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The European Union followed up with a statement saying that the bloc would announce at a summit meeting with Japan in Brussels on Thursday that they had reached a political agreement on a deal. That means that the two sides have agreed on the broad outlines of a pact but still have to work out the details often the most difficult part of trade agreements.

Among other things, the pact would eliminate a 10 percent duty that the European Union imposes on Japanese car imports, while removing obstacles that European automakers face in Japan. That would be particularly significant for luxury carmakers like BMW, Mercedes and Toyotas Lexus brand, said Ferdinand Dudenhffer, a professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany who focuses on the auto industry.

Those vehicles suffer the most from high import duties. It could be a chance for the high-value, premium vehicles, Mr. Dudenhffer said. American brands like Cadillac or Lincoln wont have the same advantage and will be in a worse position, he said.

The trade deal has been under negotiation for years, but talks were effectively delayed while Japan focused on a separate deal with the United States and other Pacific Rim countries, the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

But Mr. Trump dealt that agreement a possibly fatal blow shortly after taking office this year, when he formally abandoned it. At the same time, trade talks between the United States and Europe have stalled.

The pact to be announced on Thursday offers both Japan and the European Union an attractive alternative.

For the European Union, the political imperative around this agreement is intense, said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, the director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, a research organization in Brussels. With Britain preparing to exit the bloc, a process known as Brexit, he continued, European Union leaders were under pressure to show the 27 other states in the bloc that membership still has benefits, including gains from liberalizing trade.

With Brexit, a huge chunk of European trade is under uncertainty, Mr. Lee-Makiyama said. The commission is struggling for a win, he added, referring to the European Commission, the executive arm of the bloc.

For Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, the deal also looks like a much-needed win.

Mr. Abe won office five years ago with promises of liberalizing the Japanese economy and making the countrys industries more competitive, but critics say his efforts have fallen short. He had hoped to make the Trans-Pacific Partnership a centerpiece of his economic legacy, but that may now be out of reach.

Accusations of influence-peddling and gaffes by members of Mr. Abes cabinet have added to his problems. Voters in Tokyo delivered a stinging rebuke to his party in municipal elections on Sunday.

Though key issues must still be ironed out, the two sides have reached agreement on several contentious issues, including cars and cheese.

European negotiators had insisted that Japan lower import duties on a range of agricultural goods, in particular dairy products, an area that Tokyo has staunchly protected.

In return, the Europeans offered to lower duties on vehicles from Japan, a change that could benefit carmakers like Toyota and Honda, who have so far claimed a smaller market share than in other markets, including the United States.

Together, the European Union and Japan would create a trading bloc of a size to rival the North American Free Trade Agreement, now the worlds largest free trade zone.

Still, history shows that political opposition can derail trade pacts even after the parties reach a broad agreement. The Obama administration was unable to conclude a trade deal with the European Union, even though both sides wanted one. The talks stalled largely because of opposition from the food industry and environmental activists.

The proposed deal between the European Union and Japan could founder for the same reasons. Environmental groups have expressed worry that drafts of the pact fall short on a number of issues, including curbing the illegal timber trade and tackling overfishing.

European automakers said on Tuesday that they wanted assurances that the pact would truly give them access to Japan, which is notorious for tax policies and other measures that effectively exclude foreign manufacturers.

Japan should resolve the remaining nontariff measures facing E.U. vehicle exports, Erik Jonnaert, secretary general of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, said in a statement.

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EU to Unveil Outline of Trade Deal with Japan on Eve of Trump Visit - New York Times

MANILA - The European Union said Tuesday it would donate P49 million (850,000 euros) in humanitarian aid to victims of fighting between government forces and Islamic State-inspired extremists in Marawi City.

The grant from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations will be used to buy food and water supplies, health care, and hygiene kits among others, the EU said in a statement.

This grant from the EU will support the delivery of immediate life-saving assistance to those most in need, and contribute to increased protection of populations affected by the conflict," said Pedro-Luis Rojo, head of the East, South East Asia and Pacific Regional Office for ECHO.

The government earlier said it would no longer accept grants with conditions from the EU, which has criticized President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. Humanitarian aid, however, will still be accepted.

The Philippines new ally, China, earlier donated P20 million for relief operations in Marawi, including P5 million for families of slain soldiers.

Beijing also turned over P370 million worth of arms to Manila to fight terrorism.

Clashes between government troops and Maute terrorists broke out in Marawi City last May 23, prompting President Duterte to declare martial law in the whole island of Mindanao.

Thousands have fled the city while more than 461 people have been killed in ongoing clashes, among them 337 terrorists, 85 government forces, and 39 civilians.

