Nov 7 2020

No breakthrough expected in Johnson call to EU, says Byrne

Patrick Daly, PA Political Correspondent

Minister for State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne has said he was not expecting a telephone conversation between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his European Commission counterpart to result in a breakthrough in the post-Brexit trade talks.

Mr Johnson was due to speak to Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to “take stock” of the deadlocked trade talk negotiations today.

Briefings between the two leaders are seen as key moments in the cross-Channel bartering, with their conversation last month seeing discussions “intensified” before a fallout after the European Council meeting on October 15th briefly derailed the negotiations.

But Mr Byrne said he doubted the conversation between Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen would lead to white smoke on agreeing a deal, with “big issues” still remaining in talks that he described as having been “difficult”.

“I personally don’t expect that there would be major progress today but at the same time I think it is very good that the top two are talking – I think that’s really positive, but I don’t think we would expect ‘a moment’ at this particular point,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“At the moment there is a huge range of issues that need to be discussed at a technical level and they need to continue, I hope.

“I hope that today’s discussion between Ursula von der Leyen and Boris Johnson will progress that further.”

Update to the agenda of President @vonderleyen for Saturday 7 November afternoon:

➡️ phone call with UK Prime Minister @BorisJohnson on the state-of-play of the ???????????????? negotiations

— Eric Mamer (@MamerEric) November 6, 2020

UK chief negotiator Lord Frost was in the Belgian capital to speak face-to-face with his European Union counterpart Michel Barnier earlier this week.

Meetings between the pair are due to continue next week in London after both agreed there continued to be gaps in the UK and the bloc’s positions as the deadline for doing a deal edges closer.

Ticking clock

After talks finished on Wednesday, Mr Barnier briefed MEPs and EU diplomats that “very serious divergences” remained, with only 54 days left until the end of the transition period.

He said the main stumbling blocks continued to be around the “level playing field” aimed at preventing unfair competition on areas including state subsidies, fisheries policy and the governance of any deal.

Lord Frost previously said progress had been made during two weeks of intensive talks but “wide divergences remain on some core issues”.

More discussions are planned between Brussels and London ahead of the UK’s scheduled exit from the EU at the end of the year.

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Nov 7 2020

Mink-strain of COVID-19 virus in Denmark

On 5 November 2020, health authorities in Denmark reported 12 human cases of COVID-19 caused by a specific mink-associated variant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. All 12 cases live in North Jutland and became unwell in September. Eight had a link to the mink farming industry and four cases were from the local community. Since June 2020, 214 human cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Denmark with SARS-CoV-2 variants associated with farmed minks, including 12 cases with a unique variant. This particular variant strain displays a combination of mutations not previously documented. Laboratory tests conducted in Denmark indicate that this strain may have reduced response to neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. These findings are preliminary and further studies and international collaboration are ongoing to confirm them.

Denmark has assessed that the ongoing circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in mink farms, the susceptibility of the mink, and the ease of transmission at the human-animal interface represents a risk to public health in the country. Genetic changes in the variant that may affect the risk of reinfection in humans, as well as COVID-19 related diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, are an additional concern. More scientific and laboratory research is needed to assess these issues. Denmark has shared the sequences of the strain to the GISAID genetic sequence repository to help researchers determine the significance of the mutations.

COVID-19 spreads primarily through human-to-human transmission, but transmission has also been observed between humans and some animals, such as mink, dogs, domestic cats and lions. Mink farms, in several European countries, including Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands, have shown that the virus can move between mink and human. It is always a concern when a virus moves from animals to humans as genetic changes can happen as it moves back and forth.

The variant strain of SARS-CoV-2 was detected following enhanced surveillance in communities around mink farms undertaken by the Danish State Serum Institute (SSI) of the Ministry of Health. To prevent further spread of this and other mink-associated strains in people, the Danish authorities have announced a range of measures, including the culling of all remaining mink in farms in Denmark. Other public health measures include enhanced COVID-19 disease surveillance, increased sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 strains across Denmark, and extensive public health and social measures including movement restrictions for the populations in the seven municipalities in the north-west of Denmark that are affected, to reduce local transmission.

Available evidence has so far not indicated any changes in the virus affecting virus transmissibility, or disease severity associated with this new variant strain.

WHO response

WHO/Europe convened a meeting with Danish authorities and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on 5 November to understand and discuss the details of the findings, and offer support.

WHO will coordinate further discussions with virology expert networks and follow up with other mink-producing countries. It will also continue to monitor transmission between animals and humans to assess any potential risks posed to public health.

Virus changes

It is normal for viruses to mutate or change over time. WHO has been following genetic changes in the COVID-19 virus since the start of the pandemic through a dedicated COVID-19 virology working group. When a virus moves from humans to animal populations such as mink, and back to humans, it can acquire unique mutations. Detailed analyses and scientific studies are needed to better understand the recently reported mutations.

