Wanderlust

Tag: european union

  • UNITED KINGDOM ‘will now not industry away fishing’ in Brexit deal – Might

    Fishing boats moored in Brixham harbour Symbol copyright Getty Photographs Image caption The executive’s plan has received a cautious welcome from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation

    The United Kingdom executive has insisted its Brexit agreement will protect the fishing industry despite claims it’s getting ready to “promote out” fishermen.

    The government’s draft agreement on put up-Brexit family members says the united kingdom shall be an “impartial coastal country”.

    The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation gave the document a wary welcome while it was published on Thursday.

    However First Minister Nicola Sturgeon predicted the industry could be used as a “bargaining chip” in the future.

    And Scottish Conservative MP Ross Thomson, a prominent Brexiteer who has been an outspoken critic of Top Minister Theresa Would Possibly’s option to Brexit, mentioned the settlement was once “unacceptable” because it intended “sovereignty over our waters” would be “sacrificed for a business deal”.

    Image copyright BBC / PA Image caption David Mundell and Nicola Sturgeon had clashed over plans for fishing put up-Brexit

    The Final draft of the political assertion – a textual content outlining the long run dating among the eu and the united kingdom after Brexit – accommodates impartial language about fishing.

    It says each side will “use their best endeavours” to finish talks in time for the uk to leave, and adds that they need to cooperate on access to waters and quota stocks “throughout the context of the overall financial partnership”.

    Look back on FMQs on Holyrood Live Will the uk and the eu succeed in a deal on fishing?

    Mr Thomson and Ms Sturgeon each argue that the latter element presentations ministers may use fishing as a “bargaining chip” in negotiations with Europe put up-Brexit, and each have called on Mr Mundell to consider his place.

    The first minister instructed MSPs that the announcement “represents some other Tory promote out of Scottish fishermen”.

    She said: “What we see is that the Scottish fishing industry will probably be used as a bargaining chip in wider business talks.

    “In phrases of David Mundell’s position I Might merely say this – his position is a matter for him, but when David Mundell is still in place of job by means of the top of today in light of this political statement he’s going to have forfeited perpetually any last ultimate scrap of concept or credibility that he had.”

    Skip Twitter put up by way of @RossThomson_MP

    🐟The political statement commits UNITED KINGDOM to “identify a brand new fisheries settlement on, inter allia, access to waters and quota stocks”. This Means sovereignty over our waters sacrificed for a industry deal. that may be unacceptable. We need to be a normal Unbiased coastal state like Norway. pic.twitter.com/wRCzdSNahf

    — Ross Thomson MP (@RossThomson_MP) November 22, 2018

    Document

    Finish of Twitter publish via @RossThomson_MP

    The Scottish Secretary hit again, announcing he was once “no longer taking lessons on standing up for fishermen from Nicola Sturgeon”.

    He said: “The prime minister has fiercely resisted the efforts of ECU states to make an explicit hyperlink among get entry to to our waters and get entry to to markets.

    “we will negotiate and judge, as an unbiased coastal state, on get admission to and quota on an annual foundation, similar to Norway and Iceland do now.

    “The most reliable solution to ensure the ecu get right of entry to to Scottish waters can be to rejoin the CFP – exactly what Nicola Sturgeon is demanding.”

    Mrs Might informed MPs later within the day that “the fisheries settlement is not one thing we shall be trading off in opposition to any other priorities”.

    ‘Practical sovereignty’

    The govt has gained a few backing from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, with chief executive Bertie Armstrong pronouncing the declaration “offers the uk the facility to say its place as an impartial coastal state with practical sovereignty over our waters and natural tools”.

    However he brought that “we all know that a number of EU nations won’t surrender their attempts to link get admission to with industry so as to keep absolute rights to fish round our coastline”.

    He delivered: “we will proceed to hunt assurances from the uk executive that it’ll stay steadfast. we will be able to not relax until the long run arrangements are signed, sealed and delivered and we safe this very important keep watch over over get admission to to our waters and who catches what shares, where and while.”

    Labour in the meantime has criticised the political assertion as “26 obscure and bold pages of buzzwords”.

