The government has been tough on working to reduce the over-dependency on donor support for development.

In the build up to President Akufo Addo’s State of the Nation Address on Thursday, February 8, 2018, Citi Business News takes a look at how far government has come in reaching this goal.

Indications however suggest that more needs to be done to attain this feat.

Prez Akufo Addo leads agenda

President Akufo Addo, has been leading the charge of building a ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ is convinced that the abundant mineral resources shouldn’t permit Ghana to seek support from donors to implement key policies.

Speaking in an address with the French President Emmanuel Macron in Ivory Coast as well as delivering a speech as part of the Royal African Society’s leadership series in London, the President stressed the need to add value to traditional exports.

“This is not right; we need to change the statistics. If we simply ground and sold the cocoa in paste form, instead of selling the cocoa beans, we double our earnings. In much the same way we will double our earnings from gold if sold it refined than in the raw state. We are determined to process these products.

These thoughts have been reiterated across several platforms by the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

Gov’t works to grow Ghana Beyond Aid

The recently one constituted the theme for the third Aliu Mahama Memorial Lectures presented by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta.

For Mr. Ofori Atta, working to improve critical sectors like the financial, oil and gas, rail and road infrastructure, among others should propel the plans to attain a Ghana beyond aid.

For instance, the Minister highlighted the need to attract investors to revamp operations at the Tema Oil Refinery.

But this might have to be triggered as TOR has been compelled to suspend its operations few weeks into this year due to operational challenges.

Also, the estimated 21 billion dollar investments into the railway sector is yet to be completed to fast track the carting of agricultural goods such as cocoa from producing centers to market centers.

The EU Ambassador to Ghana, William Hanna admits that donor support has reduced hence the need for Ghana to improve her trade with other countries.

“It was up to over 16 percent in 2004 but declined to about 2.2 percent in 2013…this fall is due to a change in Ghana’s income status as well as a change in view on our side to call for a change in view on our side that we should call for new ways of doing things innovative financing and increased role for the private sector,” he stated.

Although government is saddled with huge records of revenue leakages estimated at 10 billion cedis, Ken Ofori Atta is confident of reversing the trend.

Economist at the University of Ghana, Dr. Ebo Turkson however suggests that the government would need be tough on addressing corruption if it is to reach this goal as expected.

“If we fight corruption, we can do a lot of public sector savings because a huge amount of public sector resources get fizzled out due to corruption. If we are able to fight corruption, these are huge amounts of monies that we can save and that would be an alternative to aid and those monies can be channeled into other productive sectors.”

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By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

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Moroccan rescue services recovered the corpses after the crew of a passenger ship spotted them in the water.

The dead are believed to be migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.

It is thought they may have been hoping to reach Europe by trying to land in Melilla, despite storm warnings being issued for the region.

Melilla, which is just 12 sq km (7 square miles), is a major crossing point for migrants seeking work or asylum in Europe.

Together with a second Spanish enclave, Ceuta, it is the EU’s only land border with Africa.

Spanish newspaper El Pais reports that the bodies were found floating around 6-8km from Melilla’s coast.

The exact death toll has not yet been confirmed. Spanish rescue services resumed a search on Sunday morning.

The sea crossing between north Africa and southern Spain is increasingly favoured by migrants, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

So far in 2018, Spain has been the second most popular entry point for incomers to Europe. IOM figures say some 1,279 arrived there, while 4,256 went to Italy.

Not including those recovered this weekend, 243 migrants have already died or gone missing this year after trying to cross the Mediterranean.

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Source: BBC

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In an effort to stem migration, the EU is actively supporting a “system of abuse and exploitation” on Libyan shores, the group said in a report.

EU funds are going to authorities working with militias and people smugglers, the report says.

The EU has provided ships, training and funding to the Libyan coastguard.

Libya is the main thoroughfare for migrants trying to reach Europe. Arrivals in Italy – the main destination for boat crossings – fell sharply following the provision of EU funds to the Libyan coastguard.

But Amnesty says the coastguard is working with criminal gangs and people smugglers who are guilty of a range of abuses, with the knowledge of EU officials.

