EU and the UK
date: 13/10/2017
Fifth round of Brexit negotiations
The fifth round of Brexit negotiations took place this week. At the closing press conference, Michel Barnier, the European Commission's Chief Negotiator said "as things stand at present, I am not able to recommend to the European Council next week to open discussions on the future relationship." He also spoke about the EU and UK's common goals and divergences.
Michel Barnier's statement
The recording of Michel Barnier and David Davis' press conference is available here
The EU and UK engage with World Trade Organization on certain issues arising from the UK's withdrawal from the EU
On 11 October, the European Union and the United Kingdom sent a joint letter to all members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), setting out their intended approach to certain WTO issues arising from the UK's withdrawal from the EU. The letter marks the start of a cooperative and transparent engagement by the EU and the UK with all members of the WTO. When the UK leaves the EU, it will have its own separate schedules of commitments. Among other things, these schedules indicate the maximum tariff rates that can be applied to each specific type of imported product and the quantities of each product that can be imported duty-free or with a duty discount, known as tariff-rate quotas (TRQs).
Coventry gets EU funding for efforts to integrate migrants
Coventry City Council will receive close to €5 million (£4.3m) under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for its efforts to integrate migrants. Through the creation of a Business Leaders’ Forum, a toolkit for employers and intensive training in advanced digital manufacturing, the project aims to better match migrants and refugees' skills with new job opportunities. At the same time it provides a financial scheme, mentoring and support for up to 50 social enterprises and social innovation projects. Some funding will also help refugees and migrants set up their start-ups and language classes will also be provided.
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