The first round of Brexit negotiations in Brussels started on Monday the 19th of June. The negotiations between the United Kingdom, represented by David Davis and the EU, represented by Michel Barnier, will take place in Brussels in a series of meetings. This round concerns the detailed timeline of the negotiations, the meeting of the representatives and the first talks on the issues which are vital for the EU to address before moving onto negotiations about a future trade deal.
After the second round of voting on Sunday the 18th of June the party of French president Emmanuel Macron obtained a majority in the parliamentary elections. La République En Marche! (LREM) carried 308 seats out of 577 in the Assemblé National, France’s lower chamber. The win gives the recently elected Macron the parliamentary majority and democratic mandate to carry out his liberal reforms in traditionally socialist France.
Just a year ago, Emmanuel Macron’s party En Marche! (“On the Move!”) had no representation in the French Parliament. It was later projected that it would take anywhere from 390 to 430 seats out of the possible 577 in the French Parliament. Following the landslide victory on Sunday, Macron’s party advances through to the next round of voting to be held on 18 June. A win means that Macron's Party gains the majority and the control of France will be held in both branches by the same Party.
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Elections in Great Britain were defeated by the Tories - as alleged. Conservatives, however, failed to gain 326 seats in the House of Commons, needed to form a self-government. Theresa May’s Party was eight seats short of the desired result. Hence a DUP- coalition government with the right-wing, pro-Brexit party from Northern Ireland will be necessary. The second result was achieved by the Labor Party under the leadership firmly leftist Jeremy Corbyn - 261 seats. Theresa May has announced early elections this year due to the "exceptional" situation after referendum June 23, 2016, in which the British decided to leave the EU.
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Today officially confirmed Montenegro's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Podgorica finally sealed their long-standing efforts for membership. Montenegro became the 29th member of NATO. It has been a decade since the last state has been accepted to the Covenant - Montenegro on June 5th has closed period. This is an important strategic move for the Pact, which allows you to extend its influence in the Balkans - a region still located in the area of interest of the Kremlin.
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The European Union Parliament has approved a free trade agreement between EU and Canada. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has been five years in the making and its ratification is set to drop all trade barriers between the EU and Canada. Debate lasts almost three hours and the deal was approved by 408 voters, 254 was against. Hundreds of protesters showed up in Strasbourg claiming that only big companies will benefit on this agreement and that will change food safety.
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Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected by the Federal Assembly, made up of 630 federal members of parliament and delegates from 16 states. This centre-left politician received 931 of 1260 votes. Former president, Joachim Gauck did not decide to run in the next elections, because of his age and he will step down on March 18. Steinmeier previosuly was a vice chancellor and foreign minister under chancellor Angela Merkel. In his speech Steinmeier said: “Let’s be brave, because then we don’t have to be afraid of the future”. He also mentioned that we live in tough times and Germany should be a role model state for other nations.
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European Union leaders melt in Valetta to give their political backing to a series of new measures aimed at stemming the flow of migrants from the Libyan coast to Italy. After an EU-Turkish deal, the Mediterranean crossing is now the main migrant route. Some of the key declarations include capacity building in Libya for key authorities to acquire control over land and sea borders, financial support for Libyan national coastguard, attempt to step up voluntary returns by migrants, assist in policing Libya’s land borders, and that the EU would look at the possibility of sending migrants back to Libya (and the potential barriers to this, whilst respecting international law).
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The annual economic forum in Switzerland was markedly different than in previous years, seeking to justify the economic models that govern modern nation states, and the take advantage of a shakeup in the world order. The summit included speeches from Xi Jinping, the Chinese premier, arguing that there can be no winners in a global trade war, from Phillip Hammond, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, on Brexit. There was also an intervention from Henry Kissinger, arguing that the current world order must be upheld. The general mood was one of uncertainty and global instability. Globalisation has been criticised around the world, and it is up to current world leaders to either follow public opinion, or find ways to make systems of international trade more palatable to those most affect.
Read More Former Italian Air Force officer Antonio Tajani has been elected President of the European Parliament. After four rounds of voting Mr Tajani was victorious, receiving 351 votes and beating his fellow countryman Giani Pitella who achieved a total of 202. In total six candidates put themselves forward, and took part in televised debates – the first time this has occurred when selecting an EP President. The 53-year- old is a member of the European People’s Party (EPP), a pro-European centre-right political party whose current leader is Jean-Claude- Juncker, the president of the European Commission.
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