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Nov 7 2020

Media advisory – Video conference of ministers of Trade, 9 November 2020

Indicative programme

9.00
Beginning of the video conference of ministers of Trade, 9 November

Discussion on trade relations with the United States.
Review recent developments related to the trade policy review exercise and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) reform.
Trade relations with China.
Progress achieved on on-going legislative files (public session at +/- 13.10)

At the end of the meeting (+/- 14.00) – press conference in live streaming.

Arrangements for the press conference

Please note that there will be no physical press conference.

EU accredited journalists will be able to ask questions remotely provided they have registered in advance.

If you have not registered yet for any previous video conference of ministers of Trade, please do it now through this link, so that you can receive further instructions about the connection and ask questions remotely if you wish.

Deadline for registration: Monday , 9 November 2020, 13:00.

Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants approximately half an hour after the deadline.

Visit the meeting page

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Nov 7 2020

Brexit: Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen speak on EU-UK ties

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are set to speak by telephone Saturday to assess the state of post-Brexit trade talks between the U.K. and the European Union.

A spokesman at Johnson’s Downing Street office said Friday that the prime minister’s conversation with the leader of the EU’s executive arm would allow the two to “take stock” of the negotiations less than two months before a transition period designed to smooth Britain’s departure from the EU ends.

Though the U.K. left the EU on January 31, it remains within the bloc’s tariff-free single market and customs union until the end of this year.

A trade deal would ensure there are no tariffs and quotas on trade in goods between the two sides, but there would still be technical costs, partly associated with customs checks and non-tariff barriers on services.

Johnson said he hoped a deal could be concluded in the next seven to 10 days.

“There’s a deal there to be done but if not, the country is very well prepared,” he told British broadcaster Sky News on Friday.

Progress on reaching even a bare-bones agreement has been slow. The two sides are far apart on key issues, such as fishing rights and business regulations.

Following the conclusion of the latest round of talks in Brussels on Wednesday, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said “very serious divergences” remained. Barnier and his British counterpart, David Frost, have agreed to meet again next week.

The outcome of the U.S. presidential election, though not connected directly, could have a bearing on the discussions. President Donald Trump was a self-proclaimed supporter of Brexit and said he wanted to conclude a trade deal with the U.K. following reelection. Should he lose, many analysts said it would raise the pressure on London to secure a trade deal with the EU.

Trump’s Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, has voiced worries about the impact of Brexit on the peace process on the island of Ireland. Biden said he would seek to rebuild U.S. ties with the EU, were he to become president.

Earlier, Britain’s spending watchdog warned that there is likely to be “significant disruption” to trade with the European Union at the start of next year even if a trade deal between the two sides is agreed in time.

The National Audit Office, which assesses government spending, noted that crucial IT systems and transit areas for trucks are not yet ready to deal with the upcoming change in the economic relationship between the U.K. and the EU.

It did find some progress in the implementation of the changes required to systems, infrastructure and resources even though they have been hampered by the coronavirus pandemic.

“There is likely to be significant disruption at the border from January 1 as many traders and third parties will not be ready for new EU controls,” the National Audit Office said in its latest assessment of border preparations.

According to the government’s latest “reasonable worst-case planning assumptions,” between 40% and 70% of trucks transiting between the EU and the U.K. may not be ready for the new border controls come Jan. 1. It has also warned of queues of up to 7,000 trucks around the main sea crossings in southeast England.

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Nov 7 2020

Brexit: Biden victory could inject new dynamic into drive for UK-EU trade deal, says Irish minister

Confirmation of Joe Biden as the new US president could inject fresh momentum into the agreement of a trade deal between the EU and UK by the end of the year, a senior Irish minister has said.

Dublin’s Europe minister Thomas Byrne said it was now “absolutely essential” for London to comply with its obligations to take measures to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland to clear the way for a trade deal by the 31 December deadline.

Mr Biden has warned Boris Johnson against destabilising the Northern Irish peace process by reneging on his promise of new checks on goods from the British mainland.

The UK has dismissed suggestions that Mr Johnson is keeping negotiations with Brussels on hold until the outcome of the US election is clear, amid speculation that a Biden victory would effectively take the option of no-deal Brexit off the table.

The prime minister is today speaking by phone with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen ahead of a crucial week of negotiations with the clock ticking on trade talks which must be completed by mid-November to allow time for ratification in the European Parliament and national and regional assemblies across the continent.

Mr Johnson last night suggested it was for Brussels to make concessions, saying there was “a deal to be done” if the EU was ready to move.

Asked if the UK could get a deal in the next 10 days, he said: “I very much hope that we will, but obviously that depends on our friends and partners across the Channel. I think there is a deal to be done, if they want to do it.”

