European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker
Europe must remain tolerant to avoid atrocities such as the "impending humanitarian disaster" in Syria's Idlib province, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday.
Delivering his final State of the Union speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Juncker said, "Europe must remain a tolerant continent... it will never become a fortress, turning its back on the world."
"Take a look around. What is happening in Idlib in Syria now must be of deep and direct concern to us all. We cannotremain silent in face of this impending humanitarian disaster -- which appears now all but inevitable," he said, adding:
"The conflict in Syria is a case in point for how the international order that served Europeans so well after the SecondWorld War is being increasingly called into question."
The UK's UN ambassador "strongly" agreed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday amid a mounting offensive on northwestern Syria's Idlib province.“We strongly agree with President Erdogan,” Karen Pierce told the UN Security Council citing an op-ed penned by Erdoğan.Erdogan on Monday said in the Wall Street Journal: “All members of the international community must understand their responsibilities as the assault on Idlib looms. The consequences of inaction are immense.”“A regime assault [in Idlib] would also create serious humanitarian and security risks for Turkey, the rest of Europe and beyond,” he added.UN chief says 'essential' to avoid Idlib 'bloodbath'US rips Russia, Iran, Assad regime amid Idlib offensiveHe noted the regime's criminal acts -- arbitrary arrests, systematic torture, summary executions, barrel bombs, chemical and conventional weapons -- which targeted Syrians for seven years."As a result of the Syrian civil war, which the United Nations Human Rights Council calls ‘the worst man-made disaster since World War II’, millions of innocent people have become refugees or have been internally displaced," he said.He also noted Turkey's role in protecting the Syrian people, as it hosts the largest number of refugees in the world at 3.5 million.Pierce said the council faces "a choice", between a Syrian regime and Russian "military assault on Idlib in which, as many colleagues have said today, thousands of civilians will die," or "we allow Turkey and opposition groups the support, space and time to separate out the terrorists and tackle them themselves."Turkey has a plan, Madam President, in Idlib and it does involve reaching an agreement with the Syrian opposition whereby the regime refrains from attacking them while they combat terrorism," she said referring to Nikki Haley, the U.S.'s UN envoy and council president."This is what we should be discussing today, Madam President, but I think it has been absent from the briefing we received from Russia just now," Pierce added.Haley further blamed Russia and the regime for allegedly carrying out more than 100 airstrikes, some of which she said were "ruthless double tap" strikes targeting first responders.“It is a disgusting tactic of terrorists, not professional soldiers,” she said.She alleged Moscow, Tehran and Damascus are not interested in pursuing a political solution to the Syrian crisis, saying “Turkey learned this lesson last week” during trilateral talks in the Iranian capital.“The United States is long past taking Russia and Iran at their word that they are interested in protecting civilians in Idlib from further violence," she said. "If Assad, Russia, and Iran continue down the path they are on, the consequences will be dire. The world will hold them responsible. And no number of Security Council meetings will ever change that.”The UN warned Monday at least 30,000 residents in Idlib have been displaced in the first nine days this month amid the Russian and regime air campaign there.
UK 'strongly' agrees with Turkey's Erdoğan on Idlib
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday it is "absolutely essential" for a full-blown military offensive to be avoided in northwestern Syria's Idlib province."This would unleash a humanitarian nightmare unlike any seen in the blood-soaked Syrian conflict," Guterres told reporters at the UN's New York headquarters. "It must not be transformed into a blood bath."The UN warned Monday at least 30,000 residents in Idlib have been displaced in the first nine days of September amid the Russian and regime air campaign there.Guterres said half of the 2.9 million people living in Idlib have gone to the northwestern province after fleeing violence elsewhere in Syria."They include close to 1 million children. Their lives have been upended and they have nowhere to go," he said. "I understand that the present situation in Idlib is not sustainable and the presence of terrorist groups cannot be tolerated. But fighting terrorism does not absolve warring parties of their core obligations under international law."Guterres made a particular appeal to Turkey, Iran and Russia -- known as the Astana guarantors. You should "spare no effort to find solutions that protect civilians. Preserve basic services and hospitals. Ensure full respect for international humanitarian law"."I think it is absolutely essential [for] Russia, Iran, and Turkey, not to mention other countries directly or indirectly involved in this situation, to really come together at the present moment more than ever because Idlib is such a mess that, without a strong commitment of all these parties, we could be moving into a situation that would lead to the kind of massive battle that would have unpredictable consequences," he said.The UN warned last week an offensive on Idlib would likely lead to the “worst humanitarian catastrophe of the 21st century.”
UN chief says 'essential' to avoid Idlib 'bloodbath'
Addressing the Balkan EU accession issue, Juncker said the EU still needs a "forthright attitude" noting that EU enlargement is and remains a "success story".
"We must find unity when it comes to the Western Balkans... Should we not, our immediate neighborhood will be shaped by others."
The Luxembourg politician told MEPs that the EU must respond to the "many", not the "few".
