Displaying items by tag: EU

Friday, 23 March 2018 12:53

Russian threat to global democracy

Theresa May is warning leaders of Russia’s threat to all democracies; Russia has ‘shown itself to be a strategic enemy not a strategic partner’. Mrs May believes that although the attempted assassination of the Skripals took place on UK soil, the Russian threat does not respect borders and it places all nations at risk, adding, ‘As a European democracy, the UK will stand shoulder to shoulder with the EU and Nato members to face these threats together. United, we will succeed.’ Whitehall stressed the response to the Salisbury attack was carefully calibrated to remain within the law, and the UK was not looking for huge confrontations with Russia or regime change. The US, UK, France and Germany recently signed up to a very strong and uncompromising statement, and the prime minister is now using blunt language to the world and to the rest of EU member states.

Published in Prayer Alert
Tagged under
Friday, 02 March 2018 11:16

Brexit: EU and UK plans for NI

Theresa May’s post-Brexit plans for Northern Ireland to be under the same rules and regulations as the rest of the UK and to leave the EU customs union were challenged in the EU’s 120-page draft withdrawal agreement that includes Northern Ireland in a future customs union. The draft requires checks on goods coming in from the UK; in order for this to happen, single market legislation will also apply. The EU plan would create a border through the Irish Sea, which the UK will not accept. Michel Barnier challenged May to offer something different. The DUP is propping up the UK Government; some believe one wrong decision could see their support withdrawn. Boris Johnson said that the Northern Ireland border row is being used to frustrate Brexit, and there were ‘very good solutions’ to avoid the need for a hard border. Pray for the UK’s future to be directed by God’s Spirit, prompting MPs in all decisions they make.

Published in British Isles
Friday, 19 January 2018 10:09

Who are the presidents of the European Union?

The three institutions of the EU are Parliament (EP), Council (EC), and Commission. The EP president, Antonio Tajani, presides over the debates and activities of parliament, along with fourteen vice-presidents, and represents parliament internationally. Donald Tusk is president of the EC, that is all EU heads of state. He is its representative on the world stage, attends summits, and represents the consensus view of the EU states. He also chairs meetings of heads of state. The president of the Commission, currently Jean-Claude Juncker, allocates portfolios to the commissioners, who are nominated by their home countries. The EU Council, where legislation is discussed, is led by the country holding the six-month rotating presidency, currently Bulgaria.

Published in Europe
Tagged under
Friday, 15 December 2017 11:38

Finland: monitoring Palestinian education

EU officials supervise and fund the Palestinian Authority (PA) education system. A series of Helsinki talks examined the new PA curriculum and agreed that the new textbooks stir up further radicalisation and hatred. They concluded that radicalisation is persistent throughout the curriculum, grooming children for martyrdom and jihad war, with a fundamentalist worldview. ‘This curriculum is not only a catastrophe for Palestinian youth but also for the reputation of the Finnish education system, as the curriculum was reviewed under the supervision of Finnish experts and officials,’ said the spokesperson for the EU consultations. An elementary mathematics book asks, ‘If the number of martyrs from the first intifada is X and the number of martyrs from the second intifada is Y, what is the total number of martyrs?’ In basic physics, Newton’s law of gravity is explained by a picture of a young Palestinian aiming a slingshot at an Israeli officer. See

Published in Europe
Friday, 08 December 2017 12:44

Intercessor Focus: Brexit and Ireland

The problems over the Irish border dispute seem to have been resolved, after intense negotiations between London, Brussels, Dublin and Belfast. We can pray for God to bless everyone powerfully with the wisdom and discernment needed to bring about His purposes in all future discussions. May each nation prosper and flourish in its different Christian heritage. Pray that the UK will prosper as a result of what is negotiated in the days to come. Pray for Ireland, Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK to be in unity and not divided; pray for Stormont, Scotland’s parliament, and the Welsh assembly to work in co-operation with Westminster; pray for God to be the author of all lawmaking, boundaries and borders.

