Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 22 February 2018

Can Brexit be stopped? Pro-EU campaigns try to turn the tide

By JILL LAWLESS the bloc 350 million pounds
Associated Press a week, money that could
LONDON (AP) — Britain is instead be spent on the
due to leave the European National Health Service.
Union in just over a year. The figure was inflated —
The country's main political Britain's net contribution to
parties agree that the deci- the bloc is about half that
sion can't be reversed. But — but it stuck, and many
with the U.K. government believe it helped swing
divided over the direction the referendum in favor of
Brexit should take, pro-EU "leave."
campaigners are step- It has been more than 18
ping up efforts to make the months since Britain voted
country change course. by a margin of 52 percent
A new anti-Brexit political to 48 percent to leave
party, Renew, hopes to the EU after more than 40
mobilize voters disenchant- years of membership. The
ed with the major Conser- government triggered the
vative and Labour parties, two-year countdown to
both of whom are commit- departure almost a year
ted to taking Britain out of ago, and will quit the bloc
the EU. on March 29, 2019.
Inspired in part by French But details of the future re-
President Emmanuel Ma- A bus bearing the words "Brexit to cost £2,000 million a week" drives past a statue of Britain's World lationship between the U.K.
cron's centrist En Marche War II leader Sir Winston Churchill and the scaffolding covered Elizabeth Tower, which contains the and the EU remain unclear.
movement, the party is bell known as "Big Ben", of the Houses of Parliament at the start a national campaign tour in central How much access will Brit-
London, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. The anti-Brexit bus on Wednesday started an eight day tour,
targeting voters who "feel intending to make 33 stops in towns and cities across Britain, with speaker events featuring local ain have to the bloc's single
politically homeless and business leaders, trade unionists, and politicians. market? Will there be cus-
abandoned," co-leader (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) toms checks and tariffs on
Sandra Khadhouri said at a goods?
launch event this week. the country on Wednes- "There is so much new infor- make up their own minds." Negotiations on future re-
She said Renew's message day. The crowd-funded bus mation that has come out Buses have a surprisingly lations are due to start
is: "It's not too late. It's not a cites a leaked government about the costs of Brexit," central place in the Brexit next month, with the goal
done deal." estimate of a 5 percent hit said Virginia Beardshaw, an story. During the 2016 EU of reaching broad agree-
Meanwhile, a bus embla- to GDP over 15 years to ar- organizer of the "Is it Worth membership referendum, ment by the fall, so that EU
zoned with the alleged rive at a figure of 2,000 mil- It?" bus campaign. "We "leave" campaigners em- countries can approve the
economic cost of quitting lion pounds ($2.8 billion) a need to present people blazoned a red bus with deal before March 2019.
the bloc began a tour of week. with the facts and let them the claim that the U.K. pays q

French government unveils tough measures for asylum-seekers

By SYLVIE CORBET fering more French classes including appeal. Under the bill, people ille- the president of Doctors of
PARIS (AP) — French Presi- and job training. Human rights activists say gally crossing borders of the the World, Francoise Sivi-
dent Emmanuel Macron's Interior minister Gerard Col- the quicker process will EU travel-free zone will be gnon.
government on Wednes- lomb said the plan is "bal- make it more difficult for fined 3,750 euros ($4,600) "What we contest is the
day presented a bill to en- anced" and "aligned with asylum-seekers to defend Some organizations help- spirit of the law," she said
force tougher immigration European procedures." their rights. Collomb says it ing migrants, including on BFM TV.
rules, decried by human "If you don't control the mi- is more humane because the French Human Rights Cyrielle Taezin, an employ-
rights organizations as re- gratory flux, you can't offer applicants learn their fate League, held street pro- ee at the national court of
pressive toward asylum- a destiny" for the nation's before making roots in a tests in Paris Wednesday to asylum, said migrants won't
seekers. youth, he said on BFM TV. country where some ulti- denounce "governmental have enough time to pre-
The bill, presented at a "I don't want the European mately cannot remain. policies that infringe on mi- pare their request. "They
Cabinet meeting, aims at dream to transform tomor- The plan would also allow grants' freedoms." have experienced trauma.
accelerating the expulsion row into a nightmare." authorities to hold migrants Some public agents in They need psychological
of people who don't qualify The plan will reduce the in France illegally in deten- charge of asylum proce- checks. They need time to
for asylum. It also wants to consideration period for an tion centers for up to 90 dures were on strike. express what they've gone
provide better conditions application for asylum to days instead of the current The bill, which goes to par- through." About 36 percent
for those allowed to stay a maximum of six months, 45, in order to organize their liament in April, "is pack- of applicants were granted
in the country, such as of- down from about one year deportation. aged to better expel," said refugee status.q