Strasbourg, France | AFP | The EU will abolish mobile phone roaming charges from June 15 following a vote in the European Parliament on Thursday. MEPs backed a deal between operators and European Union member states that will mean the end of extra charges when people use their phones abroad in …
Read More »COMMENT: 60 years of the Rome Treaties
Europe looks back with pride and looks forward with hope By: EU envoys The European Union will on 25th March mark 60 years since the signing of the Rome Treaties, the first step towards a united Europe. Since the birth of the European Communities in 1957, the citizens of our …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Lloyd’s ‘had to’ open Europe office following Brexit
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Lloyd’s of London’s decision to open a European subsidiary was inevitable following the trigger of Brexit, with the only difficult choice being its location, chief executive Inga Beale told AFP Thursday. Lloyd’s, which insures against catastrophes such as earthquakes, shipwrecks and revolutions, announced it …
Read More »Britain delivers letter launching Brexit process
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Britain formally launched the process to leave the EU on Wednesday, handing a letter to EU president Donald Tusk formally notifying the bloc, an AFP journalist said. Tim Barrow, Britain’s ambassador to the European Union, personally delivered the letter signed by British Prime Minister Theresa May …
Read More »Brexit job fears stalk Britain’s financial centres
Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Worries are whirring in Britain’s smaller financial centres — which together employ far more people than the glamorous City of London — that the looming EU departure will lead to heavy job losses. In Manchester’s buzzing finance district of Spinningfields, a worker at an …
Read More »Erdogan says would be ‘easier’ if EU rejects Turkey bid
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday lashed out again in the diplomatic row with the European Union saying it would be “easier” if the EU just rejected Turkey’s bid to join the bloc. Turkey and Europe are locked in a bitter dispute after Germany …
Read More »Troubled EU renews vows on 60th anniversary
Rome, Italy | AFP | European Union leaders renewed their vows at a special summit in Rome on Saturday, celebrating the troubled bloc’s 60th anniversary with a commitment to a common future without Britain. With British Prime Minister Theresa May absent, the other 27 countries signed a new declaration on …
Read More »Scotland takes a step towards new independence vote
Edinburgh, United Kingdom | AFP | Scotland’s announcement on Monday that it will begin preparations for a new independence bid raised the spectre of one of Brexit’s most feared consequences — the break-up of the United Kingdom. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would seek the semi-autonomous Scottish parliament’s authority …
Read More »Shuttered: EU ditches summit ‘family photo’
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The EU has ditched the traditional “family photo” of leaders at Brussels summits as it seeks a more modern image for the bloc, European sources said. Until the end of last year, the 28 European Union leaders gathering for their regular meetings would pose together …
Read More »ANALYSIS: What is ‘multi-speed’ Europe Union?
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The idea of a so-called multi-speed European Union is not new, and some might argue that it already describes the bloc in its current form. But as 27 EU leaders without Britain discuss their post-Brexit future, the concept has come to dominate debate on what …
Read More »