European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen expressed strong concern about Britain’s plans to pass a bill breaking a treaty on the withdrawal from the EU, noting it would destroy trust and undermine trade talks
FILE PHOTO: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen makes an annoucement on the composition of the EU Commission College in Brussels, Belgium, September 8, 2020. Aris Oikonomou/Pool via REUTERS BRUSSELS - European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen expressed strong concern on Wednesday about Britain’s plans to pass a bill breaking a treaty on the withdrawal from the European Union, noting it would destroy trust and undermine trade talks.
Britain announced draft legislation that explicitly acknowledges some of its provisions would break international law, according to a copy seen by Reuters. The proposals, which the government has said would break international law “in a very specific and limited way”, have contributed to concerns that Britain could leave the EU in four months with no new agreement on trade. “Very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement. This would break international law and undermines trust. Pacta sunt servanda=the foundation of prosperous future relations,” von der Leyen said on Twitter. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said that a telephone conversation with British minister in charge of planning for a no-deal Brexit Michael Gove on Tuesday evening he made clear that if talks on a future trade deal were to continue the EU had to have trust in London. “For us this is of course a matter of principle,” Sefcovic told a news conference. “The trust to continue our discussion on the implementation ... is a must.”“I will call for an extraordinary Joint Committee on the Withdrawal Agreement to be held as soon as possible so that our UK partners elaborate and respond to our strong concerns on the bill,” Sefcovic told a news briefing of London’s planned new domestic laws that risk undercutting the EU-UK divorce treaty. In a phone call with Sefcovic late on Tuesday, Gove confirmed London’s commitment to the Brexit treaty’s provisions on the Irish border, a British government spokesperson said earlier on Wednesday. [S8N2EK00Z]
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why the Australia-EU trade model isn't a 'good outcome' for BritainUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is threatening to walk away from faltering trade talks with the European Union if a deal isn't reached next month, leaving Britain staring down the barrel of a damaging no-deal Brexit again
Read more »
UK ramps up no-deal preparations as EU trade talks stallBritain began a fresh round of Brexit trade talks by warning the European Union that it was ramping up preparations to leave the bloc without an agreement as the two sides bicker over rules that govern nearly $1 trillion in trade.
Read more »
Britain suggests it may overturn parts of the EU withdrawal agreementUrsula von der Leyen has made it clear that unless existing agreements are respected in full, there can be no future deal between the EU and Britain
Read more »
EU aims for strategic economic autonomy after COVID pandemicThe European Union wants to reposition its economy to become more independent from global powers like Asia and the United States in the production medicines and processors, the chairman of EU leaders Charles Michel said on Tuesday.
Read more »
EU: 1 in 8 deaths linked to pollution in EuropeProlonged exposure to pollutants can cause diabetes, lung disease and cancer, and early evidence suggests air pollution may be linked to higher death rates among Covid-19 patients.
Read more »
One in eight deaths in Europe linked to pollution, environment, EU saysEnvironmental factors such as air pollution and heatwaves exacerbated by climate change contribute to around 13% of all deaths in Europe, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said on Tuesday.
Read more »