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According to figuresobtained from the European Parliament by EUobserver, not oneEU bill in 2016 proceeded from its first reading to a full second reading debate, with all disagreements between the EU Council and the European Parliament settled behind closed doors in meetingsbetween small groups of leading MEPs and Council representatives, overseen by the European Commission.

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Vicky Marissen of Pact European Affairs, a Brussels-based consultancy specialising in EU decision-making procedures, described the situation as astonishing, but it is just a continuation of a trend that we have been seeing for quite a while now.

Back in 2004, more than half of all bills proceeded to a second reading, but by 2014 this number had fallen to zero. There were just four in 2015, before last years return to an all-time low. The European Digital Rights (EDRi) campaign has described the trilogue system as a non-democratic, non-accountable and non-transparent process which undermines EU democracy and transparency.

Brexit campaign leader Nigel Farage has said that trilogues neatly symbolise the waybig business, big banks and Big Bureaucrats have overthrown democracy in the EU.

How the EUs lawmaking process encourages secret deals

European Union lawmaking is unusual in that it is the blocs combined executive and civil service, the wholly un-elected European Commission, which has the sole power to initiatelegislation.

Transparency campaignershave long complained that the Commissions behind-the-scenes decision-making is unduly influenced by corporate vested interests. Aanalysisby Transparency International of 4,318 declared lobby meetings by the top tier of European Commission officials between December 2014 and June 2015, for example, showed that more than 75 per cent were with corporate lobbyists. NGOs accounted for just 8 per cent of meetings, think tanks 4 per cent and local authorities 2 per cent.

Officials from more than 150 obscure committees and working parties then prepare the Commission proposals which come out of these meetings for the EUCouncil to examine. The Council is comprised of ministersfrom the governments of the member-states, but debates and votes on legislative proposals are held behind closed doors.

An element of open scrutiny should come in at the level of the European Parliament level, which can attempt to amend or reject legislation as part of the so-called co-decision process.MEPs vote literally hundreds of times during plenary sessions, usually by a simple show of hands, but, on rare occasions when the Council and Parliament are not in agreement ata bills first reading, legislation can be opened up to a public debate in a second reading.

Without second readings, EUobserver believes that only Well-connected lobbyists or specialised reporters may be able to follow the law-making process.

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'Secret Law Making' in the European Union at All-time High - Breitbart News

The European Union (EU) and the Republic of Vanuatu held their fourth Political Dialogue in Brussels this week. The meeting was chaired on Vanuatu's side by the Prime Minister, Charlot Salwai Tabismasmas and on the EU side by the European External Action Service's Asia Pacific Managing Director, Gunnar Wiegand. During his visit, the Prime Minister also met President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and Commissioners Miguel Arias Caete and Neven Mimica on climate change and development matters respectively.

The Political Dialogue meeting provided an opportunity for both sides to review cooperation between the EU and Vanuatu over the last years and to agree on future perspectives for EU-ACP relations after 2020, recognising the need to replace the current Cotonou Agreement with an ambitious successor that would guide relations between the EU and the Pacific over the coming decade.

The new Agreement shall reflect bilateral issues but also the increasing number of regional and global issues that Vanuatu, the EU and the wider Pacific address together, such as security, climate change, disaster risk reduction, and the sustainable management of oceans.

In the context of the Sustainable Development Agenda, Vanuatu presented the latest developments in the field of gender issues and on empowering women through planned constitutional reform. As proponents of regional cooperation, both the EU and Vanuatu agreed to further increase efforts to integrate New Caledonia and French Polynesia in the Pacific Islands Forum and other regional fora.

The dialogue identified a number of areas for follow-up that will boost cooperation between European Union and Vanuatu in the period until the next political dialogue in 2019. Both the European Union and Vanuatu agreed a number of actions to assure the implementation of ongoing and future development programmes, notably in the agricultural sector. Participants also agreed to explore opportunities for Vanuatu offered by the Economic Partnership Agreement in terms of increased trade.

Both sides welcomed their close cooperation in the international fight against Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported fishing and in promoting the sustainable management of marine resources. The EU praised the impressive reform carried out by Vanuatu in its legal framework on fisheries and fleet management which represents a big step towards securing fish stocks for the future generations of the Vanuatu people.

The EU and Vanuatu agreed as well to work together on their common obligations to meet OECD norms and targets in a wider global effort to improve global tax practices. The Parties also discussed the way forward towards a full implementation of the EU-Vanuatu short-term visa waiver agreement. Lastly, both the European Union and Vanuatu recognised the value of continuing the Political Dialogue with a view to also enhancing strategic cooperation in multilateral fora.

The next Dialogue will be held in Port Vila in 2019.

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4th Enhanced Political Dialogue between the European Union and Vanuatu - EU News

More than a fifth of people who sleep rough in England are migrants, with most of them coming from the European Union according to new figures.

Government statistics show that the total number of vagrants in the country climbed by 15 per cent to 4,134 last year. Of these, 714 were EU nationals.

The figures were obtained in a so-called single night snapshot. When the same exercise was conducted in 2014, the total number of homeless people was 2,744, meaning that the homeless figure appears to have risen by 51 per cent.