It alleges that the drive to stem migration has resulted in “mass, arbitrary and indefinite detention” of refugees and migrants.

Refugees and migrants intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard are sent to detention centres run by Libya’s general directorate for combating illegal migration (DCIM).

Amnesty said about 20,000 people were currently detained at these centres, and it had testimony showing detainees were subject to “torture, forced labour, extortion, and unlawful killings” at the hands of authorities, traffickers, and militias.

“Tens of thousands are kept indefinitely in overcrowded detention centres where they are subjected to systematic abuse,” said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty’s Europe Director.

“European governments have not just been fully aware of these abuses; by actively supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, they are complicit in these abuses.”

When a BBC correspondent visited a detention centre earlier this year, detainees described violence and abuse and conditions “like hell” and “even worse than jail”.

Speaking to Amnesty, one man from the Gambia who was detained for three months said he was starved and beaten.

“They beat me with a rubber hose, because they want money to release me. They call the family while beating [you] so the family send money,” he said.

The human rights group said it believed it had enough evidence to take EU governments to court.

Libya has spiraled into lawlessness since Nato-backed forces overthrew long-serving ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011, with a myriad armed militias vying for control.

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Source: BBC

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He said it was not “legally enforceable” and if the UK failed to get a trade deal with the EU then it would not pay its divorce bill.

But he stressed that the UK was committed to keeping a “frictionless and invisible” Irish border.

And it would “find a way” to do this if there was a “no deal” Brexit.

The Brexit secretary also stressed that the odds of the UK exiting without a deal had “dropped dramatically” following Friday’s joint EU-UK statement in Brussels.

And he spelled out the kind of trade deal he wanted with the EU, describing it as “Canada plus plus plus”.

‘Hard border’

Canada’s deal with the EU, signed last year, removes the vast majority of customs duties on EU exports to Canada and Canadian exports to the EU.

But Mr Davis said it did not include trade in services, something he wanted to see in the UK’s “bespoke” deal with the EU.

Chancellor Philip Hammond has previously suggested the Brexit divorce bill – which the Treasury says will be between £35bn and £39bn – will be paid even if no EU trade deal is struck. Labour has also said it would continue to pay into the EU if there was no deal.

Prime Minister Theresa May signed an agreement on Friday ruling out the return of a “hard border” on the island of Ireland, protecting the rights of EU and UK citizens and agreeing a formula for the divorce bill.

EU leaders are now expected to recommend starting the next phase of Brexit talks at a summit on Thursday.

But Mr Davis stressed Friday’s agreement was conditional on achieving an “overarching” trade deal with the EU, agreements on security and foreign affairs, as well as the two year transition period the UK wants after if officially leaves the EU in March 2019.

Friday’s agreement includes a fallback position if the UK fails to get a trade deal, which proposes full regulatory “alignment” between the EU and the UK.

This clause had been diluted at the insistence of the Democratic Unionist Party, which fears Northern Ireland would be separated from the rest of the UK, and move closer to Ireland, if it had to adopt EU rules to keep goods flowing across the border.

‘Non-binding’

But there is still controversy, and confusion, over what “full alignment” would mean in practice, with some Brexiteers fearing the UK would have to continue to abide by EU regulations on agriculture and other issues after Brexit and would not be able to strike its own trade deals.

Mr Davis has said “full alignment” would apply to the whole of the UK, not just Northern Ireland, but the Sunday Telegraph said Conservative Brexiteers had been reassured that it was “non-binding” and had been included to secure Ireland’s backing for the deal.

Pushed to explain what it meant, Mr Davis told Andrew Marr: “We want to protect the peace process and we also want to protect Ireland from the impact of Brexit for them. This was a statement of intent more than anything else.”

He added: “I think if we don’t get a deal we’re going to have to find a way of making sure we keep the frictionless border – as it were an invisible border – in Northern Ireland.”

The UK’s opposition Labour party has ruled out remaining in the EU single market and customs union if it wins power.

But the party’s shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted a partnership with the EU that “retains the benefits of the single market and the customs union”.

