. - [narrator] critics of the eu known as euro-skeptics say leaders in brussels and strasbourg are mired in bureaucracy, creating regulations that slow economic growth. - it must be admitted that the system has become unwieldy and increasingly undemocratic, or at least this how europeans, normal ordinary europeans perceive it, and i think this has created the alienation. - i think there's more concern just about the fact that they are removed from any kind of democratic political control that nation states don't think that they can control these bureaucrats and that they do silly things like try to regulate little things like, you know, the shape of bananas or things like that. - the skepticism or the frustrations that have emerged in these recent years is because in the end people are not doing so well in many parts of europe. and they're starting to question does european integration help me anymore? is is protecting me against cheap chinese imports? is it keeping unemployment levels low? no, in many cases on both those answers. - [narrator] for the eu to be viable analysts say, leader

admits suffering from financial difficulties like dominic who was made redundant three years ago in strasbourg. he has resolved to go and see the creases association whose initials ironic stand for. regional chamber for social overindebted this has become a mainstay of social assistance for those who find themselves in a financial dead end twenty five associations in france six hundred voluntary staff who would like step change still engage in face to face interviews the leak. if you want to. let go thank you they don't want walk into the future. of the. thought of innocence i wanted to move through it was a joke. no. less interest royally that exists in some. of the three i was very. holy city. because. of this room so far. zoom. on. him for the. solvent. to be more. all. i could walk on home. video. idea. there for me was the families. who only put in here twenty four meters it's interesting to see. if it was a real. put off as or who. the voluntary advisors are often former bankers who now retired have decided to change sides as it were their kind of repentance here the volunteers share the

what is the mood in brussels and strasbourg from european mps? i suppose the mood is one of caution, a slight air of relief that we have managed to get some progress now obviously, because... yes, that's being felt widely. there was a stage towards the end of last week where there were really panic stations. it looked bad. so, there is a sense of progress but ultimately the government has caved in on so much that i think the expectation is effectively that the transition period will be another example of that. the only difference is that we won't be able to make any rules, we willjust be applying them. in what way has the government caved in? well, if you look at phase one, full regulatory alignment, that is the post—transition stage. that effectively means that the customs union, and a lot of the single market. to get regulatory alignment in the areas covered by the good friday agreement, you must implement the single market and customs union. we will not have a say in those rules. do you accept that there is possibility that britain remains i

hello, welcome to politics europe, your regular guide to the top stories in brussels and strasbourg. 0n today's programme, eu leaders give the green light to move on to phase two of the brexit talks. when will the eu and uk start discussing trade and the transition period? former european parliament president martin schultz says that the eu should become a united states of europe by 2025. is that realistic? could brexit hasten the process? and, was the doner almost a goner? a vote in the european parliament almost skewered the humble frozen vertical meat stick, or kebab to you and me. we'll chew over the details.

admits suffering from financial difficulties like dominic who was made redundant three years ago in strasbourg. he has resolved to go and see the creases association whose initials ironic a stand for. regional chamber for social overindebted this has become a mainstay of social assistance for those who find themselves in a financial data twenty five associations in france six hundred voluntary staff who would like step change still engage in face to face interviews the leak. do you know. if you want to. let go thank you. for the favor. of the. innocence or when it's most true it was a joke. no. less interest royally that exists in some. of the the most eerie thing. all the thirty. second. video so far. that's. him for you. so entreat pursue. you point to the models i feel i want to get hold. couldn't walk on home. video. there for me it was the. wrong. place with only twenty four meters it's interesting to see. what it was and i will. put off as the who. the voluntary advisors are often former bankers who now retired have decided to change sides as it were their kind of repentance here the vol

the deep pockets of a strasbourg based construction company won the lot for around $6a4,000. a record price for a mammoth skeleton. translation: since our logo is a mammoth, we couldn't do anything else but buy it. the company has deep pockets and plenty of room. we will put him at the firm's entrance, we have enough space. it becomes the largest of the species in the hands of a private owner, the auctioneers say. the giant that stood alongside early man captivating it once more. rhodri davies, bbc news. you're watching bbc news. good morning. after our wintry week of weather, it's all change on the weather front. the week ahead looks mild for all of us. there's also going to be a lot of dry weather in the story. but, unfortunately, not that much in the way of sunshine. it'll be quite cloudy. and we can see the first signs of that cloud spilling in from the atlantic through the night. now, ahead of it, we'll keep some clear skies. so, a west—east divide first thing in the morning. eastern areas could start cold, even frosty as well. but you will see brightness. patchy fog a

