Page 8 - aruba-today-20190622

A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 22 June 2019
EU rules out reopening Brexit deal whoever replaces May

By RAF CASERT 50% of Britain's trade, will
PAN PYLAS lead to a deep recession.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Euro- On Thursday, British Treasury
pean Union insisted Friday chief Philip Hammond said
that it will not reopen the a "no-deal" Brexit would
Brexit withdrawal agree- damage the British econo-
ment with the U.K. govern- my and ultimately risk the
ment whoever succeeds breakup of the U.K., a ref-
Theresa May as British prime erence to tensions in Scot-
minister. land and Northern Ireland,
Jean-Claude Juncker, the both of which voted to stay
president of the EU's execu- inside of the EU.
tive Commission, said the The head of the Bank of
bloc's leaders were unani- England on Friday dismissed
mous in the view that the suggestions from Johnson
Brexit deal, which has been that tariffs on trade with the
rejected three times by the EU can be avoided even
British parliament, should European Council President Donald Tusk, left, and European Commission President Jean-Claude if the country leaves the
not be reopened. Juncker participate in a media conference at the end of an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, June bloc without a withdrawal
"We repeated unanimously 21, 2019. agreement.
that there will be no rene- Associated Press Johnson has said Britain
gotiating of the withdrawal can rely on a provision in
agreement," Juncker said ings of EU leaders, said with the EU, it has been need to postpone deci- international trade rules to
in Brussels after a meeting there could be tweaks to granted an extension until sions," said Luxembourg make sure trade relations
of EU leaders excluding the political declaration Oct. 31. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. remain unchanged.
May. that accompanies the le- Given that so much time Worries of a "no-deal" Brexit Carney told the BBC that
He said the 27 leaders re- gally watertight withdrawal has elapsed with little prog- have swelled during the was not possible if there
buffed any call from May's agreement. The declara- ress, it is likely that Brexit will race to succeed May. Bo- was no deal between the
successor next month to tion is vaguer but deals with have to be delayed further. ris Johnson, the favorite to EU and Britain.
restart the Brexit negotia- a range of other matters in- However, some EU lead- prevail in the election of He said the legal provision
tions over the withdrawal cluding the outlines of a fu- ers said any new extension Conservative Party mem- — in the General Agree-
agreement that deals with ture trade relationship be- should only be granted to bers next month, has indi- ment on Tariffs and Trade
citizens' rights, the Irish bor- tween the EU and Britain. hold general elections in cated that he's prepared — "applies if you have an
der and how much money Britain was originally set to Britain or a new Brexit refer- to go ahead with a "no- agreement, not if you have
Britain owes the EU. leave the EU on March 29 endum. deal" Brexit. decided not to have an
Donald Tusk, who is the but because of the British "It's not possible (that) be- Most economists think a agreement or have been
president of the European Parliament's failure to back cause you change the sharp rupture with the EU, unable to come to an
Council and chairs meet- the deal that May agreed leader in the U.K. that we which accounts for around agreement."q

Thousands call for climate action, target German coal mine

By FRANK JORDANS cent power plants from be- the entire German econo-
DOROTHEE THIESING ing blocked by protesters. my climate neutral by 2050
Associated Press The German government — meaning no more man-
AACHEN, Germany (AP) — earlier this year approved made greenhouse gases
Thousands of students from a national plan to end the would be added to the at-
across Europe protested use of coal for electricity by mosphere.
Friday near a coal mine in 2038 but make up much of Scientists say ending fos-
western Germany, urging the shortfall with imported sil fuel use by mid-century
governments to take bold- natural gas. is a must if countries want
er action against climate Activists say German can to achieve the 2015 Par-
change. — and should — do more. is climate accord's most
Organizers said up to "Germany, among other in- ambitious goal of keeping
20,000 protesters from 16 dustrial nations, is one of the global temperatures from
countries took part in the People take part in a 'Fridays for Future' protest rally in Aachen, countries mainly respon- rising more than 1.5 de-
rally in Aachen, near Ger- Germany, Friday, June 21, 2019. sible for climate change," grees Celsius (2.7 degrees
many's border with Bel- Associated Press said protester Paula Maas, Fahrenheit) compared to
gium and the Netherlands. 21. "We do not feel the ef- pre-industrial times.
Demonstrators carried ban- — have backed the target, mental protests in recent fects yet in comparison to Speaking Friday after the
ners with slogans like "Your but coal-reliant countries in years because its operator, the countries in the global end of the EU leaders'
greed costs us our future" the east, such as Poland, the utility company RWE, south, and it is simply es- meeting in Brussels, Merkel
and "Stop coal." blocked consensus on the threatened to chop down sential to take to the streets noted that a "big majority"
It comes a day after Euro- proposal, which entails an a nearby forest. against it and to protest." of the bloc's 28 nations now
pean Union leaders failed almost complete phase- Further protests are ex- Following months of pro- back that goal.
to agree upon a plan to out of fossil fuel use. pected at the site over the tests by students and a "A few others need to
make the bloc's economy Friday's protest took place weekend. German police sharp rise in the polls for spend a bit more time work-
carbon neutral by 2050. near the site of one of Ger- have mobilized hundreds Germany's Green party, ing out what this means for
Several large European many's biggest lignite coal of officers and a water can- Chancellor Angela Merkel their internal measures," she
countries — including Brit- mines. The mine has be- non to prevent the vast, recently threw her weight said, without calling out the
ain, France and Germany come a focus of environ- open-cast mine and adja- behind the idea of making countries by name.q