Poll reveals 60% of people here don't believe London-Brussels reset has improved NI's relationship with EU
Six in 10 people in Northern Ireland don't believe that the London-Brussels reset in relations has improved Northern Ireland's relationship with the EU, according to a new poll.
The European Movement survey also indicated that more than two-thirds of people here (67%) say they would support a united Ireland within the EU, compared to 62% in favour in the Republic.
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The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
EU seeks to lower a price cap on Russian oil and discourage Nord Stream pipeline investors
The European Union wants to lower a cap on the price of Russian oil to deprive the Kremlin of extra profits to fund its war in Ukraine as part of a new raft of sanctions aimed at forcing Moscow to the negotiating table, senior officials said on Tuesday. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc is 'proposing to lower the oil price cap from $60 to $45, which is lower than the market price, and lowering the oil price cap will hit Russia's revenues hard.' Kallas said the EU also wants to impose 'sanctions on the Nord Stream pipelines to prevent Russia generating any revenue in the future. In this way, it sends a clear signal we are not going back to business as usual.' All 27 EU member countries must all agree for the sanctions to enter force. In 2023, Ukraine's Western allies limited sales of Russian oil to $60 per barrel but the price cap was largely symbolic as most of Moscow's crude — its main moneymaker — cost less than that. Still, the cap was there in case oil prices rose. Oil income is the linchpin of Russia's economy, allowing President Vladimir Putin to pour money into the armed forces while avoiding worsening inflation for everyday people and a currency collapse. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she assumed that the price cap would be discussed and agreed among the leaders of the Group of Seven major world economic powers when they meet in Canada on June 15-17. She said the United States and its G7 partners realize 'that the oil price has lowered so much that the effectiveness of the cap is to be questioned, and therefore we all want to lower the oil price from $60 per barrel down to $45 per barrel.' The Nord Stream gas pipelines were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany but are not in operation. They were sabotaged in 2022, but the source of the underwater explosions has remained a major international mystery. The Commission has said that it wants to impose sanctions on the operating consortium to discourage investors from trying to use the pipelines in future. The blasts happened as Europe attempted to wean itself off Russian energy sources following the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and contributed to tensions that followed the start of the war. Von der Leyen noted on Tuesday that at the beginning of the war in 2022, 'Russia had 12 billion euros ($14 billion) of energy revenues from fossil fuels" from Europe per month. "And now we're down to 1.8 billion (euros).' The new EU sanctions would also target Russia's banking sector, with the aim of limiting the Kremlin's ability to raise funds or carry out financial transactions. A further 22 Russian banks will be hit with measures, von der Leyen said. An export ban worth some 2.5 billion euros would also be imposed, and the assets frozen of more than 20 Russian and foreign companies alleged to be providing support to the Kremlin's war machine. Von der Leyen said the sanctions are aimed at forcing Russia into serious talks about peace with Ukraine. 'We need a real ceasefire, and Russia has to come to the negotiating table with a serious proposal,' she told reporters. The EU has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia since Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Around 2,400 officials and 'entities' – often government agencies, banks and organizations – have been hit. It's last raft of sanctions, imposed on May 20, targeted almost 200 ships in Russia's sanction-busting shadow fleet of tankers, and tightened trade restrictions to stop produce that could be used for military purposes from reaching Russia's armed forces.
