Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY
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A8 world news
Tuesday 8 augusT 2017
Britain denies agreeing to pay multi-billion EU exit bill
to settle commitments it political issue in Britain, with
made as an EU member is some anti-EU politicians in-
one of the biggest issues sisting the country should
confronting the divorce pay nothing at all.
talks. The Sunday Telegraph re-
The EU says it won’t discuss ported that British officials
future trade relations with have decided to offer 36
Britain until there is progress billion pounds, or 40 billion
on the bill and other key is- euros, in a bid to move talks
sues. on to the key issue of trade.
The EU has not put an offi- But Prime Minister Theresa
cial number on the size of May’s spokesman, James
the bill, but estimates have Slack, said “I don’t recog-
ranged as high as 100 bil- nize” the figure.
lion euros ($118 billion). He added, however, that
Britain voted in a referen- Britain was prepared to
dum last year to quit the pay a “fair settlement” of
28-nation bloc and is due its obligations.
to leave in March 2019. Oettinger said in the long
EU budget commissioner term, Britain’s withdrawal
Guenther Oettinger told will mean a loss of about
Germany’s Bild newspa- 10 to 12 billion euros ($11.8-
per in comments published 14 billion) per year to the
British Secretary of State David Davis gestures as he addresses the media at EU headquarters in Monday that Britain would EU budget, which will be
Brussels, Thursday July 20, 2017. The British government denied Monday that it has agreed on the remain bound by some made up through a com-
amount of its European Union exit bill, after a report emerged that it plans offer the bloc 36 billion previous commitments to bination of cuts and higher
pounds ($47 billion). long-term projects after payments from other mem-
(AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) Brexit and “will therefore bers. He estimated that
LONDON (AP) — The British the amount of its European the bloc 36 billion pounds have to transfer funds to Germany would face an
government denied Mon- Union exit bill, after a report ($47 billion). Brussels at least until 2020.” “additional single-digit bil-
day that it has agreed on emerged that it plans offer Britain’s outstanding tab The size of the bill is a hot lion” increase.q
France to analyze eggs after EU urges checks in 4 countries
BRUSSELS (AP) — Experts ed from the Netherlands tries the European Union an insecticide may have might have received some
are analyzing contaminat- to two establishments in notified Monday that some crossed their borders. contaminated shipments.
ed egg products import- France, one of four coun- eggs contaminated with Eggs tainted with the pes- The ministry said it was ana-
ticide Fipronil have been lyzing whether the level of
discovered in Belgium and contamination was “sus-
in the Netherlands. The ceptible of presenting a
EU’s executive arm alerted risk to consumers.” Traces
France, Britain, Sweden of Fipronil are not neces-
and Switzerland as a pre- sarily a risk, a ministry state-
caution while Belgian and ment said. The lots were
Dutch authorities investi- sent to establishments in
gate how the insecticide the Vienne and Maine et
came illegally into contact Loire regions, southwest
with poultry. The aim was of Paris, the ministry said.
“to share the information Roosts of a poultry farmer
so that everybody knows in France’s northern Pas
that it’s now also up to the de Calais region also were
Swedish, Swiss, French and placed under surveillance
to the U.K. national authori- on July 28 after the farmer’s
ties to check,” European Belgian supplier told him
Commission spokeswoman Fipronil had been used on
Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said. the birds he bought. Eggs
The move does not mean tainted with the insecticide
that eggs contaminated first were discovered in Bel-
with Fipronil have actually gium in early June, weeks
entered those countries, before the public would
she said. be made aware of a food
However, the French Agri- safety scare now affecting
culture Ministry said Mon- several European coun-
day it was investigating 13 tries. Supermarkets have
lots of egg products from since pulled millions of eggs
the Netherlands that were from their shelves.
sent to two establishments The European Commission
in the country between has told food safety of-
July 11 and July 26 — long ficials that chicken meat
before European authori- also was contaminated
ties informed France it with Fipronil.q
