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Local Government in Europe

  • EU citizens will need registration to enter UK in Brexit transition

    EUROPEAN UNION, 2017/07/29 UK home affairs minister Amber Rudd said EU nationals will be able to continue entering the UK during a transition period next Brexit, but will need to go through a registration process.
  • Spain's PM appeals to court over Catalan independence

    SPAIN, 2017/07/29 The Spanish government and Catalan authorities took a step further on Friday (28 July), in their showdown ahead of an independence referendum planned for 1 October in Catalonia. Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy announced that he would appeal to the Constitutional Tribunal against a text, passed in the Catalan parliament before this week, which would facilitate the adoption of a bill to organise the referendum.
  • Kremlin Aide Visits Abkhazia, Speaks Of ‘Favorable’ Political Environment

    GEORGIA, 2017/07/08 Russian President’s aide Vladislav Surkov, who oversees Georgia’s Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions, visited Sokhumi on July 3, and discussed, part other issues, Russia’s financial assistance to the region. Surkov, who is deeply implicated in all political decisions of the two regions, held meetings with Abkhaz leader Raul Khajimba, inclunding the chief of the Abkhaz government Beslan Bartsits. In the opening statement before his conference with Raul Khajimba, Vladislav Surkov pointed out that it was significant to look at “outstanding issues” of economic and political cooperation during the talks, inclunding the implementation of the treaty on “alliance and strategic partnership” signed between Sokhumi and Moscow on November 24, 2014.
  • Spain: Rajoy Calls For Calm In Face Of ‘Authoritarian Delusions’ In Catalonia

    SPAIN, 2017/07/08 Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called Wednesday, July 5 for calm in the face of “authoritarian delusions” in Catalonia, as tensions between Madrid and separatists in the northeastern region surged over an independence drive, AFP reveals. “To all Catalans, to all Spaniards, I want to tell you to maintain confidence someday as authoritarian delusions… will at no time defeat the serenity and harmony of our democratic national,” Rajoy said at a gathering in Madrid.
  • Bulgarian commissioner fields easy questions at MEP hearing

    BULGARIA, 2017/06/21 Bulgaria's candidate for the European Commission sailed through a hearing at the European Parliament on Tuesday (20 June) as MEPs accepted her broad statements and promises without much criticism. Members of the European Parliament's industry and culture committees held a common conference to see if Mariya Gabriel, an outgoing MEP herself, is fit to become the EU commissioner for digital economy and society. The 2.5-hour hearing saw Gabriel promising to involve the EU parliament, to aim for “dialogue and compromise” and to “complete the digital single market”.
  • ICLEI : Transformation of cities towards sustainability

    SWEDEN, 2017/05/29 Local governments affirmed their willingness to take major, transformative steps towards better sustainability at the ICLEI European Membership Assembly, vocalising the need to engage all sectors of society in this transition to prevent European democracies from fracturing further. Over 100 participants attended the ICLEI-organised event, which took place at the BEL conference centre in Brussels over two days. The Membership Assembly was convened to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the ICLEI European Secretariat.
  • European Union's Tusk Says Unity Crucial For Positive Outcome Of Brexit Talks

    EUROPEAN UNION, 2017/05/17 Unity part all EU nations was vital for ensuring a positive outcome of the exit negotiations with the United Kingdom, European Council President Donald Tusk said Wednesday. "Our unity is the majority significant condition for the positive outcome of the negotiations," Tusk said in a European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg. He was reporting the outcome of the initial formal conference of the European Council of 27 that took place on April 29.
  • How Düsseldorf offers a taste of Asia in Germany

    GERMANY, 2017/05/11 Düsseldorf has been a popular destination for Japanese businesses wanting to set up a European base since the 1980s, and additional recently Chinese companies have followed suit. Wendy Atkins looks at what the city offers investors from the Far East inclunding the rest of the globe. Düsseldorf has become a popular location for international companies from multiple sectors seeking to establish a European or Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) base. Asian firms, in particular, have favoured the city, enticed by its track record of attracting large name Japanese and Chinese firms.
  • French vote rallies market

    FRANCE, 2017/04/25 A trader works Monday on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange amid a rally triggered by growing optimism that a probusiness candidate will win France’s presidential runoff. NEW YORK — U.S. stocks joined a worldwide surge higher Monday next the initial round of France’s presidential election raised expectations that the European Union will hold together. A candidate seen as pro-business won the majority votes Sunday, and a lot of investors expect him to win a runoff against the remaining anti-EU candidate, which is set for May 7. Prices for gold, Treasurys and other investments that signal fear in the market all sank, while a popular gauge for measuring investor fear eased by the biggest margin since the summer of 2011.
  • Scotland's economic case for independence must be 'politically bomb-proof'

    UNITED KINGDOM, 2017/03/31 Scottish independence is not about sympathy but rather the grounds for its cessation from the U.K. should be based on "pure economic logic" with a "politically bomb-proof" plan to boot. Scotland's Initial Minister Nicola Sturgeon defiantly declared her mandate for a second referendum was "beyond question" next she received formal backing by the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday. However, the U.K. government has repeatedly blocked calls for a vote until next the Brexit process is complete with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May insistent that "presently is not the time".