Tag: UE

Eu Leaders rejected Chequers Plan

London (Caterina Moser) – “Theresa May’s Brexit trade plan won’t work” the President of the EU Council Donald Tusk has said at the end of the EU summit in Salzburg.

The Prime Minister showed her “Chequers plan” to the leaders of the 27 remaining member states.
In these last days, she repeated several times that her proposals were “the only serious credible” ways to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland.

After her speech, the 27 leaders held a meeting discussing the May’s purpose. They agreed on the unacceptability of the “Chequers plan”.

“It was a good and brave step by the prime minister” said French President Emmanuel Macron. “But we all agreed on this today, the proposals in their current state are not acceptable, especially on the economic side of it” he added.

At the press conference, the President of the EU Council Donald Tusk said that there were some “positive elements”, but “the suggested framework for economic cooperation will not work” he added.

The plan signs up to a common rule book for trade in goods and a combined customs territory. Nevertheless, according to European leaders, it will undermine the single market by giving British companies a competitive edge.

President Tusk motivated the rejection of the proposal: there should be more transparency on future commercial relations. “It must be clear that there are some issues where we are not ready to compromise and first of all this is our fundamental freedoms and single market and this is why we remain sceptical and critical when it comes to this part of the Chequers proposals,” he said.

In addition to the criticism expressed by the EU, May’s proposal is also unpopular in her country, and even inside her party.
MP Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg said that Tusk’s remarks signaled the end of the Checkers proposal.

There was a “lot of hard work to be done” Theresa May said. She has ready to meet EU reserves on his plan for a cartel announcing “soon new proposals” on the future of the borders between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Mr Tusk gave an ultimatum: October would be the “moment of truth” for reaching a deal. It is the only condition to held the summit in November to formalise the deal. The Brexit summit will be held on 17 and 18 November.

The October EU Council will be the “moment of truth” for Brexit.
“Without an October grand finale, in a positive sense of this word, there is no reason to organise a special meeting in November” stressed Tusk.

Brexit: Is this the end for EU students?

London (Benedetta Pironi) – Since the Brexit happened in 2016, the referendum established the leave for the British Island from the European Union. More than a year after the EU leaders approved the start of the second phase of the negotiation. But what will occur exactly?

If the content of the first phase involved economic and geo-political issues, now the discussion turns around the relationship between UK-EU within a period of transition. This time frame is crucial to determine the condition of a new possible government post-Brexit. In particular, one of the priority involves the academic world and its consequences in terms of international education.

It will be important to clarify and make a decision about the maintenance of international programs such as Horizon 2020 ad Erasmus+, which promote the mobility of those students who desire to take up a career or an educational path abroad.

The student exchanges, the cooperation between teachers, and the collaboration of global institutions are essential factors for the growth and improvement of a cosmopolitan nation. The introduction of Brexit therefore generates a tense atmosphere made of doubts and anxiety for the near future. Although London still attracts a lot of international students, the condition of an instability like this causes skepticism to young people who see their rights, as well as their dreams, collapse.

But this new generation, so-called millennials, are young people born in a dynamic world, which is constantly in evolution. In that sense, they have learnt to be more flexible and open-minded and, in contrast to their ancestors, they are more inclined to detach from a reality if this one can limit them.

So what would be the consequences if Great Britain, after 2020, decide not to support these activities anymore? The worst prediction would be a brain drain exodus, that had already affected Italy a few years ago, of young talented people towards other countries.