EU welcomes clear UK Conservative victory as clarity over Brexit
December 13, 2019, 11:05 am

EU welcomes clear UK Conservative victory as clarity over Brexit

European Union leaders meet for a EU summit in Brussels, Belgium. (Reuters)

European diplomats on Thursday welcomed the clarity an apparently decisive election victory for the Conservative Party gave to Britain’s stalled withdrawal from the EU, but said it would be challenging to agree on a trade deal by the end of 2020.

Exit polls showed the Conservatives of Boris Johnson would enjoy a majority of 86 in the 650-seat British parliament.

“What’s certain tonight is that this clarification seems to have come,” France’s European affairs minister Amelie de Montchalin told reporters in Brussels.

She said EU leaders would now discuss the mandate to negotiate the future relationship with Britain after the country’s planned exit from the bloc at the end of January.

“The most important thing with Brexit is not the way we divorce, it’s what we build afterward,” she said.

Britain and the EU have to negotiate a trade deal by the end of 2020 because that is when a transition period for Britain’s withdrawal ends and when trade relations between London and its biggest trading partner – the EU – would revert to World Trade Organization standards.

But EU officials warn that negotiating a trade deal with Britain in less than 12 months will be very difficult, as normally such agreements take years.

“(It is) a tall order to move on the future relationship in such a short time,” one EU official said.

source: Reuters

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”