The European Commission has today published the draft Withdrawal Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom. The draft Withdrawal Agreement translates into legal terms the Joint Report from the negotiators of the European Union and the United Kingdom Government on the progress achieved during phase 1 of the negotiations, published on 8 December 2017, and proposes text for those outstanding withdrawal issues which are mentioned in, but not set out in detail, in the Joint Report. It also integrates the text on...

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Main results EU leaders met in Brussels to discuss the long-term EU budget and the institutional issues. Syria, Brexit, and relations with Turkey were also on the agenda. Multiannual financial framework The heads of state or government also debated on the political priorities of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) after 2020, i.e. the EU's long term budget. We agreed that the EU will spend more on stemming illegal migration, on defence and security, as well as on the Erasmus+ programme. Donald Tusk, President of the...

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Backed by a robust economic growth, employment in the EU continued to rise more strongly than expected in the third quarter of 2017, while unemployment figures declined further according to the latest Quarterly Review on Employment and Social Developments in Europe. Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, commented: "Growth is back in Europe. Employment in the EU reached the highest level ever recorded with more than 236 million people in jobs. And unemployment is steadily declining. We should...

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