, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20201202IPR92914/
New WHO report reveals use of e-cigarettes by youth is on the rise
Tobacco use among young people in the WHO European Region remains a public health concern. Despite the overall downward trend, several countries of the Region observed an increase in tobacco use prevalence among young people in the latest round of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey. While cigarettes remain the most used form of tobacco products, there is a concerning trend emerging from the use of electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes). According to the latest available data, young people are turning to these products at an alarming rate. The new report reveals that in some countries the rates of e-cigarette use among adolescents were much higher than those for conventional cigarettes. In Poland, for example, 15.3% of students smoked cigarettes and 23.4% used electronic cigarettes in 2016.
E-cigarettes and other novel and emerging nicotine- and tobacco-containing products, such as heated tobacco products (HTPs), are the next frontier in the global tobacco epidemic. While the latter is a tobacco product, e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, and may or may not contain nicotine. Nonetheless, there is clear evidence that these products are addictive and harmful to health. HTPs expose users to toxic substances and chemicals, similar to those found in cigarette smoke, many of which can cause cancer, while e-cigarette use increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and lung disorders. Furthermore, both e-cigarettes and HTPs are particularly risky when used by children and adolescents, as exposure to a highly addictive substance like nicotine can have long-lasting and damaging effects on the developing brain.
Some countries that monitor e-cigarette use among young people have shown marked increases over the years. In Italy the prevalence of current e-cigarette use increased from 8.4% in 2014 to 17.5% in 2018, in Georgia – from 5.7% in 2014 to 13.2% in 2017, while in Latvia it was 9.1% in 2011 and 18% in 2019.
The Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) is one of the organizations at the forefront of the struggle against the tobacco pandemic. “We are a coalition of public health organizations working to make the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) a political priority,” explains Ms Anca Toma, the SFP’s Director.
SFP advises partners in its coalition on policy processes and emerging trends in the global tobacco epidemic. Although the national members of SFP have a wide range of positions on e-cigarette regulation, depending on the national context, political environment and domestic prevalence, the partnership plays a crucial supporting role in promoting and sharing best practices.
Like other tobacco control advocates, SFP emphasizes the importance of the WHO FCTC for safeguarding people against harmful tobacco products. “The top priority action for tobacco control, in our view, is implementation of the WHO FCTC in a comprehensive, consistent and incremental manner,” says Anca Toma. “Using existing tools, we can anticipate and counteract the tobacco industry strategies that undermine public health.”
In Ms Toma’s view, one of the most urgent actions is closing of regulatory and enforcement loopholes with respect to advertising, promotion and sponsorship. This holds true both for conventional tobacco products and for e-cigarettes and HTPs. The regulation of novel products at European level is fragmented and varies across countries, which the tobacco industry exploits to target children and young people. Ms Toma points to the repurposing of traditional product design strategies such as flavoured products and the rise of social media influencers, sponsorship of music festivals and other cultural events. “Some of these tactics have exploited existing regulatory gaps, while others have circumvented or even breached advertising and sponsorship bans,” she says. “Despite online advertising of tobacco and novel products being banned in most European countries, the industry plays on the difficulties of enforcing these rules cross-border and in the digital sphere.”
Nonetheless, progress is being made in the Region. There has been an increase in legal actions across Europe against these campaigns, with companies being fined and ordered to take down illegal content. Although there are challenges involved in regulating these products, a rigorous application of the WHO FCTC would close advertising loopholes and deny the industry the ability to push its products to young people with impunity.
WHO FCTC implementation is a mechanism to protect young people. It is proven to reduce tobacco use across the population and it is hoped that it will simultaneously prevent uptake of e-cigarettes. Ms Toma is optimistic about its effectiveness. “Evidence shows significant reduction in youth tobacco use in countries with the highest levels of implementation of the WHO FCTC. This happens without new products filling that gap. Where tobacco is no longer cool for kids, it is likely that neither are these new products”, she says.
