european union

EU's Ambassador to the Pacific, Andrew Jacobs has this week been in Palau where he had talks with the President of Palau, Tommy Remengesau and his Government.

A release out of the EU Pacific office says there were fruitful discussions on the EU-Palau cooperation, regional economic integration, sustainable management of natural resources and climate change.

Palau and the EU have a bilateral programme for funding of $US1.7 million between 2014 and 2020 under the 11th European Development Fund.

Members of the House of Lords, the upper house of the UK parliament, voted in favor of an amendment that called for EU nationals legally resident in Britain to be guaranteed the same status after the UK leaves the European Union

Director blong Fisheries Development long FFA, Mike Batty itok EU i rausim dispela yellow card woning bihain long Solomon Islands gavman i kamapim niu loa na polisi we i dil wantaim wari blong EU long sait long I-U-U oa illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Mr Batty i tok tuna i bikpela indastri blong Solomon Islands we i save bringim in moa long 500 million dollar long kantri long wanwan yia.

Em i tok moa long 1,500 pipol blong Solomon Islands i wok long tuna indastri, na 80 percent long tuna export blong Solomon Islands em i go long ol European Union kantri.

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 Cañete and Neven Mimica on climate change and development matters respectively.  

The plan envisages greater co-ordination in areas like EU-led peacekeeping missions outside the bloc.

However, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini stressed that the bloc did not intend to compete with Nato or create a European army.

She added that the plan was under consideration before Donald Trump's victory in US presidential elections.

During the campaign, Mr Trump suggested that Washington may not automatically come to the aid of a Nato ally under attack, criticising low levels of defence spending by some EU members of the military alliance.

In a previously unpublished column he penned in February, Johnson -- now the UK's foreign secretary -- urged Britain to stay in the EU, just two days before he came out against the Remain campaign.

“On this important occasion, we recall that the death penalty is a violation of human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and call for an end to state-sanctioned capital punishment.”

European Council President Donald Tusk said Mrs May had told him the UK could be ready to begin talks by February.

The BBC's Tom Bateman says this is the clearest sign yet of when the two-year withdrawal process may start.

Mrs May's office said it would not be launched this year, but did not confirm Mr Tusk's account.

Formal negotiations over the withdrawal cannot begin until the UK triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal mechanism for leaving the union.

“The $635 million committed at the 2013 Pacific Energy Summit has translated into over $900 million of investments across 70 projects,” New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully says.

“In the same way, I hope to see the $1 billion of commitments announced today increase as opportunities for leverage become apparent, and as the ambition of partners grows.

“With the growing role for the private sector and the prospect of access to the UN Green Climate Fund there should be significant potential to further expand our efforts in this area.

 In a press conference in Port Vila this morning after holding bilateral meetings with Vanuatu ministers and New Zealand’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Murray McCully, Mr Mimica said the additional funds will be injected in the form of budget support. He said the money was decided on by the EU just last week.