EU court should be guarantor of expats' rights after Brexit: BarnierJuly 12, 2017 - 16:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator said on Wednesday, July 12 there were many differences with Britain on citizens' rights, including on the role of the EU court, that needed to be sorted out before talks on a trade deal could start, Reuters reports. "We want EU citizens in Britain to have the same rights as British citizens who live in the EU," Michel Barnier told a news conference in Brussels, adding that the current British position did not guarantee equal rights. Barnier said the European Court of Justice should be the "ultimate guarantor" of those rights, and if Britain opposed this "it would create uncertainty". Britain wants to regulate citizens' rights under British law. He said there should be progress on all three priority Brexit issues before talks on a wider future relationship could start. As well as citizens' rights the other priority areas are Britain's exit bill and borders. "These three priority subjects for the first phase of negotiations are inseparable. In other words, progress on one or two of these topics will not be sufficient to move on to discussions about our future relationship with the United Kingdom," Barnier said. Commenting on British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's quip on Tuesday that the EU "could whistle" for big payments from Britain as part of the Brexit deal, Barnier said: "I'm not hearing any whistling, just the clock ticking." Barnier dismissed some UK politicians' accusations that the Brexit bill was a ransom bill, with the EU motivated by a desire to punish Britain. "It is simply a matter of settling the accounts. It is not easy, it costs a lot, in any separation. We are not asking from Britain a single euro, a single pound more than what it agreed to pay," Barnier said. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. |