Berlin Correspondent @BBCNews, covering Germany & Europe. Formerly Brussels, Washington DC & Westminster. Chess addict♟️Got a story? jessica.parker@bbc.co.uk
Feb 17, 2023 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
NEW: The European Commission’s @MarosSefcovic has put member states on alert for a possible deal on the #NorthernIreland Protocol at short notice – according to #EU diplomats.
He gave no timeline however. “It’s unclear if it’s a matter of days or weeks,” said one...
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Mr Sefcovic has been updating ambassadors in Brussels this afternoon.
It’s understood that, within a “brief” private session, he reported that there was, as yet, no final deal with “intensive” contacts still underway.
He gave no details on any remaining sticking points...
Feb 17, 2023 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
The #NorthernIreland Protocol. Is a deal done? From what I hear, not quite. In a way that’s obvious because an agreement isn’t sealed until both sides sign on the dotted line. But diplomats in Brussels agree that a compromise plan isn’t quite there, yet...🧵
The political tour that Rishi Sunak & his ministers are going on may be read as the kind of end-game choreography you’d expect to see before an inevitable announcement. But there's an alternative reading...
Nov 7, 2022 • 9 tweets • 4 min read
#Brexit was never about stepping away from our "proud and historic" role in Europe says minister @LeoDochertyUK as he starts his address to the #EU#UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly
The Europe Minister talks about combined efforts to sanction Russia as well as to support Sweden & Finland's accession to NATO
Nov 7, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
#Europe Minister @LeoDochertyUK will address MPs & MEPs today in London, as part of the #UK - #EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly
The last one, in Brussels, saw tense exchanges about the Northern Ireland Protocol dispute. A govt trail makes no mention of that, rather...
The emphasis is on co-operation.
“A clear lesson from the last nine months has been that despite the challenges in our relationship, the UK and EU are effective allies where it matters most," Mr Docherty will say.
Support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia have been...
Sep 2, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
NEW: #EU’s chief #Brexit negotiator has urged the new #UK Prime Minister to ”engage” with talks on the #NorthernIreland Protocol.
@MarosSefcovic says this call has been made "for over a year."
"And it still stands – also vis-à-vis the incoming UK Prime Minister & government.”
The European Commission Vice President was speaking at the British-Irish Association Conference in Oxford.
He repeated the EU’s criticism of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, describing it as a “clear breach of international law” that is “extremely damaging to mutual trust.”
Sep 2, 2022 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
#EU could face another #Covid wave this autumn & winter, warns the European Commission
It's urging member states to prepare...
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There's lots on #vaccine development & rollout as Commission says that, since the end of April:
"The uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in the EU has barely changed."