Another crucial tool in the fight against tobacco- and novel nicotine-containing products is collaboration between research institutes and governments. For several years, the Smoke Free Partnership has been highlighting the need for governments and the European Union to invest in tobacco control policy research, ensuring that research is supported, population-focused and policy-relevant. “Too often, governments and advocates have to fight the industry’s undermining of evidence, or the industry attacking scientific evidence because it comes from other countries,” explains Ms Toma. “The other risk is that the tobacco industry is now trying to co-opt researchers through funding front groups, and that speaks to the need for governments to promote and protect independent research that supports, informs, monitors, and evaluates tobacco control policy.”
The tobacco industry has been ruthless in its attempts to maintain and increase profits, with e-cigarettes and heated tobacco being just another means to preserving and expanding its markets. However, with good guidance, research and a rigorous implementation of the WHO FCTC, a path can be built towards a tobacco and nicotine-free future. Protecting health and saving lives is the thrust of tobacco control and organizations like Smoke Free Partnership. As Anca Toma explains, “tobacco control is a fight for the lives of young generations”.
European Union and France finance rehabilitation of old and historic centres
The Tunisian Ministry of Equipment, Housing and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment have published a call for expressions of interest to select the municipalities that will benefit from the historic centre regeneration programme (PRCA). To mark the occasion, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Agence française de développement (AFD) have reaffirmed their commitment to support and assist local authorities working to protect and preserve their historic urban heritage.
Between them, AFD and the EIB will provide €12 million (TND 39 million) of financing to the PRCA programme in equal contributions. The objective of the programme is to revive historic centres (neighbourhoods dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries and earlier) and medinas, while preserving their economic, historical and social characteristics in an integrated manner. This will involve renovation work, in particular on roads, water and sewerage systems and public lighting, which will improve the local environment and living conditions for residents. Measures will also be taken to restore the role of these neighbourhoods as attractive business centres, driving growth and employment.
The PRCA is a particularly innovative programme in terms of governance and is directly linked to the ongoing decentralisation process in Tunisia. The municipalities will thus be at the forefront of the PRCA, leading a broader discussion on how to integrate their historic centres into the local urban, economic and social fabric, and managing an urban regeneration project developed jointly with members of civil society, in close collaboration and with the support of institutional partners.
Jean-Luc Revéreault, Head of the EIB Representation to Tunisia, said:“The EIB is proud to be supporting local authorities faced with the urgent need of reviving their old and historic centres in a sustainable manner. This call for expressions of interest is an important step in the programme’s implementation and I hope that many municipalities will be able to apply. By renovating and rehabilitating these neighbourhoods, we will increase their economic attractiveness while improving the day-to-day lives of Tunisians.”
The Director of AFD’s Tunis Office Yazid Safir said: “The old centres of Tunisia are rich in heritage and history that must be protected and preserved, but they are also where many Tunisians live and work – they are business and cultural centres that shape the country’s urban identities. Slowing down and reversing depopulation, property deterioration, impoverishment and marginalisation is a top priority for Tunisia and for a partner like AFD. The call for projects aimed at municipalities is designed to promote integrated regeneration operations in historic centres, while respecting their specific characteristics and circumstances as best as possible. It is important to involve all of civil society in projects of this scale to achieve the five components of the PRCA, namely the rehabilitation of basic urban infrastructure, the improvement of public spaces, the preservation of cultural, architectural and urban heritage, the promotion and revival of economic, commercial and artisanal activities, and the improvement of housing.”
Further information on the historic centre regeneration programme is available on the programme’s website: https://prca.gov.tn/
Background information
European Investment Bank
The EIB operates in over 160 countries. In the Mediterranean region, it is committed to helping the Mediterranean partner countries achieve sustainable development and growth. The Bank has two core investment priorities in the region: to create an investment-friendly environment and to provide greater support to the private sector. It also seeks to promote dialogue between the Euro-Mediterranean partners.
Further details are available at: EIB in the region Economic Resilience Initiative
Agence Française de Développement
Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group implements France’s policy on development and international solidarity.
Comprised of AFD, which finances the public sector and NGOs; Proparco, which finances the private sector; and soon, Expertise France for technical cooperation, the Group finances, supports and accelerates transitions towards a more resilient and sustainable world.
We are building – with our partners – shared solutions, with and for the people of the Global South. Our teams are active in more than 4,000 projects in the field, in the French overseas departments and some 115 countries, including areas in crisis.