    Shadow Scottish Secretary Lesley Laird said the file “makes a mockery” of the “purple line” set down by way of the Scottish Tories, announcing that “David Mundell must surrender with rapid impact, and his colleagues should make clear that they won’t improve this half-baked deal”.

  • Raab: Proposed Brexit deal ‘worse’ than EU membership

    Video Raab: Deal ‘worse’ than staying in

    (more…)

  • Brexit: Will Spain’s Gibraltar concerns crash on the Rock?

    Spanish, British, EU and Gibraltarian flags Symbol copyright Reuters Image caption Could Spanish considerations scupper Brexit growth?

    How much of a threat is the Spain/Gibraltar question to the Brexit summit on Sunday?

    Well, it could end up to be both large or simply a pant of smoke. Madrid and Downing Side Road say they’re working on it.

    There’s no longer so much time left for the question to imagine both form.

    UK Prime Minister Theresa Might meets EU leaders in Brussels to log off on the Brexit texts in precisely over 36 hours.

    Brexit: The Place are we now?Your information to ECU jargon

    Grandstanding for his family target market aside, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez feels hoodwinked and offended.

    Image copyright Getty Pictures Image caption The small peninsula of Gibraltar has been a British territory due to the fact 1713

    After the uk’s Brexit vote, Spain at the very least noticed a possibility to re-achieve substantial affect over Gibraltar.

    Eyebrows shot up in the UK at the very get started of the article 50 procedure whilst article 24 of the european’s negotiating guidelines mentioned: “After the Uk leaves the Union, no settlement between the ecu and the United Kingdom would possibly observe to the territory of Gibraltar without the settlement among the dominion of Spain and the United Kingdom.”

    in reality, even though, the bilateral UK-Spain talks that then happened in parallel to EUROPEAN-UNITED KINGDOM Brexit negotiations went extremely easily… until only in the near past.

    what will Brexit imply for Britain’s in a foreign country territories? What are the competing claims over Gibraltar?

    Spanish resentment started construction after the european’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, and his crew proposed going right into a “tunnel” with UK negotiators – blockading out political and media noise – in an try to holiday the long deadlock over the wording of the Irish “backstop” – that ensure to circumvent a border among Northern Eire and Ireland.

    It Is right through that tunnel second that Spain feels it was “betrayed”.

    Via the time EU and UNITED KINGDOM negotiators emerged, the Irish backstop had turn out to be a UK-huge customs area, which means it was potentially straying into publish Brexit business deal territory.

    But neither in that textual content, nor in the draft of the political assertion on ECU-UNITED KINGDOM long run relations published on Thursday, is there mention of Gibraltar and the will for Spanish approval.

    Symbol copyright Reuters

    High Minister Sánchez believes the certain perspective Spain had proven in bilateral Brexit talks over Gibraltar is now being abused; that Spanish national interest used to be sacrificed within the tunnel so as to supply an extra “sweetener” to the united kingdom in wider Brexit negotiations.

    Ecu Commission negotiators flatly deny this.

    However Spain isn’t alone in believing that priorities of individual EUROPEAN countries had been ignored all through tunnel negotiations.

    France, Denmark and the Netherlands felt permit down by way of their EU negotiators over pinning down ongoing fishing rights in UNITED KINGDOM waters within the political announcement on submit Brexit EUROPEAN-UNITED KINGDOM members of the family.

    Will the united kingdom and EU succeed in a Brexit fishing deal? Fishing after Brexit: Sink or swim?

    we now have now heard that the fishing factor has been “resolved” (for now). The Details have yet to emerge.

    this means Gibraltar is the one exceptional issue prior to Sunday’s Brexit summit, consistent with the ecu.

    Image copyright Reuters Symbol caption Fishing has been some other contentious factor within the Brexit talks

    Now, Spain’s High Minister is vastly professional-Eu. He sees himself as somewhat of a Macron quantity two.

    It Is now not in his nature to scupper EU plans or an ecu summit.

    Understand That whilst Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini refused to soak up migrant boats in advance this yr, Mr Sánchez was the first to step in and help so as to keep an ecu crisis – and likewise to win brownie points in Brussels.