the deep pockets of a strasbourg based construction company won the lot for around $644,000. a record price for a mammoth skeleton. translation: since our logo is a mammoth, we couldn't do anything else but buy it. the company has deep pockets and plenty of room. we will put him at the firm's headquarters, we have enough space. we're used to hearing about the problem of air pollution in many cities around the world, but it's a problem with a very long history. in just one week in december 1952, thousands died when london was entombed in a thick pall of pollution and fog. it was because of this smog that parliament passed the clean air act to reduce the use of smoky fuels. dr brian commins, who worked for the air pollution unit which was set up in london in the 1950s, spoke to the bbc‘s witness programme. ordinary fog does little harm, but smog, smoke and fog, has become one of the greatest mass murderers of modern times. the smog began on a friday, and it was black. it was described as a pea soup because it was a bit yellowish. you could smell it. it tasted a bit acidic. an

the deep pockets of a strasbourg based construction company won the lot for around $644,000. a record price for a mammoth skeleton. translation: since our logo is a mammoth, we couldn't do anything else but by. the company has deep pockets and plenty of room. we will put him at the firm's headquarters, we have enough space. it becomes the largest of the species in the hands ofa largest of the species in the hands of a private owner, the auctioneers say. the giant that stood alongside early man captivating it once more. rhodri davies, bbc news. that is it, goodbye. good evening. some beautiful blue sky for the eastern half of the uk, some sunshine in south shields earlier this afternoon, but a different story further west, cloudy with showers outbreaks at time, some of them a nuisance, drifting further inland, affecting parts of the midlands and the south—east of england down into the london area during the afternoon. that marks the boundary between the clouds spilling in from the west, we keep clear skies out to the east, where temperatures will fall away through the night.

the meps in strasbourg yesterday voted in favour of a motion that there was sufficient progress on the withdrawal agreement but they also supported a motion which said david davis, brexit secretary, had undermined the trust that had been engendered on friday, so they will wa nt engendered on friday, so they will want assurances from the prime minister on that score. they will also talking about what norman was just hinting at, the conversation thatis just hinting at, the conversation that is about to take place in the cabinet on tuesday, they will also wa nt to cabinet on tuesday, they will also want to know what kind of a future the prime minister wants. of course, over the next year or so they will talk about the framework of a trade deal. they can't talk about trade really until britain leaves the eu in march 2019 but they can set up the framework. they want to know which way she is going. and also they will probably talk about the transition, the fermentation —— intimidation period. it seems there isa intimidation period. it seems there is a contradiction at the moment. theresa

the secrett seatbelt assigning ugly who on associate professor of history and political science at strasbourg you nasty. thank you very much indeed sparing the time speeches tonight. most is ratchet type model on hopingg to achieve by ratcheting up tensions with israel in this. well as you know off soon europe's remote two thousand eleven ankara midget by you or long wanted to be believed iraq the islamic world and the middle east. and it has been a huge favo. from the jeep to to syria solo today it is a wonderful protects to forage ofof tape are long to. become or atat leastt urgent striking we become the leader of the islamic world and it is true ththat donalald trump givesm a a wonderful opportunity. bath as you can see. approximately fifty leverage all these public world has uninite that in if jerusasalem as the capital s i lose i'll. use a single effort we know that de facto jerusalem has been always the capital of israel nick that a class that is in jerusalem a and all president't's. you rest president won't recognize and s sat at least that it s the head of havok lococal israrael but t

militias traffickers and smugglers who who are contributing to that abuse let's let's go to the ferry in strasbourg listening intently to what philip luther had to say how do you respond to that as a member of the european parliament that also a as a representative of the netherlands as well as a country that is very supportive of migration and the problems that individuals have had in their own respective nations where there has been civil strife all this afternoon we are actually in beijing with the e.u. foreign policy chief exactly about what this show is about is the situation in libya and to which extends the e.u. is involved or can be called responsible for what's happening there so it's very much in the mind of the european parliament you know and i think it's not only amnesty but resources of c.n.n. report we had already stories from doctors without borders we speak to people arriving in italy and telling us about the horrendous stories that are happening inside libya the facts i think are clear and well recognized the question is here in to which extent is the e.u. capable of you know we a