Labour’s position

Asked if Theresa May’s deal would mean Britain would stay very close to the single market and the customs union, he said: “Yes, and I think that’s the right thing and I think we should hold her to that because that goes to the heart of the question what sort of Britain do we want to be?

“Do we see Europe as our major trading partner in the future or do we want to rip ourselves apart from that?”

Asked if Britain would have to carry on paying some money in, he said: “Norway pays money in, they do it actually on a voluntary basis… there may have to be payments, that’s to be negotiated.”

Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said she “really didn’t understand” Theresa May’s agreement with Brussels.

“I don’t understand how, on the one hand, she is going to align and other hand we are going to be out of the single market and the customs union. It doesn’t really make any sense to me,” she told the BBC’s Sunday Politics.

The Labour leadership has rejected offers from the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party to join forces to push Theresa May to keep the UK in the single market.

They say this is not what people voted for in last year’s EU referendum and the UK needed a “custom” trade deal that retained some form of customs union membership.

Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: “The Cabinet truce on Brexit after the first phase agreement on Friday lasted a matter of hours.

“First, [Micheal] Gove hints strongly at a harder Brexit in years to come and now Davis is resuscitating the utterly irresponsible notion of a ‘no deal’ Brexit to try to avert the coming Tory civil war.”

–

Source: BBC

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The PM and Brexit Secretary David Davis are meeting European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU negotiator Michel Barnier.

Details of an agreement are expected to be set out at a joint news conference within the hour.

If the border question has been settled, talks can move on to the future of trade after Brexit.

The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg was told last night that there were “serious ideas” on the table that the different parties were broadly content with.

Additional wording is understood to have been added to reassure the DUP, whose opposition on Monday led to talks breaking down.

The leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, Arlene Foster, said on Friday she was “pleased” to see changes which mean there is “no red line down the Irish sea”.

On Thursday evening, European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas tweeted: “We are making progress, but not yet fully there,” adding: “Tonight more than ever, stay tuned.”

In the early hours of Friday, the prime minister’s chief of staff, Gavin Barwell, tweeted: “Home for 3 hours sleep then back to work”, without offering any further details.

All sides want progress on the issue ahead of a crucial summit next week, so talks can move on to the future relationship between the UK and the EU after Brexit.

What happens to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has been among the key sticking points in Brexit negotiations.

On Monday, the DUP – whose support the UK prime minister needs to win key votes in Westminster – objected to draft plans drawn up by the UK and the EU.

They included aligning regulations in Northern Ireland with those in the Republic so as to avoid border checks.

The DUP insists it will not accept any agreement in which Northern Ireland was treated differently from the rest of the UK.

The Republic of Ireland, on the other hand, which is an EU member, wants a guarantee that there will be no hard border between it and Northern Ireland after Brexit.

The UK, which is due to leave the EU in March 2019, wants to open talks on a new free trade deal as soon as possible.

The EU will only agree to discuss this when it judges that enough progress has been made on the “separation issues” – the “divorce bill”, expat citizens’ rights and the Northern Ireland border – that have been the subject of negotiations so far.

So the UK is trying to settle the Northern Ireland border issue before EU leaders meet next week.

–

Source: BBC

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The prime minister said talks would reconvene “before the end of the week” and she was “confident we will conclude this positively”.

The talks are understood to have broken down after the Democratic Unionist Party refused to accept concessions on the Irish border issue.

Downing Street said that was not the only outstanding problem.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said a deal had been done, but the UK appeared to change its mind over the Irish border question after pressure from the DUP.

“I am surprised and disappointed that the British government now appears not to be in a position to conclude what was agreed earlier today,” he told a press conference in Dublin.

Northern Ireland’s DUP has 10 MPs at Westminster, and their support is vital to the government.

This is because the Conservatives are without a Commons majority since June’s general election, and rely on a deal with the DUP to ensure they can survive key votes.

How the talks broke down

Mrs May is understood to have broken off from talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker to speak to DUP leader Arlene Foster.

The UK had reportedly been prepared to accept that Northern Ireland may remain in the EU’s customs union and single market in all but name.

But Mrs Foster then said her party “will not accept any form of regulatory divergence” that separates Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

“During the call it was made plain to the PM that the DUP had significant concerns about the deal being discussed that gave concessions to the Dublin government,” said the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg.

