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EU presses UK to resubmit Brexit plan as end-game looms

With the resumption of crunch Brexit talks on Monday looming large, European leaders piled pressure on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to revise his offer -- and to do so quickly.
On Saturday Johnson started phoning his EU counterparts to sell his proposals for a managed withdrawal from the bloc, after the latest plans were given short shrift by Brussels.
European diplomats say London needs to offer a revised, viable way forward before the end of next week, so that any haggling and legalistic work is done before a crucial EU summit on October 17-18.
That high-stakes European Council meeting will determine whether Britain is headed for an agreement, extension, or potentially disastrous no-deal.
Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne -- whose country currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency -- said he had told Johnson it was "important to find a solution within a week" and the British leader "agreed with the timetable".
Dutch Premier Mark Rutte tweeted he had told Johnson "important questions remain about the British proposals" and "there is a lot of work to be done ahead" of the summit.
Johnson was expected to also call the leaders of other EU countries after talks broke up without progress Friday between a top UK Brexit official, David Frost, and the EU team headed by top negotiator Michel Barnier.
"An agreement will be very difficult to reach, but it is still possible," Barnier said on Saturday at an event organised by French newspaper Le Monde.
"We are ready for no-deal, even if we don't desire it," he said. "No-deal will never be the choice of the EU. If it happens, it would be Britain's choice."
The UK had been keen for discussions to continue through the weekend, but they were set to restart on Monday.
- A week's window -
Johnson's proposals, submitted Wednesday, "do not provide a basis for concluding an agreement," a European Commission spokeswoman underlined on Friday.
The EU refuses to characterise the talks held so far as negotiations, preferring to resurrect a Brexit withdrawal agreement struck with Johnson's predecessor Theresa May that has been rejected three times by British MPs.
The main sticking point is a "backstop" for Northern Ireland that under the May agreement would have seen all the UK, or at least Northern Ireland, remaining in the EU's customs union.
It is meant to guarantee that no border springs up between the British territory and EU member Ireland -- which would threaten the hard-won Good Friday peace accord -- while also maintaining the integrity of the EU's single market.
Britain's current idea for an alternative is for untried technology to remove the need for most but not all border checks, and for EU standards on goods to continue to apply in Northern Ireland to facilitate trade.
This border plan is not acceptable for the EU. It sees the potential for rampant smuggling -- especially as Johnson intends for the rest of the UK to diverge from EU labour, environmental and tax norms to aim for a regulation-lite economy on Europe's doorstep.
Johnson on Saturday called his plan "a practical compromise that gives ground where necessary" but has also previously suggested it was a broad "landing zone" -- which to Brussels suggests he might yet budge on issues it finds unacceptable.
But in identical articles for the Brexit-backing British tabloids the Sunday Express and the Sun on Sunday, Johnson said the bloc now needed to show "its own willingness to do a deal that the UK Parliament can support".
"They should be under no illusions or misapprehensions," he added.
"There will be no more dither or delay. On October 31 we are going to get Brexit done."
Ireland's leader Leo Varadkar said that while Britain's current proposals do not yet "form the basis for deeper negotiations", there is "plenty of time" to put forward alternatives and he was trying to arrange a meeting with Johnson next week, reported Irish broadcaster RTE.
- Early UK elections possible -
Nor does the EU agree with a proposal giving Northern Ireland's assembly an effective veto over the post-Brexit customs arrangement.
If Johnson does not alter those points, it is hard to see the EU moving talks into the negotiation phase.
Yet if he bends on them, Johnson risks losing tenuous support in the UK parliament to maybe pass a Brexit deal, reliant on 10 Democratic Unionist MPs from Northern Ireland and hard-core Brexit MPs in his Conservative Party.
If thwarted, Johnson's best bet may lie with early elections -- but those could only happen after the date he has said Brexit would happen.
There he also faces a challenge, with the UK parliament having passed a law requiring him to seek a Brexit extension from the EU by October 19 if he has not reached a deal by then.
source: AFP
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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