that we now join our correspondent catherine martins in strasbourg catherine the european parliament discuss the state of drugs if they go seasons to parliamentarians there feel sufficient progress has been made. so. if it would be so easy and return it would be a different process and a breakfast story indeed regarding the performance of ship to go shoot or. most of the i mean he's had warm birds concerning his performance running a tight ship and keeping the twenty seventh united in their position but regarding the sufficient progress it's not easy us that there are the three key areas we know that its citizens rights the irish border and the bracks bill and there is a lack of solutions for all of this is clear here in the european parliament of was a huge debate this morning and they made clear that. is to go ahead catherine. so the european parliament is sum it up but they are probably courting for. ok i think we're having some technical issues there on the line to strasburg catherine martin at the european parliament thank you very much for bringing us up to date on the latest d

a proposal to allow parliament to reject any deal she reaches meanwhile the european parliament in strasbourg is also debating the state of bragg's at the goshi ations today one of the key points of discord is the irish border in a recent deal with the e.u. theresa may promised that there would be no hard border between northern ireland which is part of the u.k. and the republic of ireland which is a member of the european union but that promise could conflict with other pledges made has made the w.'s better get musts as this report. the esther ian yuri in northern ireland is actually a border and yet nobody can see it invisible borders have brought peace to northern ireland that's why people in communities such as nuri voted against bracks and go on here for what they mean mckinney fights against an exit from the e.u. that would see the return of border posts nias far. at the back of that is the republic of ireland there are two hundred seventy crossings previously there was only eighteen points by which she could cross if it came back to the us if would be an enormous inconvenience a sharp

this is the petite france area of strasbourg. the half-timbered houses date from the 16th and 17th centuries and were once home to the likes of fisherman, butchers, and tanners. it's the type of neighborhood where it's simply fun to wander.strasbourg is also home to the renaissance-style astronomical clock. located within strasbourg cathedral, the current mechanism dates from 1842. the main attraction of the clock is its animated figures that put on a show daily at 12:30pm.((wipe vo tape 3))no trip to europe is complete without a visit to a castle. heidelberg's is a classic. perched in the hillside it has great views of the old town down along the neckar river. the castle is also home to a giant wine barrel. it's said it was built to hold more than 34-thousand gallons of wine. (1591)after visiting the castle, you'll want to wander the old town. heidelberg is home to the largest university in germany. with a population of about 150,000 thousand, more than 30,000 are college students, it has a fun, relaxed feel. ((wipe vo tape 4))

earlier this year, during a session of the european parliament in strasbourg, mps asked how malta could maintain the rule of law amid allegations of corruption. the prime minister dismissed these concerns, along with galizia's allegations. >> some people in this house have referred to a story, a totally outright lie, that has been directed against me, my wife, and my family. i marvelled at the idea that some extremely knowledgeable members of this house have taken this thing, this fake news, and repeated it here just like that. reporter: four months later, daphne caruana galizia is dead. back in malta, many questions remain unanswered. to what extent are the island's leaders engaged in organized crime? how credible are the allegations against the government? and why was galizia killed? at a makeshift memorial outside the courthouse in the capital, one of the people paying his respects is simon busuttil, a conservative politician. he was among those heavily criticised by the journalist. what does he have to say about what happened? >> she didn't have to die. she needn't have died, and al

hello and welcome to politics europe, your regular guide to the top stories in brussels and strasbourg. 0n today's programme... as the eu signs what leaders have called a historic agreement on defence co—operation, are we edging closer to the much—vaunted eu army? the european parliament has been debating tax avoidance after the release of the paradise papers. will the eu take action where member states have struggled? what's going on in poland? the european parliament says the polish government has committed serious violations of the rule of law and could impose sanctions. we'll have the latest. and as new figures on the numbers on eu nationals coming to the uk to work are released, has talk of brexitists of eu citizens leaving the uk been exaggerated? so all that to come and more in the next half an hour. and joining me for all of that is rachel sylvester from the times and toby young from the spectator. first, here is our guide to the latest from europe in just 60 seconds. as the great philosopher david hasselhoff once sang, "i have been looking for freedom, still it can't be fo

right maxiell fun in strasbourg on something european parliament thank you very much. italian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation after the bodies of twenty six nigerian women were recovered from the mediterranean earlier this month but the truth about their deaths may never be known for many families it only nigeria that means a painful wait for news from their daughters who disappeared after leaving for europe our correspondent john phillips sheilds went to meet some of the affected parents. a faded picture is all that remains john i'm of koos daughter disappeared in february she was twenty three at the time a few weeks ago john received a call she had been abducted in libya on her way to europe and he would have to pay a ransom. the farmer raised six hundred euros but still has yet to see any sign of life from his daughter then last week john found out about the deaths of twenty six young nigerian women off the coast of libya says the. rest of my of being so worried about it i don't know she's among. us. earlier this month a spanish age ship rescued fou