    Spain to just accept disputed migrant ship Migration to Europe in charts

    Pedro Sánchez is below so much of domestic pressure. He heads a minority government and has been time and again accused by way of the primary conservative opposition of being “cushy” over Gibraltar in Brexit negotiations.

    He additionally faces elections in the politically important Andalucia area on 2 December. An Element of Spain that neighbours – you guessed it – The Rock.

    It Is conceivable that Spain’s top minister has discovered a lesson from Italy’s deputy prime minister: that should you dig to your heels within the EU, you can get effects.

    Image copyright Reuters Symbol caption Matteo Salvini is a harsh critic of the ecu

    He is aware of, after all, that preserving the Brexit summit now, in November, used to be at Theresa’s Would Possibly’s insistence; that the ecu idea it conceivable to seal the deal subsequent month instead.

    this information is in Mr Sánchez’s back pocket.

    it will be significant to undergo in mind that even as Spain does not have a real veto over the Brexit divorce deal, EUROPEAN leaders want to succeed in choices by consensus at their summits. they don’t in fact submit their fingers to vote.

    there may be no means they can rubber stamp a textual content designed for a leaving member (the uk) when an existing member (Spain) is so strongly hostile.

    It Is real, there’s less EU harmony with Spain over Gibraltar than there was with Eire over the border factor. But the ecu has been so proud in regards to the very peculiar solidarity amongst its individuals over Brexit, they will not need to supply that up at this late degree.

    So, in impact, Spain may exercise an ethical or political “veto” on Sunday.

    Which means that even supposing Spain does not have a proper veto, it would exercise moral and political objections that may effectively stop other nations from vote casting in opposition to it.

    Image copyright AFP/Getty Symbol caption Considerations about a laborious border between the uk and Ireland have been a key characteristic of Brexit negotiations

    EU insiders do not believe it is going to come down to that. they think this may be solved with out reopening the Brexit texts by way of noting Spain’s insistence on continuing UK.-Madrid bilateral talks in a statement introduced to the texts or other imaginable ECU formulas.

    However although Spanish competition melts away sooner than Sunday, the bitterness over Gibraltar, over fishing rights, over ensuring that the uk has no aggressive advantages over Eu businesses in a submit-Brexit industry deal, these are examples of the really extensive stumbling blocks the uk will face from ECU nations in negotiating a industry deal with EUROPEAN after Brexit.

    and that’s a deal the parliaments of every unmarried ECU country – including Spain’s – will need to ratify unanimously.

  • Tim Cook, Apple CEO, backs privacy laws, warns data being ‘weaponized’

    The head of Apple on Wednesday endorsed tough privacy laws for both Europe and the U.S. and renewed the technology giant’s commitment to protecting personal data, which he warned was being “weaponized

    BRUSSELS (AP) — The head of Apple on Wednesday endorsed tough privacy laws for both Europe and the U.S. and renewed the technology giant’s commitment to protecting personal data, which he warned was being “weaponized” against users.

    Speaking at an international conference on data privacy, Apple CEO Tim Cook applauded European Union authorities for bringing in a strict new data privacy law in May and said the iPhone maker supports a U.S. federal privacy law.

    Cook’s speech, along with video comments from Google and Facebook top bosses, in the European Union’s home base in Brussels, underscores how the U.S. tech giants are jostling to curry favor in the region as regulators tighten their scrutiny.

    Data protection has become a major political issue worldwide, and European regulators have led the charge in setting new rules for the big internet companies. The EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, requires companies to change the way they do business in the region, and a number of headline-grabbing data breaches have raised public awareness of the issue.

    “In many jurisdictions, regulators are asking tough questions. It is time for rest of the world, including my home country, to follow your lead,” Cook said.

    “We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States,” he said, to applause from hundreds of privacy officials from more than 70 countries.

    In the U.S., California is moving to put in regulations similar to the EU’s strict rules by 2020 and other states are mulling more aggressive laws. That’s rattled the big tech companies, which are pushing for a federal law that would treat them more leniently.

    Cook warned that technology’s promise to drive breakthroughs that benefit humanity is at risk of being overshadowed by the harm it can cause by deepening division and spreading false information. He said the trade in personal information “has exploded into a data industrial complex.”

