Latest news with #EUdeal
Al Jazeera
27-05-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
‘Betrayal' or ‘win-win'?: Britain's EU deal reopens old wounds
London, United Kingdom — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has proudly described a new deal with the European Union spanning defence, security, and trade as a 'win-win' pact that puts the nation 'back on the world stage'. But nine years after Britain narrowly voted in favour of leaving the EU, the deal announced on May 19 has prompted a sigh of relief for some and stinging criticism from others, underscoring just how divisive the legacy of Brexit remains in the country. While many sections of British society have welcomed the agreement, Richard Tice, an MP for the anti-immigration party Reform UK, responded to the deal with a single-word post on social media: 'Betrayal.' The deal offers concessions on European visas for British citizens, shorter queues at European airports, and possibly cheaper food in the UK. But on the flip side, the UK has agreed to allow European fishing fleets access to British waters for an extra 12 years. Phil Rusted, who runs a firm called Practical Plants in Suffolk that imports plants from Europe, is among those who are delighted. 'My instinct is it is the best news we have got in nine years,' he said. 'It almost gets us back to where were before Brexit. It helps me to take on more staff, to develop my business. The last few years have been very unpredictable; I will be more assured about what my costs are going to be.' The business sector, more broadly, has also largely responded positively to the agreement. 'In a world where higher US tariffs are threatening to throw globalisation into reverse, trade deals, even if relatively minor, are generally good news,' said Philip Shaw, chief economist at Investec Bank. 'The obvious gainer is the food sector, which will benefit from a reduction in checks at the EU border, which could make a material difference to exporters' and importers' costs.' The Federation of Small Businesses, a group that represents small- and medium-sized firms in the UK, described the EU deal as 'genuine progress', crediting it for 'untangling the rules for small exporters of plant and animal products'. 'For too long, small businesses have shouldered the burden of unpredictable customs rules and red tape that sap confidence and ambition,' it said. And popular opinion in the UK appears to be behind the agreement. Polling by YouGov shows that 66 percent want to have a closer relationship with the EU, compared with just 14 percent who do not. To be sure, experts say the UK has to compromise too. 'The devil in a trade deal is of course always in the detail,' said Paul Dales, chief economist at Capital Economics. In addition to accepting EU access to British waters for fishing, the UK has also agreed to pay an unspecified 'appropriate financial contribution' to join the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, Dales pointed out. But the deal has also faced strong pushback. The National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, in a statement on May 19, said the agreement 'surrenders the best prospect that the fishing industry and coastal communities had for growth over the coming decade'. Three days later, it issued a more biting statement, saying the deal 'drags UK fishing back into a past we thought had been left behind'. Shaw conceded that if the food industry had benefitted from the deal, the fishing sector stood 'at the other end of the scale'. And it is not just fishers. The deal has also revived a broader debate over whether the UK, in seeking to realign itself with elements of the EU's rules and regulations, is violating the mandate of Brexit. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, under whom Britain formally withdrew from the EU in 2020, described the deal as an 'appalling sell out' in a post on X. Tony Gabana, a web developer from London who was too young to vote in 2016, holds that view. 'Whether it's a good deal or not, it does seem an attempt to reverse what a lot of people voted for,' Gabana said. 'It doesn't sit right with me. It feels like a step to further concessions, which, again, no one voted for. 'Are we a democracy or not?'
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Trump's EU tariff threats causing chaos
The world 'cannot afford' a trade war, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said , after US president Donald Trump threatened to impose steep tariffs on the EU. Addressing an economic conference in Killarney, he acknowledged the US was 'anxious' to get a trade deal and that it had issues it wanted resolved but he said he also believed the European Union was being 'sensible' and wanted to land the deal in 'a reasonable zone'. His comments came hours after US president Donald Trump said he would extend the deadline for the European Union to face 50 per cent tariffs until July 9th after a phone call with Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Given his latest partial climbdown, where do things go from here? Cliff Taylor outlines what's at stake, while Eoin Burke-Kennedy assesses what may be Trump's weak point in negotiations . Former US president Joe Biden's health is back in focus, as a tell-all book has a slew of revelations about how he really was doing in recent years. But how did the media do when it came to covering Biden's health? Hugh Linehan runs the rule over its coverage. A High Court judge has signed off on the appointment of an examiner for aviation firm CityJet. Barry O'Halloran has the story, with some investors already circling the firm. READ MORE The data centre boom is already producing winners and losers. Cantillon looks at one Irish firm already called out as a winner , and another bigger firm feeling the wrath of The Donald. The Department of Finance is set to wind down over the coming months the special banks shareholding and financial advisory division set up as the Government bailed out lenders during the financial crisis. Joe Brennan reports. Dublin-based DunPort Capital Management has taken on an investment from a UK firm as it continues to grow its private credit business. In Your Money, Fiona Reddan asks if investing is finally getting cheaper for people in Ireland. Dominic Coyle meanwhile answers a reader question on the impact of releasing equity in a home on a person's eligibility for Fair Deal, and another on whether to start a pension now or wait for autoenrolment . Fast fashion group Shein has been ordered by the Irish consumer watchdog to rectify several practices on its platform that potentially breach European Union (EU) law. Colin Gleeson reports. Ireland's 2030 offshore wind targets 'are in serious jeopardy, without decisive and immediate Government action', according to the Irish wind industry. Kevin O'Sullivan has the details of the warning. If you'd like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money , the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PM defends new EU deal slammed as Brexit betrayal by North East fisherman
