Latest news with #EUrules
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Telegraph
Migrant machete attacker allowed to stay in Britain
A machete attacker jailed for four years has avoided deportation because of European Union rules. Daniel Koopmann, 24, a German citizen, claimed to have arrived in the UK in 2014 and was granted indefinite leave to remain in 2020 before Brexit. However, in July 2020 he slashed his victim across the forearms in a machete attack. Then, after his arrest, he intimidated his victim over Snapchat and Facebook in an attempt to get the case dropped. The Home Office sought to deport him once he was jailed but he successfully appealed to an upper tribunal which ruled his case should be re-heard because a lower court had failed to take sufficient account of immigration rules for EU citizens. Another, lower court will now have to reconsider his case. The case, disclosed in court papers, is the latest example uncovered by The Telegraph in which illegal migrants or convicted foreign criminals have been able to remain in the UK or halt their deportations. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has announced plans to curb judges' powers to block deportations with new legally-enforced 'common sense' rules to clarify how judges interpret human rights laws and strengthen the public interest test. Koopmann was 19 at the time of the attack when he and another unidentified attacker ambushed their victim as he walked outside a primary school in Northampton at night. While the other attacker held the victim from behind, Koopman swung a machete at him once and cut him across both forearms. In the days that followed, Koopman began a campaign of threatening social media posts in a bid to scare his victim into keeping quiet. They included videos of driving past his address with the caption 'talk get stitches'. Another read: 'Cool your snitching I'm back out now – you better drop the case you silly boy.' In sentencing, His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo told Koopman: 'These threats posted on social media get around instantly. These threats are even more sinister when they are shared and seen by hundreds of your contacts. A custodial sentence is inevitable.' 'Genuine, present' threat Koopmann initially appealed his deportation to a lower immigration tribunal which rejected his claim, saying his conduct represented 'a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society.' The judge had stated: 'He has shown a disregard for the law and he still fails to acknowledge his own criminality.' However, an upper tribunal has found the judge erred in law and ordered a fresh hearing. It was claimed the previous judge had failed to conduct an assessment of the proportionality of his expulsion as required by European citizen immigration regulations. Gang member not deported over EU rules It follows a similar case where a migrant gang member convicted of manslaughter after the murder of an 18-year-old could not be deported because of EU rules. William George, 28, a semi-professional footballer, was a member of a gang of 10 men convicted of killing Abdul Hafidah, 18, in front of rush hour commuters in Manchester in May 2016. George, a Belgian who moved to Britain with his parents at the age of eight, was jailed for 12 years for manslaughter for his part in the assault. In 2018 he was served with deportation papers, which said he had a 'real risk' of reoffending. Home Office officials lost a six-year legal battle to remove George from the UK, despite him being associated with Manchester's notorious AO gang. Under Brussels directives, which applied until Brexit, EU nationals who lived in Britain for an extended time could only be deported 'on imperative grounds of public security'.
Reuters
07-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
EU warns Romania to remove gas price cap or face legal action
BRUSSELS, May 7 (Reuters) - The European Commission warned Romania on Wednesday to remove its cap on gas prices or potentially face legal action over the policy, which the EU executive branch said violates the bloc's energy market rules. Gas and power bills for Romanian households, small businesses and public institutions have been capped up to certain monthly consumption levels since November 2021, with suppliers compensated for the difference. In a notice published on Wednesday, the European Commission said the policy violates EU rules on the free formation of wholesale gas prices, since Romania's measure obliges firms to sell part of their production at a fixed wholesale price. "Regulated prices at the level of the EU-wide wholesale market distort price signals and effective market functioning," the Commission said. European wholesale gas prices began climbing in 2021 after Russia limited deliveries. Prices soared to record highs the following year when Moscow further slashed supplies after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Romania's government has two months to respond to the EU warning, after which the Commission can refer the case to the EU's top court, if the matter is unresolved. Ahead of its May 18 presidential election run-off, Romania currently has an interim government which cannot issue decrees or introduce policies. Former Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu resigned on Monday after hard-right eurosceptic George Simion won the first round of the presidential election re-run. The president elected this month will appoint a new prime minister. In February, the former government extended the gas price cap for a year, and prolonged the power price limits until June, to rein in consumers' bills. Romania produces almost all the gas it consumes domestically, through producers OMV Petrom, state-owned Romgaz and offshore producer Black Sea Oil & Gas.
Free Malaysia Today
07-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
12 members request defence spending escape clause activation, says European Commission
The move would allow the states to not face any disciplinary steps after the deficit is more than 3% of GDP. (Reuters pic) BRUSSELS : Twelve EU countries have requested activation of the 'national escape clause' from EU deficit rules in order to boost their defence spending, the European Commission said on Wednesday. The Commission, which is the EU's executive body, has proposed allowing member states to raise defence spending by 1.5% of gross domestic product each year for four years without any disciplinary steps that would normally kick in once a deficit is more than 3% of GDP. In a statement, the Commission said Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia have made requests, and that additional requests are expected at a later stage. A spokesperson for the Polish presidency of the Council of the EU said that while 12 countries have already applied, four more 'will do so shortly.' The Commission will now assess the requests. 'The Commission will continue to ensure that this flexibility is coordinated and helps EU countries to transit towards higher defence budgets while preserving sound budget policies,' said Valdis Dombrovskis, the bloc's economy commissioner.