We strive to protect the common good – promoting peace, biodiversity and a stable climate, as well as gender equality, health and education. It’s our way of contributing to the commitment that France and the French people have made to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals. Towards a world in common.
Further details are available at: www.afd.fr
Lawmakers bash EU border agency over alleged migrant pushbacks
Lawmakers in the European Parliament grilled the director of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency on Tuesday (1 December) over migrant pushbacks in the Mediterranean, with left-wing political groups calling for his resignation.
A number of media reports in October uncovered evidence that the agency, known as Frontex, was involved in carrying out “illegal pushbacks” of migrants on six occasions in the Aegean Sea, at the border between Turkey and Greece.
Frontex director Fabrice Leggeri told MEPs that “in the time slots on the days [reported in the media], the assets that were mentioned, in particular the Romanian and Portuguese vessels, were deployed but there was no evidence that they were engaged in pushbacks activities”.
Leggeri said, however, that on the night of 18-19 April, an autonomous Frontex plane recorded via live streaming a “suspicious case” involving a vessel of the Greek coastguard, which prompted Leggeri to send a letter to the Greek minister of maritime affairs.
A similar incident involving a Danish helicopter pilot who “wanted to issue a serious incident report” was also reported at the end of July, prompting Leggeri to send a letter to the Greek authorities.
Sophie in ‘t Veld, a Dutch MEP from the centrist Renew Europe political group, reacted by asking: “Why not terminate the operation, why not suspend funding? Why did you think it was sufficient to write letters to the Greek authorities which have been routinely systematically denying any allegation, even if there was substantial evidence?”
Leggeri agreed that “letters are not enough”. However, he explained that “in the system of the European Union… if a minister sends a letter to the director of an EU agency and says, ‘everything was according to the law,’ I cannot say ‘I don’t trust you’”.
The Frontex chief added that the agency was at the time operating in the context of “geopolitical confrontations” involving Turkish military fighters surrounding Frontex planes and “almost daily shooting coming from the Turkish side at the land border.”
“Because of all these situations, I also asked the Commission, but also the EU institutions to give me political and legal interpretation and guidance on how to take into account so-called hybrid threats, when security or defence is at stake where we are physically deployed.”
Leggeri welcomed an independent inquiry launched by the European Ombudsman into how Frontex deals with alleged breaches of fundamental rights and proposed a full-fledged independent inquiry by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency.
He also agreed with MEPS who suggested that “some monitoring should be done by external entities which are not embedded in Frontex.”
Green MEP Tineke Strik commented, however, that it was “worrying that we depend on the decision of the EU Ombudsman to do this.”
Frontex comments the EU Ombudsman‘s inquiry on the complaint mechanism, and I agree. But it is worrying that we depend on the decision of the EU Ombudsman to do this. Frontex should have an effectively functioning Fundamental Rights system.
— Tineke Strik (@Tineke_Strik) December 1, 2020
She added that “Frontex should have an effectively functioning fundamental rights system.”
“I would like to call upon all political groups also to really seriously consider if we as Parliament shouldn’t establish a formal inquiry committee on this,” Strik said during the meeting.
Several MEPs also questioned why the agency still has not hired the 40 independent fundamental rights monitors required by its mandate.
Leggeri replied that he had published a vacancy notice for a fundamental rights officer last year, but was “forced to withdraw it because it was said that it’s not a managerial post”.
The director explained that it took months of back and forth with Commission services to determine if the person in charge of the 40 monitors is a manager, which explains the delays in recruitment.
Political groups on the left were unimpressed and called for Leggeri to resign.
“Following the hearing, S&D MEPs concluded Mr Leggeri’s position at the head of Frontex is not sustainable, especially in light of the important role for Frontex in the new Pact on Migration and Asylum,” the group said in a statement.
“We need to ensure that there are impartial procedures in place to judge what’s going on,” said leftist MEP Sira Rego.
“Given your responses, which have been evasive to say the least, I think you should resign, sir,” she added, echoing a previous statement by the leftist group in the European Parliament.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic and Frédéric Simon]
MEPs call for an EU-wide “right to disconnect” | News | European Parliament
- Disconnecting from work should be a fundamental right
- Call for an EU bill granting this right to all EU workers
- Since the COVID-19 crisis began, over a third of EU workers have started to work from home
Outside working hours, workers must be allowed to switch off digital devices without facing consequences, the Employment Committee agreed.