In London, the influx of EU migrants to the UK was even more evident, with 37 per cent of rough sleepers coming from Eastern European states including Romania, Poland and Lithuania.

Englands homelessness problem is concentrated in the capital, which accounts for 23 per cent of the total number of rough sleepers.

Opposition politicians have sought to criticise the government for the problem but blame has also been attributed to the EUs open border policy. Wealthy cities like London have acted as a magnet to those from poorer states. Under EU agreements, all EU citizens have the right to travel to any EU state signed up to the scheme.

Current trends show the population of the UK as a whole grows by about one million every three years. The official population of the UK now stands at about 65 million, a rise of 5 million in a decade.

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European Union Migrants Fuel Rise In England's Vagrancy Problem - Heat Street

BRUSSELS Since Prime Minister Theresa May set out her Brexit goals last week, interest in Britain has focused on the future trade deals she may one day strike with the United States and other powers, as well as with the European Union.

In Brussels and European capitals, that looks like putting the cart before the horse. "They're talking about their future relationships," said one EU official preparing for talks with London. "But first we need to get divorced. This is not going to be easy. Frankly, it's going to be very, very messy."

In diplomatic language, the European Commission's spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a news conference this week: "First, one needs to agree on the terms for an orderly separation and then, on the basis of this, build a future new, good relationship."

As with other divorces, the bitterest battle may be over money. And there is no certainty that any settlement can be agreed at all.

"Britains payments to the EU budget and the issue of the EU quickly starting talks on an FTA (free trade agreement) with Britain will be linked," said a second senior EU official.

"There cannot be discussions of a future relationship without first regulating the issue of an orderly separation."

EU negotiators reckon Britain has a weak hand to play; May must accept a two-year guillotine on talks that she hopes will end with a deal to keep "maximum" British access to EU markets while pulling Britain out of the single market and its obligations.

Put simply, if May wants to draft an FTA in only two years as she says -- a goal that prompts head-shaking in Brussels -- continentals think they can hold her hostage with the threat of trade tariffs from 2019 unless she settles British debts.

Many discount as bluster May's warning that she would rather have no deal than a bad deal, walking away without free trade and daring continentals to take a hit to their own exports.

But some diplomats voice concern that London may be tempted to flounce out without paying EU bills worth tens of billions.

YOUR BILL: 60 BILLION EUROS

May insists Britain wants to remain a friend and constructive partner for the EU. It would hardly enhance Britain's reputation among future global trade partners to flee with bills unpaid.

The other EU member states want it to pay its share of the spending commitments that were agreed when it was a member, stretching out some years, as well as possibly funds to cover the pensions of British EU staff.

There will, however, be differences over the size of the bill, estimated informally by EU officials at very roughly 60 billion euros -- more than Britain spends on defense each year.

"I can see this turning very bloody over money," said a person who has had preliminary contact with negotiators on both sides.

EU officials have prepared arguments to counter suggestions that Britain should be credited with a share of EU assets -- buildings, say -- to offset what it will owe Brussels on leaving.

The bloc's negotiators will argue that Britain was not asked to pay extra for a share of existing EU assets when it joined in 1973, so it has no right to demand repayment of any share now.

Filling the hole left by the bloc's second biggest economy in the EU budget is already causing jitters as the remaining 27 brace for the seven-yearly blood ritual of financial planning.

German leaders see a grim prospect of picking up the biggest tab, while the ex-communist eastern states, who are the major net beneficiaries of EU spending, fear they will lose out.

British officials say they can use the money card to divide the 27. On the EU side, diplomats are saying that if London tries that, it will find its hopes of a quick free trade deal put on hold.

Other knotty issues to be settled in the withdrawal treaty include border arrangements, notably in Ireland, and the rights of EU and British expatriates. Brussels has accused May of underestimating the problem by calling for a deal on that right now.

(Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

MANILA Luis Singson, a larger-than-life Filipino tycoon who has brought the Miss Universe pageant to Manila, has much in common with the man who owned the franchise two years ago: U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

PHILADELPHIA/MEXICO CITY The White House on Thursday floated the idea of imposing a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico to pay for a wall at the southern U.S. border, sending the peso tumbling and deepening a crisis between the two neighbors.

WASHINGTON Jordan's King Abdullah will begin a visit to the United States on Monday, the Jordanian embassy said on Thursday, the first Arab leader to hold talks with the new administration of President Donald Trump.

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'Show me the money': divorce first, then trade deal, EU tells UK - Reuters

Fixed-wingunmanned aircraft would monitor movements of commercial vessels and be able to home-in on speedboats missed by satellites

DRONES could be used to patrol the English Channel for illegal immigrant boats.

The EU wants to use them to spy on suspicious craft that are not picked up by satellites.

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The European Union is in talks with European Maritime Safety Agency boss Markku Mylly over launching the flying spies along the continents northern coast.

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Getty Images

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The fixed-wing unmanned aircraft would monitor the movements of commercial vessels and be able to home-in on the smallest speedboats that are missed by satellites.

A team of 17 would pilot them from Lisbon in Portugal, and 66 million has been set aside to built the first fleet.

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Europes air-traffic controllers would first need to agree rules to ensure they do not crash with large aircraft.

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European Union reveals plans to have fleet of drones patrolling the English Channel for illegal immigrant boats - The Sun