    “Our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency,” he said. Scraps of personal data are collected for digital profiles that let businesses know users better than they know themselves and allow companies to offer users “increasingly extreme content” that hardens their convictions, Cook said.

    “This is surveillance. And these stockpiles of personal data serve only to enrich the companies that collect them,” he said. “This should make us very uncomfortable. It should unsettle us.”

    Cook’s appearance was one-up on his tech rivals and showed off his company’s credentials in data privacy, which has become a weak point for both Facebook and Google. That is facilitated also by the fact that Apple makes most of its money by selling hardware like iPhones instead of ads based on user data.

    “With the spotlight shining as directly as it is, Apple have the opportunity to show that they are the leading player and they are taking up the mantle,” said Ben Robson, a lawyer at Oury Clark specializing in data privacy. Cook’s appearance “is going to have good currency,” with officials, he added.

    His speech comes a week after Apple unveiled expanded privacy protection measures for people in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, including allowing them to download all personal data held by Apple. European users already had access to this feature after GDPR took effect. Apple plans to expand it worldwide.

    Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google head Sundar Pichai sent brief video remarks to the annual meeting of global data privacy chiefs.

    Zuckerberg said the social network takes seriously its “basic ethical responsibility” to safeguard personal information but added that “the past year has shown we have a lot more work to do,” referring to a big data breach and the scandal over the misuse of data by political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

    He also said the company is investing in measures to beef up protection, including building a new tool to let users clear their browsing activity and deploying artificial intelligence to detect fake accounts and take down extremist content.

    They both said they supported regulation, with Pichai noting Google recently proposed a legislative framework that would build on GDPR and extend many of its principles to users globally.

    The International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners , held in a different city every year, normally attracts little attention but its Brussels venue this year takes on symbolic meaning as EU officials ratchet up their tech regulation.

    The 28-nation EU took on global leadership of the issue when it launched GDPR. The new rules require companies to justify the collection and use of personal data gleaned from phones, apps and visited websites. They must also give EU users the ability to access and delete data, and to object to data use.

    GDPR also allows for big fines benchmarked to revenue, which for big tech companies could amount to billions of dollars.

    In the first big test of the new rules, Ireland’s data protection commission, which is a lead authority for Europe as many big tech firms are based in the country, is investigating Facebook’s data breach, which let hackers access 3 million EU accounts.

    Google, meanwhile, shut down its Plus social network this month after revealing it had a flaw that could have exposed personal information of up to half a million people.

  • David Davis, former Brexit secretary, urges Theresa May cabinet rebellion in Sunday Times

    Britain’s former Brexit secretary is urging members of Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet to rebel against her proposed deal with the European Union over the terms of Britain’s departure from the bl

    LONDON — Britain’s former Brexit secretary is urging members of Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet to rebel against her proposed deal with the European Union over the terms of Britain’s departure from the bloc.

    David Davis wrote in the Sunday Times that May’s plans for some continued ties with the EU under her Chequers plan is “completely unacceptable” and must be stopped. The fellow Conservative Party member said the time has come for ministers to shoot down May’s plan.

    “It is time for the cabinet to exert their collective authority,” he said. “This week the authority of our constitution is on the line.”

    May is struggling to build a consensus behind her Brexit plans ahead of a cabinet meeting Tuesday that will be followed by an EU summit Wednesday in Brussels.

    If Davis’ call for a rebellion is effective, the cabinet meeting Tuesday would be a likely place for opposition to surface.

    Davis and former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigned from the cabinet this summer to protest May’s Brexit blueprint. Both have become vocal opponents of her plan, calling it a betrayal of the Brexit vote that would leave Britain in a weakened position.

    May also faces obstacles from the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, which has played a crucial role in propping up her minority government in Parliament.

    DUP leader Arlene Foster remains opposed to any Brexit plan that would require checks on goods traveling between Northern Ireland and Britain, as some EU leaders have suggested as part of a “backstop” plan.

    The Chequers plan has also been questioned by some opposition Labour Party lawmakers, further complicating the prime minister’s hopes of winning parliamentary backing for any Brexit deal she reaches with EU officials.