In a resolution adopted on Tuesday with 31 votes in favour, 6 votes against and 18 abstentions, Employment Committee MEPs say that EU countries must ensure that workers are able to exercise the right to disconnect effectively, including by means of collective agreements. They point out that this right is vital to protect workers’ health.
The culture of being “always on” and the growing expectation that workers should be reachable at any time can negatively affect work-life balance, physical and mental health, and well-being, the Employment Committee asserts.
They call on the Commission to propose an EU Directive on the Right to Disconnect, since this right is not explicitly enshrined in EU law . MEPs also stress that being able to switch off from work should be a fundamental right , permitting workers to refrain from work-related tasks and electronic communication outside working hours without facing any repercussions .
Next steps
The non-legislative resolution is expected to be voted on in a plenary session in January 2021. Once endorsed by Parliament, it will be put forward to the Commission and EU countries for implementation as part of future regulatory decisions.
Background
According to Eurofound, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, over a third of EU workers now work from home . There is currently no European legal framework directly defining and regulating the right to switch off. The widespread use of digital tools and information and communication technologies (ICT) makes it possible to work from anywhere, at any time.
These technologies can have harmful consequences, extending working hours, blurring boundaries between work and private life, and contributing to some types of “work nomadism”, all exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis.
How To Fix A Food System That’s Not Designed To Feed People
Earlier this year, Americans learned what it looks like when a food system reliant on industrial agriculture, near monopolies and exploited laborers breaks down.
Just two months into the pandemic, the meat industry in the most powerful nation in the world was buckling.
[…]
The impact of COVID-19 on America’s food system is a wake-up call. A near-direct result of humanity’s destruction of nature — most notably increased levels of deforestation, pollution and habitat ruination — the pandemic can be seen as a warmup, not just for future disease outbreaks, but for the intensifying climate crisis that threatens the systems we rely on to survive.
For all the consumer-facing, shrink-wrapped elegance of the modern food system, the pandemic has exposed its fragility.
Alongside the public health crisis, poverty and food insecurity have skyrocketed this year. As of July, 29 million Americans said they “sometimes or often” did not have enough to eat.
At the same time, Americans were confronted with images and stories of farmers forced to dump milk, destroy crops, and euthanize their livestock as processing facilities and restaurants shut down.
These contradictions between food waste and hunger, said Phil Howard, a social scientist and professor at Michigan State University, are a result of an industrial food system “really designed not to feed people” but rather “to increase the power of a few dominant firms.”
For the last two decades, Howard has studied the consolidation of the food system. He’s documented large companies gobbling up smaller ones, mergers between corporate powerhouses, increased foreign ownership, and deceptive marketing that obscures the trend of monopolization.
Today, six companies control two-thirds of the U.S. meat supply. Whereas meatpacking workers once earned relatively high wages, the last four decades have seen a chipping away of wages and workplace safety protections for an often exploited workforce, largely made up of immigrants and workers of color.
Of course, it’s not just meat, and it’s not just the U.S.
Every part of today’s global food chain — from seeds and farm equipment to the supermarket shelf — is affected by the trend of corporate consolidation. More than 60% of global seed sales, for example, are made by just four companies.
We have been led to believe that Big Agriculture is the most efficient and effective way to feed a growing population, but this argument ignores the damage it does. It’s a heavily subsidized social and environmental liability.
Because a handful of companies control markets, farmers are seeing incomes fall as they are forced to pay higher prices for inputs and accept lower prices for the products they grow. Globally, farmers are also losing agency over their own farms, as corporations increase control of production through predatory contracts.
The environmental costs are enormous. Pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and the fragmentation of natural landscapes are increasing. Fertilizer runoff drains from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico, creating gigantic “dead zones.” Thousands of square miles of Brazil’s Cerrado — considered the most biologically rich savanna in the world and a huge carbon sink — have been cleared for sprawling soy plantations, the vast majority for animal feed. Habitat loss is a key contributor to zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19, that spread from wild animals to humans.
All the while, industrial farming practices destroy the soil on which they rely, requiring more fertilizer and more land.
