Johnson, Juncker meet in search of a Brexit deal

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Johnson, Juncker meet in search of a Brexit deal

2019-09-16 17:15 Last Updated At：17:20

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will have his first meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday in search of a longshot Brexit deal.

The two men are scheduled to hold talks over a lunch of snails and salmon in Luxembourg, amid claims from the U.K. — though not the EU — that a deal is in sight.

Johnson says the U.K. will leave the EU on the scheduled Oct. 31 date, with or without a withdrawal agreement. But he insists he can strike a revised divorce deal with the bloc in time for an orderly departure. The agreement made by his predecessor, Theresa May, was rejected three times by Britain's Parliament.

Johnson said in a Daily Telegraph column Monday that he believes "passionately" that a deal can be agreed and approved at a summit of EU leaders on Oct. 17-18.

But the EU says it is still waiting for firm proposals from the U.K.

The key sticking point is the "backstop," an insurance policy in May's agreement intended to guarantee an open border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.'s Northern Ireland. That is vital both to the local economy and to Northern Ireland's peace process.

British Brexit supporters oppose the backstop because it keeps the U.K. bound to EU trade rules, limiting its ability to forge new free trade agreements around the world after Brexit.

Britain has suggested the backstop could be replaced by "alternative arrangements," but the EU says it has yet to hear any workable suggestions.

Neither side expects a breakthrough Monday, but much still rests on Johnson's encounter with Juncker, who like other EU officials is tired of the long-running Brexit drama, and wary of Johnson's populist rhetoric.

The British leader has vowed to leave the bloc "do or die" and compared himself to angry green superhero the Incredible Hulk, telling the Mail on Sunday newspaper: "The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets, and he always escapes ... and that is the case for this country."

European Parliament Brexit chief Guy Verhofstadt branded the comparison "infantile," and it also earned a rebuke from "Hulk" star Mark Ruffalo.

Ruffalo tweeted: "Boris Johnson forgets that the Hulk only fights for the good of the whole. Mad and strong can also be dense and destructive."

Monday's meeting marks the start a tumultuous week, with the Brexit deadline just 45 days away.

On Tuesday, Britain's Supreme Court will consider whether Johnson's decision to prorogue — or suspend — the British Parliament for five weeks was lawful, after conflicting judgments in lower courts.

Johnson sent lawmakers home until Oct. 31, a drastic move that gives him a respite from rebellious lawmakers determined to thwart his Brexit plan.

Last week, Scotland's highest civil court ruled the prorogation illegal because it had the intention of stymieing Parliament. The High Court in London, however, said it was not a matter for the courts.

If the Supreme Court overturns the suspension, lawmakers could be called back to Parliament as early as next week.

Many lawmakers fear a no-deal Brexit would be economically devastating, and are determined to stop the U.K. from crashing out of the bloc on Oct. 31.

Just before the suspension, Parliament passed a law that orders the government to seek a three-month delay to Brexit if no agreement has been reached by late October.

Johnson insists he will not seek a delay under any circumstances, though it's not clear how he can avoid it.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Monday that the government would obey the law, but suggested it would try to find loopholes.

"I think the precise implications of the legislation need to be looked at very carefully," he told the BBC. "We are doing that."

Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit and British politics at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit

Macron outlines his vision for Europe to become an assertive global power as war in Ukraine rages on

2024-04-26 00:49 Last Updated At：00:52

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron warned Thursday that Europe could “die” if it fails to build its own robust defense as Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, or if it fails to undertake major trade and economic reforms to compete with China and the U.S.

Macron urged Europeans to become more ambitious in a fast-changing world to face the challenges of war, fierce trade competition, energy scarcity, climate change and increasing authoritarianism.

In a nearly two-hour speech at Sorbonne University in Paris, Macron said that the continent is divided and “too slow and lacks ambition” at a time when the 27-member European Union needs to become a superpower, defend its own borders and speak with one voice if it wants to survive and thrive.

“Our Europe today is mortal,” Macron said. “It can die and that depends solely on our choices,” he added. He called on people to make those choices now because, “it’s today that Europe is between war and peace.”

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, is an existential threat and Europe isn't armed enough to defend itself when “confronted by a power like Russia that has no inhibitions, no limits,” Macron said.

‘Our ability to ensure our security is at stake," Macron said. “Russia mustn’t be allowed to win.”

Europe now has the “good fortune” of having the Biden administration’s commitment to supporting Ukraine, Macron said. But, in a year of key elections around Europe, in the U.S. and elsewhere, support may fragment or disappear entirely, he added.

“Europe must become capable of defending its interests, with its allies by our side whenever they are willing, and alone if necessary,” Macron said.

Strong armies, a European rapid intervention program and force, tanks, a missile shield and other weapons, produced in Europe, will need the support of “a joint diplomatic force that will speak with one voice and build bridges with Africa and Latin America,” the French leader said.

“Only then will Europe show that it's not a United States’ lap dog, and that it also knows how to talk to other regions of the world,” he said.

France has been a firm supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, and Macron has often clashed with other Western leaders as he has insisted that Europe must stand by the country at any cost. The French president alarmed European leaders by saying recently that sending Western troops into Ukraine to shore up its defenses shouldn’t be ruled out.

Referring to trade practices of China and the U.S., Macron said “the two world powers have decided not to respect the rules of global trade” by shoring up protections and subsides while Europe’s industry remains open and is stuck in overregulation.

“Let’s do the same, we are in competition,” Macron said.

“We must buy faster, we must produce more and we must buy more that is made in Europe. That is key,” Macron said.

Thursday's speech came less than two months before a pivotal European Parliament election.

Macron, an avid advocate of a united and assertive Europe, also rallied support for his centrist Renaissance party before the June 6-9 vote as far-right parties lead the moderate coalitions in the polls. He called for safeguarding democratic values as the “authoritarian model” was becoming “more popular” across the continent.

The war in Ukraine and immigration are top priorities for European Union voters, according to polls. Far-right parties have gained support by criticizing Macron’s government policies on both issues. Macron acknowledged divisions on immigration policies, including on asylum and deportation rules for those who have arrived to Europe illegally.

He emphasized the need for an effective response and Europe-wide coordination for curbing illegal immigration, closer cooperation with immigrants' countries of origin and a unified, relentless fight against human traffickers.

Macron criticized the idea of striking an agreement, as Britain as done, with countries in Africa and elsewhere to transfer immigrants there.

“This is a betrayal of our values that ultimately leads us to dependency on other counties,” Macron said.

The British government earlier this week approved a law allowing the deportation of some migrants who enter the country illegally to Rwanda.

Macron lost his majority in France’s most influential house of parliament, the National Assembly, after the 2022 election to the far-left coalition and the far-right National Rally party.

The social situation in France remains tense as Paris prepares to host the Olympic Games this summer, amid protests from teachers and police officers, and farmer demonstrations in recent weeks. The protests follow huge rallies last year against Macron’s ultimately successful proposal to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Barbara Surk reported from Nice, France. Lorne Cook contributed to this report from Brussels.

Johnson, Juncker meet in search of a Brexit deal

News

Johnson, Juncker meet in search of a Brexit deal

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