Reuters
36 minutes ago
- Reuters
Romanian president could nominate a prime minister this week
BUCHAREST, June 10 (Reuters) - Romanian President Nicusor Dan said on Tuesday he could nominate a prime minister this week provided pro-European parties reach an agreement on measures needed to lower the European Union's highest budget deficit and prevent a ratings downgrade. Centrist Dan, who won a divisive presidential vote in May that saw the far right gain ground, must form a ruling majority that has until the end of June to approve deficit cutting measures to avoid a downgrade to below investment grade. The European Commission, ratings agencies and analysts have said Romania cannot reduce its shortfall over seven years to the EU's 3% threshold as agreed without hiking taxes, but Dan and the four pro-European parties have proved reluctant to enforce unpopular measures, focusing instead on cuts to state spending. "There is a hierarchy of priorities, first cutting useless state spending, then merging some institutions, rescheduling some investments to 2026 and lastly possible tax hikes," Dan said during a visit to neighbouring Moldova. "I hope we will reach to the tax side as least as possible." Dan said the parties had identified a list of 60-80 possible measures, but had yet to agree on any. The president, who has a semi-executive role, added that pending the talks he could nominate a PM this week. Two sources told Reuters ratings agencies had told a London panel in May they were ready to downgrade Romania from the last rung of investment grade unless they saw convincing measures including tax hikes. The next rating review is in August. Earlier this month the European Commission opened the possibility of freezing some EU funds for Romania next year. Brussels, ratings agencies and the IMF have said hikes to value added tax or changes to Romania's flat 10% tax on income would be the most effective. "It needs to be a solid plan, two big measures that everyone can price are better than 50 that nobody can evaluate," one of the London sources said. "How can anyone trust you that you'll do what's needed in the 7-year adjustment plan?" Claudiu Nasui, a lawmaker from the centre-right Save Romania Union, one of four pro-EU parties engaged in talks, is a strong proponent of state spending cuts inspired by Argentinian President Javier Milei. He told Reuters that he had identified 34 billion lei ($7.73 billion) worth of cuts that could be made in the second half of the year without cutting healthcare, education and defence. However, they included cutting state-funded investment schemes that were easier to tap than EU funds with little oversight, a political instrument for mayors that parties were unlikely to approve cutting. "Any measure to cut the deficit will make parties unpopular, spending cuts or tax hikes, you just need political will," Nasui said. "I often look at a street trash bin outside my office, there are always people rummaging in it. Hiking taxes will not hit us, but it will hit those poor people." ($1 = 4.3977 lei)
The Independent
39 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ex-watchdog chair warns of loss of public trust over business appointments
A lack of transparency surrounding senior civil servants taking on new jobs could lead to a 'fatal' loss of public trust in the political system, the former head of the lobbying watchdog has warned. Lord Pickles, who until April chaired the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), told MPs he is concerned that a lack of focus on cases which do not fall under the committee's remit because they involve less senior roles could lead to a major scandal. Acoba's work involves independently advising the Government, former ministers, senior civil servants and other crown servants on the rules around taking employment after leaving their jobs. Echoing previous criticisms of the current rules, Lord Pickles described them as 'dead in the water, next to useless, pointless and in need of reform' during an appearance before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. He added: '(Acoba) only deals with top civil servants and less senior officials are the responsibility of the board at different government departments. 'That is the area that I'm most concerned about. I was concerned when I went in and I thought the last government were extraordinarily lucky not to have a scandal operating. 'The churn in the civil service is around 40,000 a year… it is of that magnitude. 'It would not be unreasonable to look at those people who had responsibility for procurement, for awarding contracts, and if you designated those posts and put them through a similar process.' When pressed further on the issue, he added: 'If there was to say one thing that I would really like (the committee) to pursue it is that, because it will blow and given the confidence that the public has in politicians and the system, I think it might well be fatal.' Lord Pickles repeated concerns about the focus on ex-ministers rather than Whitehall officials, some of whom he said are reluctant to engage fully with a process designed to maintain transparency. He added: 'I think it is really important to understand that everybody concentrates on the ex-ministers because they've heard of them. 'But the real action is taking place among civil servants and there has become, I think, a degree of entitlement that is deeply worrying – both at Acoba level and below. 'There is a kind of a cohort effect taking place, in which the existing cohort looks after the exiting cohort in the assumption that that new cohort will look after them.' He also questioned the ethos of some politicians and senior civil servants over their commitment to the seven Nolan Principles of behaviour in public life, adding 'everybody believes in the seven principles of public life until it applies to them'. Lord Pickles said: 'If you look at the number of problems that we've had over the past five years, it can be neatly summed up in that people say: 'You know, the rules aren't for me because I am completely impeccable.' 'So far as the seven principles are concerned, the runt of the litter, the one that everybody ignores – the one that actually should be the most important – is leadership. 'I think those who engaged in public life in terms of moving towards propriety, they should set an example. 'In the recent years, I have been threatened with judicial review. I have been threatened with various lawyers and the like. 'If you are looking to take in lawyers, if you are trying to sort … you've entirely missed the point of the government business rules.' Lord Pickles said the advisory process should be adjusted to focus on cases with the highest level of risk rather than applications in all circumstances. He added: 'The business rules should be changed to just remove the flotsam and jetsam out of the system altogether and go to a kind of exemption regime and move it much more on a risk basis so you can really focus in on the exact risk and can be much more transparent with the public.' Labour's manifesto pledged to establish a new ethics and integrity commission, with an independent chair, to 'ensure probity in Government'. Lord Pickles said there is limited time for the Government to establish the commission through legislation, with delays for proposed amendments likely. He added: 'I have got no objection whatsoever to it being put on a statutory basis. 'I'm just worried that the practicality is the Machiavellian nature of this building will conspire to ensure that it doesn't matter.' Isabel Doverty, who was an independent member of the committee since 2021, has been appointed as Acoba's interim chair until December 31 2025.
