UK

Tories woo Middle East cash — just not for their beloved Telegraph

As Global Investment Summit tries to sell brand Britain, MPs and Telegraph journalists fear sale of conservative standard-bearer to UAE-backed fund.

There is mounting Conservative unease at the proposed acquisition of the Daily Telegraph — a staple of British conservatism for almost 200 years |

 Rob Pinney/Getty Images

BY STEFAN BOSCIA

POLITICO UK
NOVEMBER 26, 2023 

LONDON — Brexit Britain is open to the world — unless you’re a Dubai-backed fund trying to buy up the governing Tories’ favorite newspaper.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces an awkward dilemma Monday as his much-hyped Global Investment Summit coincides with mounting Conservative unease at the proposed acquisition of the Daily Telegraph — a staple of British conservatism for almost 200 years — to a fund backed by United Arab Emirates state money.

Amid mounting calls for an official review of the deal and deep concerns about press freedom, senior Conservative MP David Davis warned “being open for business is not the same as being naive.”

But Investment Minister Dominic Johnson told POLITICO on the eve of the summit that Britain needs to avoid being “sentimental about some of our so-called treasured assets” — and signaled he’s relaxed about the deal if the right process is followed.

It’s hardly the ideal backdrop as Sunak and other ministers spend the day in Hampton Court Palace, former residence of Henry VIII, trying to convince leaders from the world’s biggest companies to invest in the underperforming British economy. Ahead of the summit, the U.K. government said it had secured £29.5 billion worth of investment commitments in the country’s green energy, life sciences and technology sectors.

The Global Investment Summit will also play host to representatives from state-backed sovereign wealth funds from the Middle East — so expect schmoozing of representatives from the UAE to play a part.

A growing number of Tory MPs are already calling on Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer to launch an official review of the Telegraph deal. They fear a sale would precipitate a curtailing of editorial freedom at one of Britain’s largest newspapers.

Tory MP John Hayes, a standard bearer for the party’s right, has warned in a letter to Frazer that “material influence over a quality national newspaper being passed to a foreign ruler at any time should raise concerns.” Frazer said on Wednesday she was “minded” to issue a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN), which would trigger a review of the sale by two British watchdogs. But she has not yet made a final decision.

“The truth of the matter is that these are really rather unusual investments,” warned Davis.

“We’re talking about a billion quid and the yearly profits of the Telegraph have never been above £40 million, which implies the interest in this is not simply financial and is something else,” Davis said. “Maybe when they look at it the UAE will be the best candidate, but we have to go through that process first.”

Art of the deal

The controversy has been months in the making, but came to a head last week.

Rishi Sunak faces an awkward dilemma Monday as his much-hyped Global Investment Summit coincides with mounting Conservative unease at the proposed acquisition of the Daily Telegraph | Pool photo by Ian Forsyth/AFP via Getty Images

Lloyds Bank took control of the the Telegraph and the Spectator, a favorite magazine of the Conservative grassroots, earlier this year in an attempt to recoup an estimated £1.1 billion outstanding debt owed by the Barclay family — the now former owners of the titles.

Lloyds last week approved an attempt by Redbird IMI, an investment vehicle controlled by Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, to buy out the Barclay family’s debt. It would allow the fund to take control of both publications without a planned auction.

It’s already sent alarm bells ringing in the Telegraph newsroom. Editor Chris Evans wrote an editorial last week urging any future owner of the paper to guarantee complete editorial independence in perpetuity.

Redbird IMI chief Jeff Zucker, the former president of CNN, insisted on Friday that the Telegraph would maintain its editorial independence in an interview with the Financial Times.

One member of staff at the title, granted anonymity to speak freely about their workplace, said they didn’t believe “a f*cking word” from Zucker.

The UAE ranked 145th out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders 2023 Press Freedom Index. It’s a country where criticism of the royal family and members of the government is not tolerated.