(Linda Digby – Prayer Alert Team)

Published in British Isles
Friday, 13 October 2017 12:51

Proposals for new deal with the EU

In a statement to MPs, Theresa May called for a ‘unique and ambitious economic partnership’ with the EU after Brexit. ‘Progress will not always be smooth’, she said, but the UK can ‘prove the doomsayers wrong’. Following her speech in Florence, when she gave assurances on payments to the EU and citizens' rights, she said the ball is now in the EU court. Her statement came as the fifth round of negotiations began in Brussels, the final set of talks before EU leaders meet on 19 October to decide if enough progress has been made to enable them to move forward and talk about post-Brexit trade relations with the UK. Two white papers, covering future trade and customs options, are being published (see next article). Justice minister Dominic Raab said that while the UK had to ‘strive for the very best Brexit outcome’, it must also ‘prepare for all eventualities’. ‘No-deal Brexit planning is under way'.

Published in British Isles
Tagged under
Friday, 06 October 2017 08:35

India’s prime minister and human rights

On 6 October, Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, will meet India's prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, a human rights group, urges the EU leaders not to 'turn a blind eye' to the rising persecution of Christians and Muslims in India. 'How many more victims of government-condoned violence against Muslims and Christians will the EU tolerate before it puts the issue on the agenda with Prime Minister Modi?’ No person should live in fear of being killed, tortured, or oppressed because of their religious beliefs. The persecution of religious minorities in India has become worse under the government of the BJP, which is the political arm of the nationalist Hindutva movement. The party has been accused of inciting hatred and riots against religious minorities, including Christians and Muslims.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 08 September 2017 10:27

Brexit: no deal no problem

Failure to strike a trade deal with the EU would not be a disaster for the UK, according to the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). It said, ‘If a bad deal is offered by the EU, the UK should walk away and trade with the EU under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules rather than a protectionist and costly agreement.’ The report calls for unilateral free trade after Brexit, ‘complemented by free trade agreements with partners including the US, Canada and Australia. This arrangement would lead to lower consumer prices, increased productivity and higher wages through removing barriers to imports.’ IEA research director Jamie Whyte said, ‘Many believe disasters will happen without a deal with the EU. In fact, we could eliminate all import tariffs, which would give us most of the benefits of trade, and export to the EU under the umbrella of WTO rules. Then we can seek free trade deals with all major trading partners, including the EU.’

Published in British Isles
Tagged under
Friday, 08 September 2017 10:25

Brexit: God’s strategy

The following declaration is from Passion for the Nation: ‘We declare over our Parliament, over the EU and over all those involved in Brexit negotiations, that the Lord God is the Master Planner of heaven and earth. His plans are for good and not for evil, greater than every plan of man or the enemy to bring confusion, division or hopelessness. We come into agreement with His word, He is “the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist”. We stand as Your Ecclesia, and in the Name of Jesus we call forth the strategies of heaven over all matters concerning Brexit. We declare they will be seen, heard, endorsed and enacted by those called to policy-making at this time’.

Published in British Isles
Friday, 08 September 2017 10:12

European Court orders countries to take migrants

Many so-called asylum-seekers have refused to relocate to central and eastern Europe because the financial benefits there are not as generous as in France, Germany or Scandinavia. Now many believe a European Court ruling on 6 September, that the 28 member states must step up to the mark and accept their quota of migrants, highlights the degree to which the EU has usurped decision-making powers from countries and individuals. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán said, ‘Let us not forget that those arriving have been raised in another religion, and represent a radically different culture. Most of them are not Christians, but Muslims. This is an important question, because European identity is rooted in Christianity. Is it not worrying in itself that European Christianity is now barely able to keep Europe Christian? If we lose sight of this, the idea of a Christian Europe could become a minority interest in its own continent.’

Published in Europe