strasbourg around fourteen forty the goldsmith your honest. barack had begun experimenting with movable type and a printing press. couldn't bags invention pave the way for serial production of books and ultimately for the mass media we know today. his forty two line bible sparked a revolution which liberated faith from the clutches of the church and allowed people to discover it for themselves. knowledge makes our world better and you know in particular the wide diffusion of knowledge makes the world better people need to make decisions out of the endpoints the idea that some centrally located great minds can make decisions for all of society. doesn't work. what does work is openness and what does work is distributed decision making and the more that people know about the world about whatever it is they need to know in their lives then the better decisions that they can make. as a young augustinian monk martin luther went on a pilgrimage to rome. there he found a disconcerting world that was nothing like what he had expected. here in the heart

while speaking to matters of the -- members of the european parliament in strasbourg, saying that the outcome of talks was fully in the uk's hands. >> they think the cabinet is exactlyvided on what the u.k. wants as a future trading relationship with the eu. the eu knows until they decide that, they cannot really come to an agreement. when they talk about no brexit or no deal, does it mean everything will fall apart and u.k. will leave the eu messily, or does he mean that somehow things will get reversed and the u.k. will stay after all? both those things we need a lot of things to fall into place. they are certainly not willing get out. -- there are not ruling it out and so far on since the date of the eu referendum and exit was agreed nobody knows how this is , going to end. ♪ >> excessive speed and the this -- on the disposal of nonperforming loans could derail the recovery in italy's financial system according to the country's finance minister. >> this is absolutely vital for all economies including the italian economy. however my point is that we must , be very careful in getti

adam fleming reports from strasbourg. comings and goings at the parliament, this is all about entry and exit to the eu by nationals from non—eu countries. in the analogue era all you needed was a passport with a visa and some stamps in it. under the digital entry — exit system, there will be a joined—up someone has stayed in the eu for longer than the 90 days that they are allowed. it is essential that we effectively manage, protect and secure our external borders. that we have full knowledge of who comes in. it is in this spirit that we have proposed the entry — exit system. it is designed to help stop terrorists, like the perpetrator of the berlin attack last christmas. he travelled using 15 different identities. but some meps have been formed between security and human rights. it is a balance compromise in the first place. i was against these borders. the latest development shows us that european security is a problem and we have to strengthen our borders. on the other hand it has to go hand—in—hand with fu

hello, welcome to politics europe, your regular guide the top stories in brussels and strasbourg. 0n today's programme: the eu is preparing the groundwork for a new trade deal. not with britain, but with australia and new zealand. so could the plans be a template for a future deal with the uk? the european parliament has been debating what can be done to halt

earlier this year during a session of the european parliament in strasbourg m.p.'s asked how malta could maintain the rule of law amid allegations of corruption the prime minister dismissed these concerns along with his allegations people in this house have referred to a story to be outright lie. that has been directed against me my wife and my family and i marvel at the idea that some extremely knowledgeable members of this house have the can this. this. and to be get it here just like what i was. four months later. is dead. back in many questions remain unanswered to what extent are the islands leaders and gauged in organized crime how credible are the allegations against the government. and why was killed. at a makeshift memorial outside the courthouse in the capital one of the people paying his respects is simon. a conservative politician. he was among those heavily criticized by the journalist what does he have to say about what happened. she didn't have to die she needn't have died and all this could have been avoided if the rule of law in our country did not

moment earlier i spoke with terry she's a german member of the european parliament for the greens in strasbourg. you yourself have reported an experience of sexual harassment not in the parliament but out on the streets of germany you reported it to the police also spoke about the incident in parliament now hearing the only allegations coming out of straws berg. what are your feelings about that how do you see that what i must say that it confirms my view that sexual harassment is still a widespread problem in our society and it also confirms my determination that we have to fight against this now don't you know society's but also very specifically here in the european parliament and today we are discussing what measures we have to take in order to prevent things like this happening in the future ok well the parliament has in fact taken steps to do that and signed on to the convention it has its own in-house methods and even an office for dealing with sexual harassment why have these measures failed. what we see is that we have an anterior restaurant committee and harassment has been reported t