“I understand Mrs Foster told Theresa May that she would not be able to support such a deal.

“It’s been suggested too that there are 20 or so Conservative MPs who had serious misgivings about the compromises that were understood to be on the table.”

Why is the DUP unhappy about the plan?

DUP leader Arlene Foster said her party would not accept any Brexit deal that “separates” Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

Her party’s Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson claimed Brussels has been trying to “bounce the prime minister into acceding to the shape of a deal they want” and many of her own backbenchers would not accept it.

He said the DUP objected to the form of words used in a draft document, which he said referred to “regulatory alignment” and “no regulatory divergence” between Northern Ireland and the EU.

Both phrases were “simply EU speak for keeping Northern Ireland in the European market” and “in effect, part of the United Kingdom would be kept within the single market,” he said.

Asked if the DUP would pull out of the confidence and supply agreement they have with the Conservative government in Westminster over this issue, he said: “I think that her (Theresa May) problem isn’t going to be just with the DUP”.

The Irish prime minister’s position

Leo Varadkar says he wants a written guarantee that there will be no return to a “hard border” between the Republic and Northern Ireland – and this is what he thought he had got.

“I am surprised and disappointed that the British government now appears not to be in a position to conclude what was agreed earlier today,” he said.

“I accept that the prime minister has asked for more time and I know that she faces many challenges, and I acknowledge that she is negotiating in good faith.
“But my position and that of the Irish government is unequivocal: Ireland wants to proceed to phase two.

“However, we cannot agree to do this unless we have firm guarantees that there will not be a hard border in Ireland under any circumstances.”

He said it was important to listen to the DUP, but also to bear in mind the position of other parties in Northern Ireland – and it should not be forgotten that the majority in Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU.

What did Theresa May say?

Speaking at a joint press conference in Brussels with Mr Juncker, Mrs May said: “We have been negotiating hard. And a lot of progress has been made. And on many of the issues there is a common understanding.

“And it is clear, crucially, that we want to move forward together.

“But on a couple of issues some differences do remain which require further negotiation and consultation.”

What did Jean-Claude Juncker say?

The European Commission President said “it was not possible to reach complete agreement today” despite their “best efforts”.

But he added: “I have to say that we were narrowing our positions to a huge extent today, thanks to the British prime minister, thanks to the willingness of the European Commission to have a fair deal with Britain.

“I’m still confident that we can reach sufficient progress before the European Council of 15 December.

“This is not a failure, this is the start of the very last round.

“I’m very confident that we will reach an agreement in the course of this week.”

UK political reaction

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “The real reason for today’s failure is the grubby deal the government did with the DUP after the election.”

He added that “Labour has been clear from the outset that we need a jobs-first Brexit deal that works for the whole of the United Kingdom”.

Conservative MPs emerging from a Downing Street briefing on the talks said they had been told Mrs May had not agreed the proposal on regulatory alignment put forward by the Irish government.

Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said that the Conservatives were “as one” with the DUP on the importance of keeping the United Kingdom together, and the mood among Tory MPs in the meeting was “contented, not divisive or unhappy”.

Backbench Remain supporter Anna Soubry said no Conservative MP wanted Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK, which she said would be “a gift” to the Scottish National Party.

The “simple solution” would be for the whole of the UK to remain in the single market and customs union, she added.

Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: “As each day goes by, it becomes clearer that the best deal for everyone is to stay in Europe. The people of the UK must be given a vote on the deal and an opportunity to exit from Brexit.”

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that if Northern Ireland was allowed to operate under different rules there was “surely no good practical reason” why other parts of the UK could not do the same – a message echoed by Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Where the talks are at

The EU says it will only recommend the start of talks about future trade arrangements when it deems “sufficient progress” has been made on three issues – the status of expat citizens, the “divorce” bill and the Northern Ireland border.

The UK has been set a deadline of this week to come forward with an improved offer on them, and hopes that the go-ahead for future talks will then be given at an EU leaders’ summit on 14-15 December.

On the “divorce bill”, the UK is understood to have recently increased its offer, which could be worth up to 50bn euros (£44bn).