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European Union donates P49M for Marawi victims - ABS-CBN News

The Italian Ambassador to the UK agreed the actions of some EU member states has been not good enough as they attempt to manage migrants.

Italy has been forced to take drastic measures, including threatening to turn rescue boats away from its ports.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, Pasquale Terracciano admitted that his country could not cope on its own with the migrant crisis.

He said: There is a limit and we have now reached it. It is rather odd that we have a rather international operation for rescuing people in the Mediterranean and they are only disembarked in Italian ports, never in some other nations ports.

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We are simply alerting the international community that if they do not act, if there is no solidarity, there will be a situation where our ports will be overwhelmed.

Even if we dont block them the situation will be untenable.

The Italian Ambassador claimed that there was a sense of despair within public opinion in attempting to deal with the crisis.

He added: There is a lot of solidarity and the whole country is still showing a lot of solidarity, but at the same time there is anger that we are left alone.

There is a limit and we have now reached it

Pasquale Terracciano

There were 160,000 migrants that had to be relocated, only 6,600 have been relocated so far.

As Matt Frei responded by claiming thatthe Czech Republichave taken 12 migrants and Poland and Hungry have not taken any, he said: Not good enough?, to which Mr Terracciano quipped back saying No.

Germany and France have finally agreed to increase their relocation efforts of migrants from Italy.

Eurostat figures show Germany has so filled 6,400 of the 8,250 places it has so far formally pledged, with 2,947 of those people coming from Italy. However, it is still well short of its overall allocation of 20,736 set by Brussels.

France, meanwhile, has so far pledged 5,490 places of which it has filled 3,779 - but only 330 of those came from Italy. Paris is due to take in 19,714 migrants under calculations made by eurocrats.

The European Union has warned member states all countries must take their share of migrants, but a number of central European countries, inparticular, Poland and Hungary, have refused.

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Refugees and migrants wait in a small rubber boat to be rescued off Lampedusa, Italy

The countries have been warned that they mayloseEuropean Union funding if they do not accept their share of migrants.

Former Polish Prime Minister, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), said Poland should not be forced to accept migrants.

He said: As for the use of the European funds, they also benefit the [western] businesses and those countries are cashing in on them.

The [western] enterprises located in Poland transfer tens of billions of zlotys every year without paying any taxes.

On Saturday, he added: We have not exploited the countries from which these refugees are coming to Europe these days, we have not used their labour force and finally we have not invited them to Europe.

See more here:
'Not good enough' Infighting breaks out between Italy and EU states over migrant crisis - Express.co.uk

The newest member of Theresa Mays Brexit negotiating team has been filmed calling for the destruction of the European Union, The Independent can reveal.

In a speech to a right-wing think tank, minister Steve Baker said the EU should be wholly torn down, before branding it an obstacle to world peace and incompatible with a free society.

Tory MPs warned Mr Bakers appointment could now risk the UKs ability to secure good Brexit terms, while Labour said it was extraordinary and raised a major question about the Prime Ministers judgement.

The comments are likely to prove embarrassing for Ms May as she heads into meetings with European leaders this week, including Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron.

In the video Mr Baker tells a cheering audience: I think Ukip and the Better Off Out campaign lack ambition. I think the European Union needs to be wholly torn down.

Filmed at an event by The Libertarian Alliance in 2010, he goes on to argue that the EU has succeeded in raising economic nationalism to a continental scale.

The Wycombe MP, who played a lead role in the Leave campaign, adds: It was meant to defeat economic nationalism, it is therefore a failure in its own terms.

If we wish to devolve power to the lowest possible level, make it accountable and move on into a free society, then its clearly incompatible.

What I want is free trade and peace among all the nations of Europe as well as the world and in my view the European Union is an obstacle to that.

laconf2010, Panel: Christie Davies, Steve Baker, Peter Mentzel from Sean Gabb on Vimeo.

The cabinet and wider Tory party is split over the EU, with many MPs pushing a weakened Prime Minister for a more jobs-focussed approach to withdrawal, while Brexiteers are said to have threatened resignations if she changes tack.

Backbench Tories have also said they are working with other parties to try and soften the hardline approach to Brexit Ms May took into the election.

After seeing the video, one Conservative MP told The Independent: It just reveals what the extreme Brexiteers have been about all along.

Its not enough to take the UK out of the EU. They want the entire thing to fall apart.

How is it possible to negotiate a deep and special relationship with the EU, when you have ministers who want the institutions they are negotiating with to disintegrate?

Another MP said: This is only going to further embitter relations. It doesnt help our chances of getting a deal.

Tory MP Anna Soubry said: "Now he's a minister he will be bound by collective responsibility and his views will no doubt be tempered by realism and maturity."

Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer, who has called for a more co-operative approach to Brexit, said: there should be no place for Mr Bakers views at the Department for Exiting the European Union.

He added: It is extraordinary that Theresa May has put such an extreme Brexiteer at the heart of the Government.

This poses real questions about her judgement and the Governments desire to build the collaborative, cooperative future partnership we need with the EU.

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake attacked Ms May for appointing a Brexit minister dedicated to destroying the EU.

The issue will hang over the Prime Minister as she meets German Chancellor Ms Merkel and French President Mr Macron at the G20 in Hamburg on Friday, whom she has both assured the UK wants a deep and special relationship with the EU.

On the same day Brexit Secretary David Davis is inviting jittery business leaders to Chevening in a bid to convince them discussions are in good hands and EU withdrawal will not damage their hope of future trade with the bloc.

A spokesman for Mr Baker said he now supports the Government's position and that is why he was happy to take up a ministerial position.

He was taken on in the post-election reshuffle as Ms May desperately attempted to shore up her position with MPs livid that she had botched the election campaign and lost her partys majority.

He brought with him the backing of a large swathe of the Tory backbenches he was chair of Conservatives for Britain, a 50-strong group of Tories who fought Leave, and then went on to run the European Research Group, a pro-Brexit backbench organisation.

The reshuffle which brought him in saw half the ministerial team at Dexeu replaced, with one sacked and another, George Bridges, walking out after it was claimed he became convinced Brexit couldnt work.

Earlier this year, Mr Baker compiled a list of 27 Tory colleagues he claimed were considering voting for changes to Ms Mays Brexit plans, accusing them of seeking to overturn the referendum.

At the time, Mr Baker said: This is a time to unite behind a democratic result, not plot to repudiate it. Any vote to amend this simple bill is a vote against implementation of the referendum result.

Mr Baker is also under pressure to reveal his links to a group that donated 435,000 to the DUP to campaign for Brexit during last years referendum.

The MP was handed 6,500 by the obscure Constitutional Research Council, the body which used a legal loophole to channel the money to the DUP.

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Brexit: Minister appointed to negotiate Britain's withdrawal wants European Union 'wholly torn down' - The Independent

Policy Exchange says it's unlikely that Ireland will get a good deal out of us leaving the bloc

IRELAND may be better off leaving the European Union after Brexit, a think tank has recommended.

A report from Policy Exchange says that the chances of Ireland getting a good deal from Brexit are faint and it should also consider quitting the bloc.

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The author, Dublin-born Ray Bassett, said that the election of Emmanuel Macron in France who wants to see an increasingly close EU makes it more imperative for Ireland to consider departing from the Union.

It hit out at him and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the arrogant assumption that they have a divine right to running the EU.

Since Britain voted to quit the bloc, there have been increasing fears about the impact of leaving on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, on which many jobs rely.

EU negotiators have promised to consider the impact of Ireland first in the Brexit talks which began last month.

The report says that the benefits of EU membership for Ireland had been great, but that the bloc has since changed.

It also suggested that their low-tax economy, which attracts a number of big businesses from around the world, could be under threat with a more regulated Eurozone.

Irexit is a definite option for Ireland, should the EU and the EU not arrive at a satisfactory deal, it said.

It argues that sitting on the sidelines and allowing the EU to negotiate for Ireland is untenable, and that its interests would better served by opting out of formal membership of the EU, remaining in a customs union with the UK and negotiating free trade agreements elsewhere.

It said there was little chance of Brexit benefiting Ireland due to the complex and intertwined relationship it has been Britain.

It would be a dereliction of national duty not to consider all the options available in such challenging circumstances, it added.

PA:Press Association

And it said there will be a price to pay for Britain to leave the EU despite the Irish governments determination to stick with Team EU.

Deputy leader of the ruling Fine Gael Party, Simon Coveney, hinted at the possibility of leaving in an interview last month: Dont assume that the European Union can be run by two or three big countries and everybody else will just have to tow the line.

If thats the direction the European Union goes in, it wont last, because small countries will leave.

Reuters

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire is set to make a statement to MPs today about the future of the power-sharing government at Stormont.

Politicians have failed to come to an agreement to form a government even after a snap election, and the deadline for talks have been extended repeatedly.

If the DUP and Sinn Fein dont reach a deal, theres a possibility of a return to direct rule from Westminster.

DUP sources told The Guardian that one idea being floated to force a deal and return to Government would be to cut the salaries of the Assembly Members who are currently getting paid but they are not sitting.

One said there was a feeling that the public are outrages that politicians are still getting paid even though the assembly is not seeing, there is no executive and no business is being done.

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Ireland 'may be better off' leaving the European Union after Brexit, think tank recommends - The Sun