Juncker plan exceeds target
The European Commission reported on Wednesday that the European Fund for Strategic Investments has mobilised €335 billion in additional investment across the EU since July 2015 under the co-called Juncker Plan. “We surpassed the original €315 billion investment target and the European Fund for Strategic Investments is set to create 1.4 million jobs and increase EU GDP by 1.3% by 2020,” Jean-Claude Juncker said.
Trump warns of aggressive Montenegro
The Atlantic and the BBC are among the media commenting on statements about Montenegro by US president Donald Trump. In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Trump said that the Montenegrins were strong and aggressive people. “They may get aggressive and, congratulations, you're in World War Three,” he told Tucker Carlson. Montenegrin prime minister, Dusko Markovic, said Trump’s comment was “not in the context of justification of Nato’s existence, but of Nato funding”
Spain to introduce explicit consent law
Sex without explicit consent will be considered rape in Spain under a new law set to be introduced by the socialist government. The Guardian reports that the law will state “that ‘yes means yes’ and anything else, including silence, means no.” The law follows outrage over the so-called “wolf pack” case.
EasyJet profit forecast up
Airline operator EasyJet says it anticipates higher than expected profits for the 12 months to end of September of £550m-£590m as it reported revenues up by 14% to £1.6bn in the second quarter of 2018. Reuters reports that the airline has just unveiled the first in its fleet of Airbus A321neo planes, which are bigger and quieter than its current A320s.
LSE Brexit dairy warning
A report by the London School of Economics suggests that dairy products could become luxury items in the UK after it withdraws from the EU. Tariffs of up to 74% could be imposed on some produce in the case of a no deal. Even under a better scenario, disruption to the supply chain would have a big impact the report claims. “Most likely we would see shortages of products and a sharp rise in prices,” Ash Amirahmadi, the UK managing director of dairy producer Arla Foods said in The Guardian.
Commission green-lights Kosovo visa liberalisation
The European Commission has confirmed that Kosovo now fulfils all required benchmarks to grant EU visa-free travel for its people. Commissioner for migration Dimitris Avramopoulos said Kosovo should continue to address both migration and security challenges and called on the European Parliament and the Council to swiftly adopt the lifting of visa requirements. “This will be an important moment for Kosovo, for the entire Western Balkan region, and for Europe as a whole,” he said.
Thomas claims yellow jersey
Welsh rider Geraint Thomas will wear the iconic yellow jersey as leader of the Tour de France as the race heads to the famous Alpe d’Huez. Thomas leads Team Sky colleague Chris Froome by 1’25” ahead of the race’s “queen stage”, The Telegraph reports.
Today's breakfast briefing was compiled and written by Duncan Roberts