Page 8 - aruba-today-20190302

A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 2 March 2019
Hungary's Orban faces revolt in EU parliamentary grouping

By RAF CASERT gations — hardly the unity
Associated Press the grouping wants to dis-
BRUSSELS (AP) — Hungar- play three months ahead
ian Prime Minister Viktor Or- of elections.
ban was facing a ground- Dutch Christian Democrat
swell of revolt Friday from leader Rutger Ploum said
allied center-right parties "recent events have shown
that want to kick him out that informal talks with Fi-
of their European Parlia- desz no longer have the
ment group less than three desired effect."
months ahead of the May And Portugal's CDS/PP
elections. party said in a letter to the
Several Christian Demo- EPP presidency that the dif-
crat parties already have ferences with Fidesz "are
voiced their opposition to too substantial" for Orban's
the continued membership party to remain inside the
of the EPP umbrella group group.
of Orban's Fidesz party. In Orban hopes anti-migra-
recent years, Orban has tion forces will become a
been strongly identified majority in all EU institutions,
with anti-migrant rhetoric. In this May 22, 2015 file photo, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, right, and including the European
Luxembourg Christian European Council President Donald Tusk, left, greet Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during Parliament and EU Com-
Democrat leader Frank a summit in Riga, Latvia. mission, the bloc's execu-
Engel said in a telephone Associated Press tive body.
interview with The Associ- Lajos Kosa, a Fidesz founder
ated Press he wants the to be excluded because integration." group. He has accused Eu- and an Orban government
EPP to take a decision the Hungarian leader "has Dutch and Portuguese ropean Commission Presi- commissioner, was confi-
ahead of the March 21-22 been acting in striking con- parties have echoed that dent Jean-Claude Juncker, dent the party would not
European Union summit in tradiction" with the EPP's complaint, which has who is part of the EPP, of be- be expelled from the EPP
Brussels "because I have no Christian Democrat values. swelled over recent months ing too lax on immigration. for what he called "clari-
intention of engaging in an The EPP, they said, was too — that Orban is too far to Orban has plastered Buda- fying the truth." Expulsion
election campaign with Fi- important "to be under- the political right of tradi- pest with posters showing "was also raised earlier by
desz still on board." mined within our own ranks tional Christian Democrat Juncker as a gloating force pro-immigration EPP politi-
Engel joined two Belgian by what we are so deter- values. of evil. cians, but it has not hap-
parties in writing in a let- mined to fight: nationalism- Orban's stance on migrants Juncker's Commission is- pened so far and we don't
ter to the grouping's presi- based populism and open from conflict zones has sued a rebuttal on Thurs- expect it now, either," Kosa
dency asking for Fidesz hostility against European alarmed many within the day against Orban's alle- told broadcaster ATV. q

With four weeks to go, there's calm within the Brexit storm

option of an extension to nel ports. Holidaymakers week, between EU nego-
Brexit from the scheduled faced delays while farmers tiator Michel Barnier and
March 29 date to lawmak- would struggle to get rid of the latest set of U.K. nego-
ers — if they fail to back their products as they wilt in tiators.
any revised withdrawal warehouses. May's original deal was
agreement in a vote by All-in-all the fate of count- overwhelmingly defeated
March 12. less companies and whole in a vote in January with
There's also been talk that economies hung in the bal- many lawmakers in her own
Brexit may not actually ance. party opposed to a provi-
happen at all if lawmak- It's fair to say that the pros- sion to guarantee there
ers support another refer- pect of a "no-deal" Brexit are no customs posts or
endum after the main op- did not look appetizing other barriers along the Irish
position Labour Party said though some of the keen- border. The mechanism,
it would back a second est Brexit supporters in the known as the backstop, is a
vote on Britain's decision to U.K. Parliament insist that safeguard that would keep
The flag of the European Union and the British flag wave during
a demonstration outside the Palace of Westminster, in London, leave the EU. the warnings are just an- the U.K. in a customs union
on Wednesday, February 27, 2019. Until May conceded the other element of "Project with the EU to remove the
Associated Press possibility of an extension Fear" to dissuade Britain need for checks until a per-
— the EU Council President from leaving the EU. manent new trading rela-
By RAF CASERT ceedings, started by Brit- Donald Tusk said it would For now, everyone is wait- tionship is in place.
Associated Press ain's 2016 vote to leave the be a "rational solution" — ing to see what May — It's not going to be easy for
BRUSSELS (AP) — Britain and EU, remain fraught with dif- there were growing fears and her attorney general, May.
the European Union are set ficulties, there's an element about a "no-deal" Brexit Geoffrey Cox — comes Emotions remain raw. That
to formally divorce before of relief that a so-called and what its impact would back with from her discus- was evident Friday when
the month is out — but the "no-deal" disaster is lower be on both sides of the sions with the EU. Until that Britain's former Brexit Secre-
mood in London and Brus- down the agenda — for English Channel. becomes clear, Brexit ap- tary Dominic Raab told the
sels in Friday was less fren- now. The warnings were stark. pears to be in some sort of BBC about "the dishonor-
zied than it has been at Earlier this week, British New tariffs and other re- holding pattern. able way that (the EU) tried
times of late. Prime Minister Theresa said strictions to trade were set Negotiations are supposed to bully us and shove us
Though the divorce pro- she would be putting the to hobble trucks in Chan- to resume in Brussels next around."q