization (WTO) terms - more burdensome for businesses.

The EU insists it will not seal a trade deal with a large, economically powerful neighbor without solid provisions to guarantee fair competition.

Its demands will focus on environmental and labor standards, as well as state aid rules to ensure Britain would not be able to offer products on the bloc’s single market at unfairly low prices.

Britain’s conundrum is that it will be under pressure to loosen rules on agricultural and food standards to strike a bilateral trade deal with the United States.

But this would be crossing a red line for the EU, which would restrict access to its market to protect its own producers.

Johnson and U.S. President Donald Trump by phone on Monday and they agreed on the need for continued close cooperation and the negotiation of an “ambitious” UK-U.S. free trade agreement.

Slideshow (3 Images)
In Britain’s talks with Brussels, fishing will be a particularly thorny issue as EU countries will no longer be able to operate in British waters as they do now.

With industry supply chains in the EU crossing borders multiple times for products like cars and drugs, agreeing exact rules to designate where products come from - and hence what regulations and taxes apply - will also be fraught.

“It will be very complicated. It’s about an array of relations, in trade, in fishing and cooperation in security and foreign policy,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told an EU summit news conference on Friday.

Writting by Guy Faulconbridge in London; Additional reporting by Michael Holden in London, Gabriela Baczynska and John Chalmers in Brussels and Akshay Balan in Bengaluru; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Gareth Jones

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[Plain Jane]

Poland could exit EU over judicial reform clash: top Polish court

Poland could end up leaving the European Union because of plans by the ruling nationalists that would allow judges to be fired if they question the legitimacy of the government's judicial reforms, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday.

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NEWS
DECEMBER 17, 2019 / 8:51 AM / UPDATED 5 HOURS AGO
Poland could exit EU over judicial reform clash: top Polish court


3 MIN READ
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland could end up leaving the European Union because of plans by the ruling nationalists that would allow judges to be fired if they question the legitimacy of the government’s judicial reforms, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday.

The court said the plans could contravene European law and exacerbate existing tensions between Brussels and Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party (PiS).
“Contradictions between Polish law and EU law ... will in all likelihood lead to an intervention by the EU institutions regarding an infringement of the EU treaties, and in the longer perspective (will lead to) the need to leave the European Union,” Poland’s Supreme Court said in a statement.
The EU has accused PiS of politicizing the judiciary since the party swept to power in 2015. Pis says its reforms are necessary to make the court system more efficient.
Under draft legislation now before parliament, PiS aims to prevent judges from ruling that peers, nominated by a panel appointed by the party, are not independent.
“The Commission has a very clear position on protecting the judiciary from political interference,” European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand told Reuters in response to the Supreme Court statement.


“The Commission continues to follow the situation closely. We remain ready and available to discuss with the Polish authorities ways forward to resolving the issues at hand.”
The EU had said on Monday it would investigate whether the draft law undermines judicial independence.
The Supreme Court statement also said the proposed bill was “evidently” designed to allow President Andrzej Duda, an ally of PiS, to pick a new head of the court before a presidential election expected in May.
The current head of the Supreme Court, Malgorzata Gersdorf, is due to stand down in April. She was appointed before PiS came to power and has been openly critical of the party’s reforms.
Gersdorf has called a meeting of all judges for March 17 so they can participate in the process of choosing the next head of the Supreme Court, court spokesman Michal Laskowski told a news conference on Tuesday.
Moves by Hungary and Poland to bring their courts and media under tighter state control have led the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, to begin rule-of-law investigations that could in theory lead to a suspension of their EU voting rights.


Brussels is considering tying adherence to the rule of law and democratic standards with access to EU budget funds.
Poland joined the EU in 2004 and public support for membership remains strong, despite the tussles between Brussels and PiS. Poland is a major beneficiary of EU funds for its farmers and infrastructure projects.
There is no mechanism for the EU to expel a member state. So far only Britain has chosen to leave the bloc, following a referendum in 2016. It is expected to exit the EU next month.
Reporting by Alicja Ptak in Warsaw; Jonas Ekblom in Brussels, Writing by Joanna Plucinska; Editing by Gareth Jones
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