Albania joins SEPA, paving way for EU integration
Albania officially became a member of the Single Euro Payment Area (SEPA) on November 21, 2024, the Bank of Albania (BoA) has announced.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed on Sunday that his Brexit proposal picked up support in Parliament as he urged the European Union (EU) to compromise.
Writing in the Sun on Sunday and the Sunday Express, the Prime Minister said: “We are leaving in 25 days. We can do it with a deal if the EU is willing,” the BBC reported.
Johnson said his untested plan to use technology to eliminate customs border checks would take the UK out of EU trade rules while respecting the Northern Ireland peace process.
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“I say to our European friends: grasp the opportunity our new proposal provides. Join us at the negotiating table in a spirit of compromise and co-operation,” he said.
He claimed MPs from “every wing of the Conservative Party”, Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party and from Labour have said, “our proposed deal looks like one they can get behind”.
Last month, Johnson visited New York, where he attended United Nations General Assembly and said that he will not bring any Brexit breakthrough.
For those who were anticipating that the Conservative Party leader might discuss Brexit deal with his fellow European leaders, the news might be a bit disappointing.
The EU and Johnson government were still in disagreement over London’s wish to remove the Irish border “backstop” from the Brexit deal struck by former PM Theresa May.
Diplomats from EU had said no agreeable alternative deal has been proposed by the Johnson government yet.
Johnson did not explain how the government would comply with a law passed by MPs which forces the Prime Minister to seek an extension to the Brexit deadline if no agreement has been made by October 19.
Earlier on Saturday, Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar also said that “a deal is still possible” but the EU does not believe the current proposals from Johnson “form the basis for deeper negotiations”.
The EU is concerned that the UK wants to leave too many details about customs and regulatory checks to be agreed during the transition period after Brexit.
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