Indonesia urges EU to accord fair treatment to palm oil
… ’s request to the European Union for fair treatment of palm … Minister Retno Marsudi urged the European Union (EU) to give fair treatment … ;s request to the European Union for fair treatment of palm … , Marsudi noted.
The EU Commission endorsed the delegated act …
European Council approves debt relief efforts for African countries
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The European Council on Tuesday approved a set of conclusions in response to a call made in October 2020 to prepare a common approach in respect of debt relief for African countries.
According to a press statement, made available to PANA, the conclusions highlight the increasing debt vulnerability in low-income countries, particularly in Africa, and underscore the European Union’s support for a coordinated international approach on debt relief efforts for African countries.
The Council welcomed the G20 – Paris Club Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), which offers a temporary debt moratorium to the poorest countries to help them manage the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its extension until 30 June 2021 with the possibility of a further extension by six months.
It commits to a full and transparent implementation of this initiative.
The Council also recognises that for countries with unsustainable debt levels further debt relief may be required. It welcomes the G20 agreement on a ‘Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the DSSI’ as a major step forward in the sovereign debt restructuring international architecture.
“In this context, it advocates the negotiation of debt restructuring where necessary, on a case-by-case basis, while ensuring strong conditionality on public financial management, anti-corruption frameworks and domestic resource mobilisation in the context of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme,” the statement said.
In addition, the Council stressed that debt transparency is critical for a sound assessment of debt sustainability, debtor government accountability, and to enable informed decisions for borrowers and creditors in the context of debt relief efforts.
“It takes the view that all public debt data should therefore be disclosed and supports international efforts aimed at strengthening debt transparency in low-income countries,” the statement concluded. (PANA/NAN)
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EU helps set up online customs transit system to spur Asean trade
Credit: Read the original article from PNA Latest News.
CUSTOMS TRANSIT SYSTEM. The Asean Customs Transit System (ACTS) has been launched and offers an online customs transit management system for Southeast Asia. ACTS has been developed to allow businesses to lodge e-transit declarations directly with Asean customs authorities and track the movement of their goods from loading to delivery. (Photo Courtesy Asean Customs Transit System)
JAKARTA – The online Asean Customs Transit System (ACTS) was launched Monday to accelerate trade in goods by road within Southeast Asia.
Being developed with the support of the European Union (EU), ACTS is simplifying the movement of goods across the region, making it more efficient and cost-effective.
Following trials in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, the system has now been formally launched.
The first successful ACTS transit movement occurred on Oct. 23-24 when a truck travelled from Singapore via Malaysia to Thailand.
The system will soon be available in Myanmar and depending on business needs, may later be expanded to Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Now transporters can make a single customs transit declaration that covers the transport of goods across multiple countries without the need to make repeated customs declarations or change vehicles at each border.
Special arrangements allow reliable traders to load their goods at their own premises in the country of departure, and to deliver the goods to their own premises at other places.
Faster customs clearance at borders helps accelerate transit and reduce the time and expenses needed for carrying out regional trade in goods.
Dato Lim Jock Hoi, the secretary-general of ASEAN, said “The implementation of the Asean Customs Transit System plays a vital role in facilitating seamless movement of goods in the region. I believe the system will be an excellent tool in enhancing Asean’s trade and production networks as well as establishing a more unified market for its firms and consumers.”
“ACTS could also support post-Covid recovery to accelerate the transit movement of medical supplies, vaccines and personal protective equipment within the member states.”
The system is managed by a permanent ACTS central management team based in the Asean Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, with support from the EU-funded ARISE Plus programme.
In 2017, Asean economic ministers set the twin goals of reducing trade transaction costs by 10 percent by 2020 and doubling intra-Asean trade between 2017 and 2025.
ACTS has been developed to realize this goal to allow businesses to lodge e-transit declarations directly with Asean customs authorities and track the movement of their goods from loading to delivery.
“ACTS is a remarkable achievement that is testament to the strong, dynamic and long-standing partnership between Asean and the European Union,” Koen Doens, director general for international co-operation and development at the European Commission, said.
The EU is proud to have joined Asean to make ACTS a reality, providing European technical expertise and 10 million euros since 2012.”