     

  • The Latest: EU’s Tusk says Brexit compromise still possible

    The Latest on Brexit, the political divorce between Britain and the rest of the European Union (all times local):

    LONDON (AP) – The Latest on Brexit, the political divorce between Britain and the rest of the European Union (all times local):

    6:30 p.m.

    EU Council President Donald Tusk says he remains convinced that a Brexit compromise that is “good for all, is still possible.”

    His comments come a day after a clear lack of progress at an EU leaders summit in the Austrian city of Salzburg and hours after Prime Minister Theresa May rebuked the EU for damning her Brexit proposals. The Brexit talks, she said, have hit at an “impasse.”

    In a statement, Tusk said “the U.K. stance presented just before and during the Salzburg meeting was surprisingly tough and in fact uncompromising.”

    In spite of that viewpoint, he insisted he remained “a close friend of the U.K. and a true admirer of PM May.”

    Ahead of the summit, Tusk said some parts of May’s plan were a step in the right direction, even though the Irish border and the economic cooperation proposals need to be reworked.

    ___

    4:15 p.m.

    British Prime Minister Theresa May’s parliamentary allies welcomed her assurances that Northern Ireland would avoid a hard border – even as they urged her to stand up for the interests of the entire country in talks on leaving the European Union.

    Nigel Dodds, a senior leader in the Democratic Unionist Party, says May’s remarks on Friday show “she is not going to be pushed around by Europe.”

    By contrast, the president of the Irish nationalist party, Sinn Fein, argued May’s comments were “an exercise in tired rhetoric.”

    Mary Lou McDonald says that rather than accept her plan has failed to resolve fundamental issues, May’s “focus has unfortunately remained on infighting within her own party and her pact with the DUP, instead of coming to an acceptable negotiating position.”

    ___

    3:05 p.m.

    The pound has fallen further after British Prime Minister Theresa May took a tougher line in the Brexit talks.

    The currency was down a sharp 1.5 percent at $1.3066 after May said Brexit negotiations are “at an impasse” after the European Union rejected her proposals for leaving the bloc.

    The proposal was to keep the U.K. in the EU single market for goods, but not services, to ensure free trade with the bloc and an open border between the U.K.’s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

    EU officials dismissed the plan, saying Britain can’t “cherry-pick” elements of membership in the bloc.

    The disagreement raises the risk of Britain leaving the EU without any deal on future trade relations after Brexit day on March 29, which would mean tariffs on exports and disruptions to commerce, travel and other activities.

    ___

    2:30 p.m.

    British Prime Minister Theresa May has sought to reassure European Union citizens living in the U.K., saying they will retain their rights in case the country leaves the European Union without a deal.

    May issued an update Friday on the ongoing Brexit negotiations in the wake of the rejection of her plans by EU leaders in Salzburg – a situation she says might cause concern among the 3 million EU citizens who live in Britain.

    May says told those worried about their future that “you are our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues. We want you to stay.”

    She also addressed the other thorny issue in the talks: the border with Northern Ireland. May says that in the event of no deal, “we will do everything in our power to prevent a return to a hard border.”

    ___

    2:15 p.m.

    British Prime Minister Theresa May says Brexit negotiations are “at an impasse” after the European Union rejected her proposals for leaving the bloc.

    Speaking at 10 Downing St. in London, May said it was “not acceptable” that the EU had rejected her plan without offering alternatives.

    EU chief Donald Tusk said at a summit in Salzburg that May’s plan would not work.

    May says both sides want a deal, but remain far apart on key issues of future trade relations and the Irish border. She called for “serious engagement” to solve the problems.

    The pound fell on May’s comments, trading down a sharp 1.2 percent on the day to $1.3104.

    ___

    9:30 p.m.

    The British government on Friday accused the European Union of slamming the handbrake on Brexit negotiations, after the bloc said Prime Minister Theresa May’s blueprint was unworkable.

    European Council President Donald Tusk said bluntly at a meeting in Salzburg, Austria on Thursday that parts of May’s plan simply “will not work,” while French President Emmanuel Macron called pro-Brexit U.K. politicians “liars” who had misled the country about the costs of leaving the 28-nation bloc.

    A rattled May insisted that her plan was the only one on the table – and that Britain was prepared to walk away from the EU without a deal if it was rejected.