Downing Street played down the prospects of a breakthrough today, describing the phone call with Ms von der Leyen as a chance to “take stock” of the situation.

Face-to-face talks between EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and his UK counterpart Lord Frost are expected to resume in London next week, with just over 50 days to go before Mr Johnson’s self-imposed deadline to get agreement or crash out in a no-deal Brexit.

Mr Byrne told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “big issues” remain to be settled on fisheries, the internal market and a level playing-field on standards.

“I personally don’t expect that there will be major progress today,” he said.

“But at the same time, I think it’s very good that the top two are talking. I think that’s really positive.”

He dismissed suggestions that the talks could herald a move to direct leader-to-leader negotiations between Mr Johnson and key EU players like German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron to get a deal over the line.

“Michel Barnier speaks on behalf of all Europeans, individual member states don’t,” said Mr Byrne. “That’s the way the European Union works, the negotiations will not be between any individual member state or member states, but rather between the European Union and Britain.”

Asked if a Biden victory would create a “new dynamic” in the negotiations, Mr Byrne said: “It’s certainly possible.”

Mr Biden was “very clear” in his response to Mr Johnson’s Internal Market Bill that any trade deal between the UK and US would be “contingent upon respect for the Good Friday Agreement and preventing the return of the hard border”, he said.

The UK took “a serious international hit” from the publication of the Bill, which would allow London to override the legally-binding Northern Ireland protocol signed by Mr Johnson with Brussels last year, said Mr Byrne.

He pointed out that politicians on both the Democrat and Republican side in the US have condemned the bill.

And he said it also represented “a practical problem for a trade agreement” with Brussels, because the European Parliament has said it will not ratify a deal so long as the threat of the Bill remains.

Work needed to be done by the UK “at a very quick pace” between now and the New Year to install the physical infrastructure to implement the new checks agreed by Mr Johnson, he said.

Dublin was not envisaging border checks between North and South, but it was a matter for Britain to ensure that this is achieved, said Mr Byrne, adding: “It is absolutely essential that Britain is ready for every eventuality to comply with legal obligations under the protocol”

“This is a very, very serious issue,” said Mr Byrne. “It’s a key issue that will need to be addressed very, very soon, because we’re coming towards the end of the deadline.”

With or without a deal, the UK’s departure from the EU single market and customs union on 31 December will create “huge difficulties” on both sides, he said.

“It’s not, in my opinion, in the interests of British jobs, it’s certainly not in the interest of Irish or European jobs, and the situation wouldn’t be remedied with a trade agreement,” said Mr Byrne.

“I am assuming that that’s the way the British government will look at this issue. It is very much vitally in Britain’s interest that a trade agreement be reached with the European Union.”

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Nov 7 2020

Argentina wants EU to eliminate zero tariff access for Falklands’ exports

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        <span>Saturday, <a title="Browse all articles for November 2020" href="/2020/11">November</a> <a title="Browse all articles for November 7th 2020" href="/2020/11/07">7th</a> <a href="/2020" title="Browse all articles for 2020">2020</a>  - 09:43 UTC</span>
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        <a href="/data/cache/noticias/78782/0x0/04-11-canciller-sola.jpg" class="gallery" title="Argentine minister Solá at the German embassy in Buenos Aires with EU representatives " rel="nofollow"> </a>&#13;
        <span>Argentine minister Solá at the German embassy in Buenos Aires with EU representatives </span>        </figure>


    Argentina held a meeting with the European Union ambassador and 21 of 27 EU members' representatives in Buenos Aires and formally called for an end of the support for UK Falklands' sovereignty recognition in the ongoing Brexit negotiations between Brussels and London.

    The meeting was held this week at the German embassy (Berlin holds the European Council presidency) and besides Falklands the agenda included the Covid 19 pandemic and EU support through the Team <a class="wpil_keyword_link " href="https://www.europeantimes.news"  title="Europe" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Europe</a>,  Argentina's economic recovery plans and the future of the stalled Mercosur/EU free trade agreement. Other issues referred to human rights, climate change and the US elections.

It was according to the local media, foreign minister Felipe Solá’s first attendance to a meeting with so many diplomats, since the lockdown started last March.

On the Falklands issue, Solá was specifically interested in emphasizing the consequences for the Islands of UK’s exit of the European Union, given the sovereignty dispute, and underlined Argentina does not want exports from the Islands to have zero tariff and zero quota access to the European market.

Solá also talked about the Mercosur/EU trade deal, which is pending confirmation from all the different countries parliaments and pointed out that the group is currently holding talks with some eleven countries, at different degree of advance, but it is not possible to advance at the same time and at the same speed with all parties, and in a world of uncertainty and anti integration tendencies, the best approach is to concentrate on relations with those blocks with which we share so many values, such the case of the EU and Mercosur.