Fiona O’Brien, the U.K. bureau director for Reporters Without Borders, said “inside the UAE, journalists” — including those at publications associated with the fund trying to buy the Telegraph — “often face interference in the editorial process.”

Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, who led UAE’s censorship agency for five years, will be a senior member of the new ownership of the Telegraph if the sale goes through, according to The Times.

Al-Jaber, coincidentally, is also the UAE’s president-designate for the looming Dubai-hosted COP28 climate summit.

The saga is creating serious headaches for the British government as it grapples with maintaining an economy open to vast swathes of state investment from countries who do not share the same democratic ideals as the U.K.

A spokesperson for No. 10 Downing Street last week did not deny a report in the Telegraph that the Foreign Office intervened in Frazer’s statement about the sale in order to tone down the language out of fear of offending UAE officials before the Global Investment Summit and COP28.

Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, who led UAE’s censorship agency for five years, will be a senior member of the new ownership of the Telegraph if the sale goes through 

| Ryan Lim/AFP via Getty Images

Taking a government position on selling a conservative-leaning newspaper to Middle Eastern state interests may also raise eyebrows. Ministers happily allowed investment into other revered British cultural institutions, including football clubs Manchester City and Newcastle United. The clubs are controlled by groups backed by the Abu Dhabi royal family and the Saudi Arabian regime respectively.

Manchester City’s owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also the deputy prime minister of the UAE, is bankrolling the attempted acquisition of The Telegraph.
Open for business

Speaking to POLITICO, Investment Minister Dominic Johnson indicated he would not oppose the sale of a national newspaper to the UAE as long as the proper “judicial processes” were followed.

“The UAE is a first class and extremely well run country. I do a lot of work with them, I’ve always been immensely impressed by the caliber of leadership there,” Johnson told POLITICO.

“My view is that we remain an open economy and it’s very important we remain an open economy if we’re to have the wealth and investment to power this country.”


He added that “we can be quite sentimental about some of our so-called treasured assets” and that “the reality is that media and information has moved on and clearly most of us today don’t buy a physical newspaper or necessarily go to a traditional news source.”

A former Conservative cabinet minister said “our friends in the Gulf need to know that they are safe to invest in Britain — they certainly were under past prime ministers of both colors” and that any government push to intervene in the sale “is unhelpful.”

Sunak will likely to find the timing of the row unhelpful at Hampton Court Monday, where the investment summit’s sponsors include none other than Lloyds Bank.

US, Britain and other countries ink ‘secure by design’ AI guidelines

WE ALL KNOW SELF REGULATION DOES NOT WORK

SO LETS TRY IT AGAIN

The guidelines suggest cybersecurity practices AI firms should implement when designing, developing, launching, and monitoring AI models.




The United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and 15 other countries have released global guidelines to help protect AI models from being tampered with, urging companies to make their models “secure by design.”

On Nov. 26, the 18 countries released a 20-page document outlining how AI firms should handle their cybersecurity when developing or using AI models, as they claimed “security can often be a secondary consideration” in the fast-paced industry.

The guidelines consisted of mostly general recommendations such as maintaining a tight leash on the AI model’s infrastructure, monitoring for any tampering with models before and after release, and training staff on cybersecurity risks.

Not mentioned were certain contentious issues in the AI space, including what possible controls there should be around the use of image-generating models and deep fakes or data collection methods and use in training models — an issue that’s seen multiple AI firms sued on copyright infringement claims.

“We are at an inflection point in the development of artificial intelligence, which may well be the most consequential technology of our time,” U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “Cybersecurity is key to building AI systems that are safe, secure, and trustworthy.”

Related: EU tech coalition warns of over-regulating AI before EU AI Act finalization

The guidelines follow other government initiatives that weigh in on AI, including governments and AI firms meeting for an AI Safety Summit in London earlier this month to coordinate an agreement on AI development.