earlier this year during a session of the european parliament in strasbourg m.p.'s asked how mata could maintain the rule of law amid allegations of corruption. for the prime minister dismissed these concerns along with allegations some people in this house have referred to a story a totally outright lie that has been directed against me my wife and my family and i marveled at the idea that some extremely knowledgeable members of this house have taken this thing. and repeated it here just like that four months later daphne cardona was dead. a green party member of the european parliament is calling for action from brussels. the o.p.'s who knew when the european union can carry out infringement proceedings against malta or inquiries from the european commission have gone unanswered perform months that it's high time this process is initiated a lot of. back in malta many unanswered questions to what extent are the island's leaders engaged in organized crime how credible are the allegations against the government and why was daphne caught a monica leach a killed. at a

wrapping up testimony in the house of commons after european president spoke to the european parliament in strasbourg, saying the outcome of brexit is fully in the u.k.'s hands. still with us, steven saywell and neill nuttall. tell us how brexit negotiations are going. steven: our assessment is they are probably going in line with expectations. once the u.k. an ounce their ,xit -- announced their exit the european union was they did not-- stance was they did vote. surprisingly other discussions around trade have not started. we are not surprised at the lack of progress so far. jonathan: until then, cable hanging out around 1.32, and we might get a rate hike in the next couple weeks. what do you think of that? >> i think it is dangerous. we have a controversial view that the bank of england wants to hike rates, and the main reason is we believe growth will slow substantially next year, we are calling for just 1% growth in the u k next year. one of the strongest indicators we have is the overall net positioning indicator. very few clients actually want to hold long sterling in this environment. they ei

presidentjuncker himself was asked about the claims in strasbourg this afternoon. did you tell the press what happened? i am surprised and shocked at what has been been repeated in the german press, i had an excellent working dinner in theresa may, she was in good sense, she was not tired, she was fighting as his/her duties on everything for me was ok. she didn't plead with you for help? no. the government will not comment on leaks, but says that tangible progress is being made. nonetheless, five prominent business groups have drafted a letter to the brexit secretary, warning of the dangers of prolonged uncertainty. the impact on jobs and investment is the same across the european union. one of the big messages from firms is get on with it, on both sides, find a way to get an agreement by the end of transition so that we can have the all—important proper trade talks about the final deal in the first half of next year. that is a sentiment echoed by the foreign secretary, who said that he welcomed positive vibes from eu leaders after the talks last week in brussels

jean—claude juncker is currently speaking with students at the university of strasbourg, we will hopefully have a clip from him later on. and don't forget, we are waiting to hear from theresa may, on. and don't forget, we are waiting to hearfrom theresa may, giving mps an update on meeting in the house of commons in the next ten minutes, and thatis commons in the next ten minutes, and that is the main story. theresa may on highway from downing street to update the house of commons last week's brexit talks. the cost of driving older, dirty ca rs the cost of driving older, dirty cars in central london goes up by £10 in order to combat air pollution. a new report finds corals, clams and baby clamp tapp code could be affected by carbon emissions making the ocean more acidic. in sport, everton sacked manager ronald koeman nine games into the season. they were thrashed by arsenal yesterday 5—2 at home. a chinese doctor claims more than 10,000 chinese athletes used banned su bsta nces 10,000 chinese athletes used banned substances and 19805 and 19905, and that all medals won during period shou

here in strasbourg there is not a word about seven hundred people getting hurt as a result of the barcelona referendum in this building everybody is silent europe shaped by france and germany as ideas with their unchecked mission to expand a europe like that has no future. so but don't you think that it's only fair that the two countries that are the strongest ones in europe that have the strongest economies are taking the lead and are giving themselves a right to make decisions. well it's really remains europe second biggest manufacturing power the common currency was pushed by germany and germany is still the one laying down economic rules but in terms of manufacturing italy's still ahead of france so yes actually concerned about the agreements between france and germany that leave the rest of us out in the cold that is why i want the northern league win the elections and succumbs of power in italy so that we won't be obediently following france and germany orders with market on and medical american decisions on behalf of all twenty seven e.u. member states we're seeing how our last few g

that was adam fleming reporting from strasbourg. we're joined from brussels by the spanish mep antonio lopez—isturiz. he's the secretary general of the european people's party in the european parliament and represents spain's ruling party. thank you forjoining us. now, we have a situation in which the eu budget commissioner has talked about a civil war planned in the centre of europe, calling the situation very, very disturbing. how can the eu notjustify intervening in some meaningful way? how can the eu accept that democracy is beaten in the streets, that is beating against the democracy, the rule of law and the constitution, which is our continental legal system. we cannot allow this. this could be a very bad example for the rest of european countries which have also some of these problems. let me tell you that spain is a democracy since a0 years ago. i was born and raised in this democracy. i want this to succeed, that there is a common understanding between all the different regions in spain. we have a very particular system w