Mentioned among the shared values were multilateralism, defense of human rights, climate change and same gender issues. As to the US elections, EU representatives expressed how complicated the system was and Solá added that the political scenario has shown a polarized public opinion, with a clear social gap, as in most Western countries, in reference to the polarization exposed by the followers of president Donald Trump and the Democrat candidate Joe Biden.

Solá attended with several members of his cabinet and was hosted by German ambassador Ulrich Sante and the EU representative Aude Maio-Coliche.

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Nov 7 2020

European Union extends sanctions framework on Turkey

Brussels: EU member states on Friday extended for another year a sanctions framework against Turkey allowing visa bans and asset freezes against individuals involved in contested gas exploration in the Mediterranean.

The move comes as tensions remain high between the European Union and Turkey.

Ankara has ordered a gas exploration vessel into east Mediterranean waters claimed by Cyprus and Greece, both of which are calling for more sanctions to be imposed.

The EU sanctions framework was extended to November 12, 2021, the European Council said in a statement.

It prolongs an EU decision, reached in October 2019, under which two senior officials of the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation were in February this year subjected to sanctions.

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Nov 7 2020

UHT Milk Market Report 2020: Size, Share, Industry Growth, Demand, COVID-19 Impact Analysis, And Future Scope – IMARC Group

The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.

   Nov 07, 2020 (SUPER MARKET RESEARCH via COMTEX) --

Report Overview: The global UHT milk market has reached a volume of 114.2 Billion Litres in 2019. Looking forward, the market is expected to continue its moderate growth during the next five years., according to a new report by IMARC Group.

UHT refers to Ultra High Temperature pasteurisation which is used to treat fluid milk so as to remove the germs and bacteria present in it while preserving the essential nutrients and vitamins. UHT milk is then packed in aseptic containers which help to prevent the further growth of any harmful microorganisms. These UHT milk packs have a high shelf life and can last for several months at room temperature.

Highlights of the global UHT milk market:

Ease of use and transportation remain the major growth inducing factors.
The European Union represents the largest consumer, accounting for the majority of the total market share.
Asia, and Middle East and Africa are the fastest-growing markets.

Get a PDF Sample for more detailed market insights: https://www.imarcgroup.com/uht-milk-processing-plant/requestsample

The report has examined the global UHT milk market on the basis of:

Region:

European Union
Asia
North America
Latin America
Eastern Europe
Middle East and Africa

Major Manufacturers:

Lactalis Group
Nestle
Fonterra
Danone
Arla Foods

Note: As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis takes over the world, we are continuously tracking the changes in the markets, as well as the purchase behaviours of the consumers globally and our estimates about the latest market trends and forecasts are being done after considering the impact of this pandemic.

View Report TOC, Figures and Tables: https://www.imarcgroup.com/uht-milk-processing-plant

About Us

IMARC Group is a leading market research company that offers management strategy and market research worldwide. We partner with clients in all sectors and regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their businesses.

IMARC’s information products include major market, scientific, economic and technological developments for business leaders in pharmaceutical, industrial, and high technology organizations. Market forecasts and industry analysis for biotechnology, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, travel and tourism, nanotechnology and novel processing methods are at the top of the company’s expertise.

Company Name: IMARC Group
Contact Person: Elena Anderson
Email: sales@imarcgroup.com
USA: +1-631-791-1145 | Europe & Africa: +44-702-409-7331
| Asia: +91-120-433-0800
Address: 30 N Gould St, Ste R
Sheridan, WY 82801, USA
Website: https://www.imarcgroup.com/
Follow us on twitter: @imarcglobal
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/imarc-group

Also read: Global Dairy Market Booming Worldwide with leading Players Nestle (OTCMKTS: NSRGY), Fonterra (NZE: FCG), FrieslandCampina, Arla Foods, Danone (OTCMKTS: DANOY), Lactalis, Dairy Farmers of America, Dean Foods, and DMK.

Browse similar reports by IMARC Group

Global Organic Dairy Market Research Report

GCC Fresh Milk Market Research Report

The post UHT Milk Market Report 2020: Size, Share, Industry Growth, Demand, COVID-19 Impact Analysis, And Future Scope – IMARC Group appeared first on Super Market Research.

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Nov 7 2020

Israeli Scientologists Work Through the Second Lockdown to Serve Those in Need

Israeli Scientologists Work Through the Second Lockdown to Serve Those in Need – Religion News Today – EIN Presswire

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Ticking clock

WHO response

Virus changes

Indicative programme

Arrangements for the press conference

Deadline for registration: Monday , 9 November 2020, 13:00.

Highlights of the global UHT milk market: