In The News

October 29, 2019
Lawmakers in the United Kingdom failed to reach agreement about how to exit the European Union so they will give voters a chance to select a new set of members in parliament. “By a margin of 438 votes to 20, the Commons approved legislation paving the way for the first December election since 1923,” reports BBC News. Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggests “the public must be ‘given a choice’ over...
Daniel Boffey and Jon Henley September 12, 2019
The economic warnings for a post-Brexit United Kingdom are dire: shortages, traffic and chaos. That could make the country desperate and ruthless, eliminating social and environmental regulations to compete. The country could become a Singapore-on-Thames, she suggested. The UK prime minister’s negotiator advised that the UK seeks a “clean break” from the EU. “Merkel also warned of the economic...
August 29, 2019
Italy has formed a new government under Premier-designate Giuseppe Conte nine days after he resigned. The new coalition of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the center-left Democratic Party is less hostile to the European Union than the previous coalition that included the far-right Nationalist League. The 5-Star Movement led all parties in the 2018 legislative election, with more than...
Sebastian Payne and Philip Georgiadis August 28, 2019
The UK prime minister is determined to meet the October 31 deadline for Brexit, hard or soft, and suspended parliament for time than usual to stop efforts by a sizable opposition hoping to block the nation’s withdrawal from the European Union. Parliament was set to return on September 3 and suspension extends that until October 14. Boris Johnson suggests the suspension allows focus on other...
Angela Giuffrida August 21, 2019
Italy and its populist forces are in political crisis. Giuseppe Conte resigned as prime minister and “The president, Sergio Mattarella, is now calling the shots in a crisis triggered when Matteo Salvini pulled the plug on the League’s tenuous relationship with the Five Star Movement (M5S) in an attempt to capitalise on his popularity and become PM,” reports Angela Giuffrida. The president has...
Julia Horowitz, June 5, 2019
As the United Kingdom struggles to exit the European Union, its leaders hope for new trade partners. Visiting Britain, US President Donald Trump expressed desire for a bilateral deal. The United States accounts for 14.7 percent of total UK trade in goods and services, while the European Union represents 49.4 percent. “Britain can't open negotiations with potential partners until after it...
Bernd Riegert May 28, 2019
The European Union is a mix of diverse nations, languages and political systems that integrated for trade, economic, social and security policies and remains fragmented, as shown by the 2019 European Parliament elections. More than 50 percent of the electorate voted and two thirds chose pro-European parties. Some of the far-right populist parties did well in individual nations like France, Italy...