    The rebuff sparked British headlines saying May had been “humiliated,” and a strong response from the U.K. government.

    Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab accused the EU of rejecting Britain’s proposals without offering “credible alternatives” and said the bloc had “yanked up the handbrake” on negotiations.

  • Theresa May ‘humiliated’ after EU trashes her Brexit plan: U.K. media

    British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit blueprint is in tatters after it was rejected by the European Union at a summit the U.K. media branded a “humiliation.”

    LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit blueprint is in tatters after it was rejected by the European Union at a summit the U.K. media branded a “humiliation.”

    European Council President Donald Tusk said bluntly at a meeting in Salzburg, Austria, Thursday that parts of May’s plan simply “will not work,” while French President Emmanuel Macron called pro-Brexit U.K. politicians “liars.”

    A rattled May told reporters that Britain was prepared to walk away from the EU without a deal.

    The rocky summit dashed British hopes of a breakthrough in stalled divorce talks, with just six months to go until Britain leaves the bloc on March 29.

    The judgment of British newspapers on Friday was brutal. The left-leaning Guardian said “May humiliated,” while the right-of-center Sun branded bloc leaders “EU dirty rats.”

  • Brexit papers: What no deal could mean

    British passport

    Another slew of technical notices aimed at providing guidance to the public and businesses on how to prepare for a no-deal Brexit were released by the government on Thursday.

    Ministers say it is an “unlikely” scenario and the UK and EU are working on getting an agreement finalised.

    But what detail has come out of the 28 papers?

    Here is a summary:

    Driving

    Image copyright Science Photo Library

    Mobiles

    Last year, travellers were delighted as Brussels quashed roaming charges for phones used inside the European Union.

    Rather than massive bills for calling back home or posting snaps on social networks, the mobile networks were forced to treat use in other EU countries the same as if the customer was at home.

    A no-deal Brexit means free roaming can no longer be guaranteed.

    The government has tried to put minds at rest, saying it will legislate to include a cap on data roaming charges.

    However, that is not quite the same as being able to use a UK phone in the EU with no additional costs.

    Irish citizens

    As the rules currently stand, UK citizens can cross the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic without any checks, and vice versa.

    That is because of the Common Travel Area (CTA) – which allows for passport-free travel between the UK, Irish Republic, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man.

    But what happens if there is a no-deal Brexit?

    The government has said there will be “no practical changes” to their approach and “no routine immigration controls on journeys from within the CTA to the UK”.

    But with no deal agreed, it is not clear what the EU will say to that.

    Image copyright PA

    Passports

    Ensuring your passport up-to-date is the message from this paper.

    Anyone who wants to travel to the EU after Brexit is told to have at least six months left on their document – or they won’t be allowed to travel.

    And those expecting to get their hands on a blue passport soon will have to wait a little longer.

    Initially, burgundy will still be the colour of choice, although the cover will no longer carry the words “European Union”.

    But if you want the blue passport, ministers say they will be issued in late 2019.

    Firearms

    Currently, EU citizens are allowed to travel with firearms between member states.

    This requires a “European Firearms Pass”, and if you have one, you can go back and forth with it.

    However, in a no-deal scenario, people from the UK will not be able to get one of these passes and will have to check with the country they are travelling to what the rules are.

    The rules won’t change for EU citizens though, whose passes will still be accepted in the UK.

    Safety standards for goods

    One of the things offered by the EU’s single market are common regulations for goods.

    It means, whether you have tomatoes from Spain or sausages from Germany, they all have to adhere to a strict set of rules for quality.

    But, come 29 March 2019, there could be problems.

    If there is a no-deal, goods from the UK would not be covered by the regulations and businesses wanting to export their products would have to check on legislation in each country before they sent them there.

    Also, goods tested by a UK body – say cosmetics or bathroom products – would no longer be recognised by the EU, so would have to go through checks again – by a European Union-approved body – to make sure they meet the bloc’s minimum safety requirements.

    Cars

    As with food and make up, car manufacturers are going to face similar regulation issues.

    If a car is made in the UK, or the parts are, a no-deal Brexit means firms will have to apply to the EU for what is called “type approval” – which shows they comply with EU safety and environmental standards.

    Without this green light, they won’t be able to sell their cars and parts in the 27 member states.

    The paper says that for a time-limited period, perhaps two years, the UK will automatically convert EU approvals into UK approvals – meaning there would be no problem for EU manufacturers wanting to sell their cars in the UK.

    But, without a deal, there is no guarantee the EU would give Britain the same in return.

    Image copyright Getty Images

    Broadcasting

    As it stands, broadcasters in the EU can show their channels in any of the member states, but they only have to come under the scrutiny of one.

    For example, the BBC can show BBC programmes in France, but it only answers to Ofcom’s code, not the French equivalent.

    This “country of origin” principle, however, will disappear with a no-deal Brexit.

    That means broadcasters will have to abide by the regulations in each individual country they want to show their content in.

    Personal data

    You will remember earlier this year that inboxes were flooded with emails about “GDPR”.

    The General Data Protection Regulation applies to all organisations that handle European Union citizens’ data.

    When the rules came in, they gave consumers new rights, such as finding out what data is being held on them, and getting firms to delete that information, unless they had a good reason to keep it.

    Part of the regulation also meant companies were only able to transfer personal data outside of the EU if there was a legal basis for doing so – but they could send it anywhere within the bloc.

    The UK is going to keep the same standard, so there would be no immediate impact there.

    However, if a deal wasn’t agreed, British companies could face problems getting data from member states, as they would no longer be party to it.

    Environment/pollution

    There is a lot of law that has been made in the EU when it comes to protecting the environment and, in turn, the health of citizens.

    Targets to reduce air, water, and land pollution are set by the bloc, as well as emissions from vehicles and industry.

    The UK has pledged to keep these standards, and perhaps raise them higher, but in a no-deal scenario, there may have to be interim measures while we wait for the government to get their new rules through Parliament.

    Also, when it comes to products using damaging chemicals, the companies who make and sell them may need two different permits – one for the UK and one for the EU – giving them more red tape to wade through.

    Image copyright Reuters

    Drugs

    Drug precursors are chemicals that can be used in the illicit manufacture of narcotics.

    But they can also be used for more legitimate means, such as in medicines, perfumes or for plastics.

    Trading these materials is easy enough as a member of the EU.

    But if you are on the outside, it comes at a cost – a license to sell into the block that could cost thousands of pounds.

    So, a no-deal would put firms in that position straight away.

    Space

    The UK is part of a number of joint European space programmes.

    These include Galileo, a satellite project for GPS systems, Copernicus, which carries out earth observations, and EU space surveillance.

    These are important for a range of UK businesses, from telecoms firms to universities.

    But whilst the average smartphone user won’t feel the effect, companies, academics and researchers will no longer play a part in developing the systems and will be unable to bid for future contracts.

    The government has promised to invest £92 million from its “Brexit readiness” to design its own UK Global Navigation Satellite System, but many in the sector have expressed fears of dropping out of the existing EU version.

    Image copyright European Space Agency

    Grants

    The UK can apply for a number of different grants from the EU to fund projects across the country.

    This can range from cash for transport projects and superfast broadband rollouts, through to help for disadvantaged communities, like schemes to create jobs or teach skills.

    But if there is a no-deal Brexit, the cash these things rely on could be cut off early.

    In July, the government promised to fund billions of pounds of programmes until the end of 2020 in the event of a no-deal.

    But there will be some caveats involved, such as collaborations with other member states getting the axe, and changes in line with other public spending.

    Business and investment

    The EU has long held big companies to account when it comes to competition.

    The idea is it stops companies abusing a dominant market position.

    So, when Google was putting its own shopping service ads at the top of search results or when Microsoft promoted its web browser on computers running Windows, the EU gave levied hefty fines and imposed new rules.

    The UK has seen those rules duplicated here – Microsoft introducing a Browser Choice Screen pop-up for example – but if no-deal happens, the same rules won’t apply.

    The government says the UK Competition and Markets Authority will take on responsibility for this role, but it will not be bound by EU law – so outcomes could be different.

    Shipping

    We are an island, and as such, shipping has always played a key role in the economy.