On the issue of rights for the three million EU citizens in Britain, the UK has agreed that those who already have permanent residence will not have to pay to apply for settled status.

Those making a first time application for the right to stay after Brexit, however, will face a charge – reportedly similar to the cost of applying for a passport.
Settled status will grant those who have spent five years in the UK equal rights on healthcare, education, benefits and pensions to British citizens.

Ministers have already suggested people legally resident in the UK before an as yet unspecified cut-off date will be allowed to stay and they want to make the process “as easy as renewing a driving licence”.
–
By: BBC

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On 13 October, 2015, the European Commission decided to prohibit the introduction of the five vegetables into EU market for not meeting European standards.

But a statement copied to Citi Business News on November 7, 2017,  indicated that “from 1st January 2018, Ghanaian farmers will be able to resume exports of all plant commodities to the European Union (EU) market”.

The five vegetables are chilli pepper, bottle gourds, luffa gourds, bitter gourds and eggplants.

According to the statement, exports of the vegetables will also have duty-free and quota-free access to the EU market like any other product from Ghana.

Meanwhile, the 5 commodities would have to fulfill the EU phytosanitary legislation to ensure the freedom of quarantine pests.

This decision follows an audit undertaken by the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission, and the evolution of the numbers of import interceptions with quarantine pests, notified by Member States for commodities not subject to the ban.

“Since the beginning of the ban in October 2015, the Ghanaian authorities have taken significant corrective measures to improve the inspection and control system for plant health at exit points, in particular at Kotoka International Airport. The European Commission congratulates Ghana for reaching this important milestone and encourages Ghana to consolidate the upgraded system and to continue further improvements in the phytosanitary certification system to obtain full compliance with the EU phytosanitary requirements,” it observed.

It pointed out that, the outcome has been possible due to combined efforts of the Plant Protection and Regulatory Service Department (PPRSD), and coordinated support from several development partners including the European Union through the Trade related Assistance and Quality Enabling programme (TRAQUE).

Others are the German International Cooperation (GIZ), the Netherlands Embassy through the GhanaVeg project and USAID.

“This harmonized approach has been instrumental to reach the objective of complying with EU requirements this year”.

It added that the resumption of exports of all plant commodities to the EU market will enable Ghana to fully benefit from the 100% preferential access to the EU market provided by the Stepping Stone Economic Partnership Agreement, which entered into force on 15 December 2016.

Background

From 2012 to 2015, the number of intercepted plants from Ghana at the EU borders due to the presence of harmful organisms had increased significantly, leading Ghana to face the highest number of interceptions globally in 2015.

On 13 October, 2015, the European Commission decided to prohibit the introduction of 5 plant commodities from Ghana into the EU market until end of December 2016. The ban was purposely restricted to those commodities that have had the highest number of interceptions.

The five concerned plants were chilli pepper, bottle gourds, luffa gourds, bitter gourds and eggplants. Following an audit undertaken in September 2015, a decision was taken by the European Commission to renew the ban by one year until December 2017.

Over the past years, the Plant protection and Regulatory Service Department (PPRSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has received support from several development partners notably to improve the inspection and control system at the airport, to improve traceability as well as to develop and implement the Ghana Green Label Scheme.

Coordination of the received support has been successfully done through the SPS Task Force setup and chaired by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

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By: citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

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The EU has been walking a tight rope for months on Turkey, angered by President Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on critics after a failed coup in July, 2016, but dependent on Ankara to keep a lid on immigration to Europe and combat militants in Syria.

The EU leaders’ chairman, Donald Tusk, said the bloc had agreed in two days of talks in Brussels to cut or reroute some of the 4.4 billion euros ($5.2 bln) Ankara was due to get as part of its accession talks in 2014-20.

“It was a substantive discussion. We want to keep the door open to Ankara, but the current reality in Turkey is making this difficult,” Tusk told a news conference.

Germany has seen its ties with Turkey particularly strained and Chancellor Angela Merkel called last month for a tougher stance on Ankara as she campaigned for re-election at home.