The Prime Minister last night defended his EU deal slammed by a North East fisherman as a Brexit betrayal. A life-long fisherman working off the North Sea from Hartlepool accused the Sir Keir Starmer of 'giving away our fisheries again' after a new EU trade deal opened up access to our waters for another 12 years for boats from the bloc. The deal ends uncertainty, allows British fishermen to work in EU waters and sell their catch to into the trade bloc more cheaply, the PM claims. But Hartlepool-based fisherman Paul Widdowfield, 62, told the Echo: 'It doesn't affect me or any boat in Hartlepool, or any boat that I know of in the North East. Hartlepool fisherman Paul Widdowfield. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) 'There's nobody fishing European waters. The big boys, it will benefit them but not the inshore fishermen. 'What we voted for with Brexit, it's just gone out of the window. It's 100 per cent a betrayal. 'We thought we were getting our 200 mile point the same as Iceland which would have been marvellous. It's just Mr Starmer has given our fisheries away again. 'They've done this with no consultation.' European trawlers will be allowed to keep working in our waters until 2037 after a new trade deal was agreed this week. After Brexit their rights were due to be reviewed yearly. Sir Keir Starmer said: 'The deal we've got at the moment ensures EU vessels can come into our waters in some numbers but equally we can fish in their waters. Next year that was going to go to an annual negotiation so it wasn't coming to an end, which just means it's incredibly uncertain, which I don't think really works for fisherman. Sir Keir Starmer. (Image: CHRIS BOOTH) 'What we've done is put it on a stable basis but perhaps most importantly is that we by striking the SPS agreement with the EU which will reduce all the bureaucracy, red tape and therefore the cost of fish going into the EU market. Read next: 'Dearly loved' County Durham mum-of-two took own life after mental health battle Police meet plane returning from Tenerife after claims of couple performing sex act 'No reason to believe equipment failed' in skydiver's death, inquest hears lick here to join our WhatsApp community and get breaking news updates direct to your phone. 'We've got an agreement which will massively reduce the cost to fishermen of selling into the EU market. Seventy-plus per cent of their catch is sold into Europe so this is actually a really good deal for fishermen because they can sell their catch more cheaply into the EU market. That increases their profits and sustainability. 'We've put in place a fund over £100m to help fishermen take maximum advantage of the deal and that will be money coming into the pockets of working at the communities of fishermen in the NE and we will be talking to them and certainly consulting them about how we and they make best use of that money.' He echoed Environment Secretary Steve Reed who told a Parliamentary committee this week that there was 'no downside' to the deal for fishers.
Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Keir Starmer's done no better with the EU than Theresa May
After all that, there was very little in it. Sir Keir Starmer called his agreement with the EU a 'landmark deal', which is true in the sense that the tree stump in the Sycamore Gap is a sort of landmark, for those who know what used to be there. In this case, what used to be there was a cherry tree, on which many a prime minister has eyed the forbidden fruit of EU market access and been rebuffed. Starmer, so far, is no different. In all, the much-hyped 'agreement' published on Monday contains nothing that was not already on offer from at least 2018 onwards, when Theresa May concocted the doomed 'Chequers plan'. The EU had unceremoniously knocked back her attempt to negotiate deals
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Guernsey fishermen appeal for better deal with EU
Fishermen in Guernsey have appealed for a better deal with the EU after the UK struck up a new agreement this Le Cheminant, a fisherman on the island, said the States of Guernsey had a "golden opportunity" to achieve a deal that would benefit the fishing industry. Discussing the current situation, he said: "I don't think there will be a fishing fleet in the future in Guernsey unless we can land back into the European ports without all this red tape."A Policy and Resources Committee spokesperson said it would be working with the UK Government "with the aim of seeking extension of any agreement so that Bailiwick business can benefit from the same terms as the UK". Mr Le Cheminant added: "The fishermen are struggling now, especially with the octopus bloom."A lot of the crabbers have put their boats up for sale, I believe. "It's unworkable for exporters and it's costing the fishermen millions of pounds because these veterinary charges they put on us, at the end of the day it's the exporters that pass it on to us and it all comes off the price of our catch."Let's negotiate a better deal for fishermen, now is the time to do it." 'Damage is already done' Fellow fisherman Mick Guille admitted he would like everything to go back to how it was before Brexit. "It's never going to happen and all we're going to do is lose out," he said. "We're not going to be on the winning side - the EU boats are going to be on the winning side."Discussing what deal he would like to see, he said: "I think the damage is already done. "You only have to look around, there's very little left." Meanwhile, in Jersey ministers have travelled to Downing Street for talks. Chief Minister Deputy Lyndon Farnham, said: "We have worked closely with the UK Government for many months to ensure Jersey's interests are properly reflected in UK-EU discussions. "We hope to reaffirm our priorities at the highest level today, to the prime minister, members of the cabinet and other EU partners."Detail surrounding agricultural trade and youth mobility with our European neighbours will be of particular interest to us, and we will continue to input into those discussions in the coming weeks."