    But a no-deal Brexit could lead to some trouble on the high seas.

    If a ship from a non-EU country wants to enter an EU port, it has to submit security information and get an exemption before docking.

    Of course, members of the EU don’t need to worry about this.

    But, a no-deal UK on the outside would have to apply.

    The papers also reveal crew members from the UK may be affected as they would no longer hold the correct certificates to work on EU vessels.

    The UK has said it will continue to recognise EU certificates for European workers on British boats – but it is up to the EU to reciprocate that.

  • Preparing for two ‘no deal’ scenarios

    Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab leaves cabinet meeting to discuss 'no deal' preparations Image copyright AFP

    A lot of hassle and potential cost for a lot of people.

    The government’s spent the afternoon giving details of what might need to happen, if there was no deal with the EU.

    There’s no guarantee you’d be able to avoid big phone bills if you use your mobile abroad, although ministers say they’d cap any data charges at £45 a month and some of the firms say they won’t change prices.

    If you want to go on the road on the continent, you might need an International Driving Permit.

    Free phone roaming ‘not guaranteed’ UK driving licences ‘may not be valid’

    If you want to jump on a cheap flight for a last-minute weekend, better check you have six months left on your passport, or you might be turned back.

    Image copyright AFP

    In that situation, the government would be walking away without being able to tell MPs or the public how much we would still have to stump up.

    Ministers’ belief, however, is that the chances of there being no agreement are now relatively small.

    They are hopeful that next week EU leaders will give helpful hints at a special meeting in Salzburg.

    Yet there is a long way to go until Dominic Raab, or anyone in government, can be sure. And don’t doubt that many Tory MPs are adamant they simply won’t vote for the kind of proposal Theresa May has put on the table.

    One senior MP told me: “If people in Number 10 haven’t made clear to her that ‘Chequers minus minus’ isn’t going to get through the Commons, then she is getting the wrong advice.”

    After all, there are two kinds of “no deal” – one seems very unlikely, where the EU and the UK simply can’t agree. The prime minister comes back to Parliament and says: “I’m sorry, I tried, but it just won’t wash.”

    But the other is that Theresa May comes back with a deal but her party, and Parliament, chucks it out.

    The political climate would be different in those two cases.

    But in the potential chaos of either, the hassle outlined on Thursday might just be the start.

  • PM to discuss no-deal Brexit plans

    Theresa May leaves Downing st Image copyright PA

    The prime minister is to hold a special three-hour cabinet meeting to discuss preparations for a no-deal Brexit.

    The government is also due to publish guidance on issues such as mobile phone roaming charges, driving licences and passports in the event of the EU and the UK not reaching an agreement.

    The Brexit secretary has said the UK will not pay its financial settlement to the EU in a no-deal scenario.

    He said the government was “stepping up” its contingency planning.

    Theresa May’s proposals, set out after a Chequers summit in July, are fiercely opposed by some Tory MPs and the EU has also expressed reservations.

    Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Roaming charges in EU countries were scrapped in 2017

    Extra charges for people using their phones in another EU country were scrapped in June 2017. But the EU regulation banning them will not automatically be part of UK law after Brexit.

    Mrs May has said the UK will no longer be part of the EU’s “digital single market” after Brexit.

    In theory this means UK mobile operators, if they want to, could reintroduce the charges that could make it expensive to use a mobile phone in another EU country.

    However, last month major operators told the BBC they had no plans to raise charges.

    ‘Nonsense’ and ‘scaremongering’

    Mr Raab said the no-deal plans were “not something we want to have to implement”.

    “No one should pretend that no deal would be straightforward,” he said.

    “There would be risks and some short-term disruption. Extra checks at the EU border would bring delays for businesses.”

    And trading with the EU on World Trade Organization terms – an outcome backed by a group of Brexiteers in a report this week – would be “inferior” to the current arrangements, he said.

    But Mr Raab also criticised those he said were “scaremongering for political ends” about no deal being reached.

    “It’s nonsense to claim that UK supermarkets would run out of food,” he said, adding that people should not be scared by the government’s request to pharmaceutical companies to stockpile extra medicine supplies.

    More no-deal publications are expected in the coming weeks.