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Source: Reuters

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In its statement on Friday, the EU particularly took issue with declarations made by a section of politicians against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) warning that such reckless utterances “could have an adverse effect on its ability to fulfill its Constitutional mandate”.

The statement also raised concerns about proposed changes to election regulations, the EU saying such modifications should not be carried out.

“Unreasonable demands, threats of boycott or attempts to change electoral regulation are to be avoided,” the communiqué read.

The union urged both the Jubilee Party and National Super Alliance (NASA) to take engagements with the electoral commission seriously and support the poll agency as it prepares for the fresh presidential election scheduled for October 26.

“All parties should seriously engage with the IEBC in a dialogue about processes and procedures, and support its work as it prepares for the new election,” the EU urged.

Equally, the U.S. State Department in a separate statement issued Friday warned politicians against unwarranted attacks on the electoral commission.

In the brief authored by the Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Bruce Wharton, the U.S. urged the political class to cease from making unreasonable demands on the IEBC and instead embrace dialogue to iron out contentious issues.

“While we support freedom of speech, baseless attacks and unreasonable demands on the electoral commission are divisive,” Wharton’s statement read.

“We fully support the commission’s efforts to engage leaders and parties in dialogue, and urge all to participate openly, seriously, and in good faith,” he added.

The U.S. State Department also discouraged changes to electoral laws ahead of the fresh presidential election.

“Changing electoral laws without broad agreement just prior to a poll is not consistent with international best practice, increases political tension, and undermines public perceptions of the integrity of the electoral process,” the statement read.

Kenyans were also urged to reject violence and instead use “the opportunity for the fresh poll to inspire and shape the future of the African continent”.

In light of the bi-weekly NASA demonstrations, the U.S. encouraged security services to exercise utmost restraint while quelling riots and ensure their response is “proportionate and appropriate”.

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Source: Capitalfm Kenya

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EU migrants will still be able to live and work in the UK but they will have register with the authorities, under her proposals.

And the UK will pay into the EU budget so member states are not left out of pocket.

She hopes this offer, made in a speech in Italy, will unblock Brexit talks.

She also proposed a “bold new security agreement” and said the UK would be the EU’s “strongest partner and friend”.

On trade, she said the two sides could do “so much better” than adopt existing models.

There was “no need to impose tariffs where there are none now”, the prime minister said.

She did not mention how much the UK would be prepared to continue to pay into the EU after Brexit, but it has been estimated as being at least 20bn euros (about £18bn).
In her speech, Mrs May said the UK would “honour commitments” made while it had been a member to avoid creating “uncertainty for the remaining member states”.

She also suggested that in the long-term the UK and EU would continue working together on projects promoting economic development and the UK would want to “make an ongoing contribution to cover our fair share of the costs involved”.

When the two-year transition period is up, the UK and EU could towards a new “deep and special partnership,” she said in her speech.

By March 2019, neither the UK or EU would be ready to “smoothly” implement new arrangements needed: “So during the implementation period access to one another’s markets should continue on current terms and Britain also should continue to take part in existing security measures.”

Such a period should be “time limited”, she said, as neither the EU nor the British people would want the UK to remain in the EU longer than necessary.

But she hoped to build a “comprehensive and ambitious” new economic partnership with the EU in the long-term.
This should not be based on existing agreements with Canada or European Economic Area membership, she said, but a “creative solution” should be found to reflect the existing relationship between the UK and EU.

To EU citizens in the UK she offered reassurance that “we want you to stay, we value you” and acknowledged differences with the EU over which courts should guarantee their rights after Brexit.

She said she wanted UK courts to take account of rulings by the European Court of Justice and hoped “on this basis, our teams can reach firm agreement quickly”.

Mrs May opened her speech by saying Brexit was a “critical time in the evolution of the relationship between the United Kingdom and European Union”.

She said if “we open our minds to new thinking and new possibilities we can forge a brighter and better future for all our peoples”.

Some voters were worried about the prospect of Brexit – but others found it an “exciting time,” she said.

“I look ahead with optimism, believing that if we use this moment to change not just our relationship with Europe but also the way we do things at home – this will be a defining moment in the history of our nation.”

–

Source: BBC

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