ARISE Plus has provided extensive ACTS training for stakeholders in the public and private sectors, including customs authorities, government transport agencies, freight forwarders, transporters, banks, and insurance companies. (VNS)
Ireland’s experience of economic crisis shaping EU policy, says Donohoe
Lessons from Ireland’s economic crisis are shaping the European Union’s economic response to the coronavirus pandemic, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said in an interview with The Irish Times.
<p class="no_name">Mr Donohoe said there was a “profound difference” in the approach of the EU to the Covid-19 challenge compared to the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. He expressed the hope that spending to support businesses and incomes will help prevent the build-up of bad loans that could drag on economic growth for years.</p>
<p class="no_name">“We have experience in <a href="/news">Ireland</a> of what those challenges are,” said Mr Donohoe, who was elected president of the <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_organisation=Eurogroup" rel="nofollow">Eurogroup</a>, the powerful body of euro zone finance ministers, this summer. “I use the experience that I have on these issues within Ireland to influence the direction of policy for those areas.”</p>
<h4 class="crosshead">Borrowing costs</h4><p class="no_name">Intervention by the <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_organisation=European+Central+Bank" rel="nofollow">European Central Bank</a> to bid down borrowing costs, a massive stimulus programme, and wage support schemes across the bloc are all aimed to lessen the economic impact and duration of the pandemic, and prevent members states struggling with high interest rates on debt.</p>
<p class="no_name">“There is a very strong appreciation within the <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_organisation=European+Union" rel="nofollow">European Union</a> at the moment that we need to have budgetary policies that support the retention of jobs and support income while we are battling with a health crisis,” Mr Donohoe said. “That is a profound difference from where we were a decade ago, and that reflects our learnings from the crisis.”</p>
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<p class="no_name">There have been some calls for the joint EU borrowing initiative that will fund its €750 billion recovery fund to be made a permanent feature of the bloc, a milestone in integration. The Eurogroup head opposes this.</p>
<p class="no_name">“I think we should only have this kind of common borrowing in dealing with common challenges of this scale,” Mr Donohoe said. “Outside of a crisis like this, it is up to national governments to fund national policies.”</p>
<p class="no_name">Mr Donohoe’s first success as Eurogroup president has been shepherding an agreement to widen the uses of the EU’s <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_event=European+Stability+Mechanism+bailout+fund" rel="nofollow">European Stability Mechanism bailout fund</a>. The changes were described by German finance minister <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_person=Olaf+Scholz" rel="nofollow">Olaf Scholz</a> as a reform “so technical that it is difficult to see their political impact at first”.</p>
<p class="no_name">In layman’s terms, Mr Donohoe described the reform as strengthening a “safety net and an additional support for banks that get into great difficulty”, preventing the future likelihood of taxpayer bank bailouts and consequences for public spending.</p>
<p class="no_name">Back home, with <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_company=NatWest" rel="nofollow">NatWest</a> weighing whether to close down its <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_organisation=Ulster" rel="nofollow">Ulster</a> Bank arm, Mr Donohoe said he had met the company leadership and emphasised its importance in the Irish banking system. “This is a process that NatWest are leading themselves, and I have to recognise that.”</p>
<h4 class="crosshead">Great competition</h4><p class="no_name">Member states have been lobbying for a share of the <a href="/news/world/brexit">Brexit</a> Adjustment Reserve – a pot of €5 billion agreed to help hard-hit EU member states. <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_location=France" rel="nofollow">France</a> has argued that much of it should go to support its fishing industry but the division will depend on the outcome of talks with the UK.</p>
<p class="no_name">“There’s not a European project in existence that there isn’t great competition for,” Mr Donohoe said. “I’m very confident that we will get an outcome that recognises how Ireland is affected by Brexit.”</p>
<p class="no_name">Irrespective of whether a deal is struck or not, Ireland’s economy after January 1st will be different to how it was when Britain was an EU member due to barriers that will make some kinds of trade unviable, he said.</p>
<p class="no_name">“The economy that we will move to will be different to the economy that we had with Britain within the European Union. That is the case,” Mr Donohoe said. “It’s why we spent four years working really hard to try to get them ready for this point. And yes, it will put pressure in particular on smaller Irish exporters and smaller businesses that trade heavily with the <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_location=United+Kingdom" rel="nofollow">United Kingdom</a>. ”</p>