Juncker said EU member states must remove any borders they have thrown up during migration crisis.
He also revealed a new EU alliance with Africa that could create 10 million jobs in Africa in the next five years.
He said Europe should "stop seeing the African-EU relationship from the sole prism of development aid."
He added that "such an approach is humiliating for Africa. Africa does not need charity, it needs a true and balanced partnership and Europe needs this just as much."
As for Brexit, Juncker said the EU "respects the British decision to leave our union, even though we continue to regret it deeply. But we also ask the British government to understand someone who leaves the union cannot be of the same privileged position."
"If you leave the Union, you of course, are no longer a part of our single market. And certainly no longer just parts of it."
"After 29 March 2019, the United Kingdom will never be an ordinary third country for us. The United Kingdom will always be a very close neighbour and partner, in political, economic and security terms," Juncker said.
Juncker called the EU members "to say No to unhealthy nationalism and Yes to patriotism," saying, "unchecked nationalism is riddled with poison and deceit".
Juncker sent a positive signal on May's Brexit proposal, known as the "Chequers" plan for the country residence where it was hammered out in July. It calls for Britain to stay in a free trade zone with the EU for goods, opposed at home by both supporters of closer ties and those who want a cleaner break.
"I welcome Prime Minister May's proposal to develop an ambitious new partnership for the future, after Brexit. We agree with the statement made in Chequers that the starting point for such a partnership should be a free trade area between the United Kingdom and the European Union," Juncker said.
A group of about 50 lawmakers in British Prime Minister Theresa May's government who oppose her proposals for a post-Brexit deal with the European Union have met to discuss how and when they could force her out of her job, the BBC reported on Wednesday.The lawmakers, part of the European Research Group (ERG), an anti-EU grouping in May's Conservative party, met on Tuesday night and openly discussed May's future as leader, the BBC said citing an unnamed source.A number at the meeting said they had already submitted letters of no confidence in May, the source told the BBC. Under Conservative rules, a leadership election is triggered if 15 percent of Conservative lawmakers, currently 48, demand a vote of no confidence.The ERG has condemned May's plans for Britain to remain in a free trade zone for goods with the EU after it leaves the bloc in March next year, but has faced criticism itself for failing to suggest a detailed alternative. Rejecting Brexit plan is not a confidence vote on UK PM May: Conservative lawmakerUK finance minister says time running out on Brexit; BoE governor to stay onBritish PM May hopes parliament will support her Brexit plan
About 50 Conservative lawmakers discuss ousting UK PM May
The wrong Brexit deal could cost tens of thousands of jobs, the boss of Britain's biggest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover warned on Tuesday, saying he had no idea whether his plants would be able to operate after Britain leaves the EU on March 29 next year.Ralf Speth told a conference in Birmingham, central England, that JLR had lost a thousand jobs as a result of diesel policy "and those numbers will be counted in the tens of thousands if we do not get the right Brexit deal"."Brexit is due to happen on the 29th March next year. Currently I do not even know if any of our manufacturing facilities in the UK will be able to function on the 30th," Speth said.Rejecting Brexit plan is not a confidence vote on UK PM May: Conservative lawmakerUK finance minister says time running out on Brexit; BoE governor to stay on'EU Salzburg summit is a staging post in Brexit talks'
'Wrong Brexit deal will cost thousands of jobs'
Juncker seeks bigger global role for euro
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called on Wednesday for the European Union to promote the euro as a global currency to challenge the U.S. dollar.
"We must do more to allow our single currency to play its full role on the international scene," Juncker told the European Parliament in Strasbourg as he presented his annual programme.
"It is absurd that Europe pays for 80 percent of its energy import bill – worth 300 billion euros a year – in U.S. dollars when only roughly 2 percent of our energy imports come from the United States," he said.
"It is absurd that European companies buy European planes in dollars instead of euro," he added.
While Norway prices its substantial supplies to the EU in euros, an EU official said, other countries use dollars. Among the most important of these are Gulf states and Russia.
"The euro must become the face and the instrument of a new, more sovereign Europe," Juncker said, as he called for the bloc to become more of a global player and exert more influence internationally with a unified stance.
European Commission calls end to seasonal clock change
Juncker also proposed to end seasonal clock changes in the EU starting next year.
"We all say in soap-box speeches that we want to be big on big things and small on small things. But there is no applause when EU law dictates that Europeans have to change the clocks twice a year," he was quoted as saying in a statement.
"Clock-changing must stop. Member states should themselves decide whether their citizens live in summer or wintertime", he added.
Violeta Bulc, the commissioner for transport, said in the statement that the Commission is proposing to put an end to seasonal clock changes as of next year.
Last month, the Commission published the results of an online public survey on clock change in Europe -- showing nearly 85 percent of the Europeans are in favor of putting an end to the bi-annual clock change.The Commission's proposal will go to the European Parliament and the Council for their agreement.