Meanwhile, the European Union is hashing out details of its AI Act that will oversee the space and U.S. President Joe Biden issued an executive order in October that set standards for AI safety and security — though both have seen pushback from the AI industry claiming they could stifle innovation.

Other co-signers to the new "secure by design" guidelines include Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, South Korea, and Singapore. AI firms, including OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Anthropic and Scale AI, also contributed to developing the guidelines.

Sony facing $7.9 billion mass lawsuit over PlayStation Store prices

By Reuters News Service

November 27, 2023

Sony (6758.T) must face a mass lawsuit worth up to 6.3 billion pounds ($7.9 billion) over claims the PlayStation maker abused its dominant position leading to unfair prices for customers, a London tribunal ruled last week.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) was sued last year on behalf of nearly 9 million people in the United Kingdom who had bought digital games or add-on content through Sony’s PlayStation Store.

Alex Neill, a consumer advocate who has worked on previous campaigns, is bringing the case against Sony which is valued at up to 5 billion pounds ($6.23 billion) plus interest.

Her lawyers said the aggregate damages estimate of the case was up to 6.3 billion pounds in court filings last month.

She says the company abused its dominant position by requiring digital games and add-ons to be bought and sold only via the PlayStation Store, which charges a 30 per cent commission to developers and publishers.

The claim alleges customers have therefore paid higher prices for games and add-on content than they would have done.

Sony’s lawyers argued the case was “flawed from start to finish” and said it should be thrown out.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that Neill’s case could continue, though it said people who had made PlayStation Store purchases after the case was filed in 2022 should be removed from the proposed claimant class.

Neill said in a statement that Tuesday’s ruling was “the first step in ensuring consumers get back what they’re owed”. Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UPDATE

UK

Nissan plans next-gen Leaf and two new electric models, including Qashqai

NOVEMBER 27, 2023
RIZ AKHTAR

Japanese car giant Nissan – one of the pioneers of mass-produced EVs with the launch of the Leaf more than a decade ago – has revealed plans for a next-generation Leaf and two new electric vehicle models as part of a multi-billion investment in the UK.

The two new fully electric offerings include the a mid-sized electric SUV, an all-electric Nissan Qashqai and a slightly smaller model, the electric Nissan Juke.

Nissan plans to invest £3 billion ($A5.7 billion) in the creation of three new factories at its EV36Zero hub in Sunderland where it will produce the new models, as well as batteries and respective infrastructure.

It is one of the largest EV investment initiatives to date in the country. The Sunderland hub is powered by a renewables micro-grid based around locally produced wind and solar, including a new 20MW solar plant.

NISSAN UK

The Qashqai SUV was the UK’s best-selling car in 2022 and makes up one in every five cars built in the country. The smaller Juke has also sold in large numbers with over one million cars making it onto the road. Both of these of course are the ICE models which will be electrified as part of this investment.

All three electric initiatives will be based around concept models, two of which were recently unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show.

This included the Hyper Urban Concept, a crossover EV that will form the basis of the electric Qashqai, the Hyper Punk Concept, that will form the basis of the Juke, a compact crossover, and the Chill-Out Concept, which was first unveiled in 2021 and will form the basis of the renewed Leaf.

Further information about the three models, including names, specifications and launch dates, will be released at a later time.

The announcement, made late Friday in the UK, follows Nissan’s confirmation that all its new cars in Europe from now will be fully electric, and that it expects its passenger car line-up in Europe to be 100% electric by 2030.

“Exciting, electric vehicles are at the heart of our plans to achieve carbon neutrality,” Nissan president and CEO Makoto Uchida said. “With electric versions of our core European models on the way, we are accelerating towards a new era for Nissan, for industry and for our customers.”

IMAGE; NISSAN UK

UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Nissan’s investment is a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s automotive industry.

“This venture will no doubt secure Sunderland’s future as the UK’s Silicon Valley for electric vehicle innovation and manufacturing.”

“Renault is taking over as the manufacturer of cars for the people”
Mike Rutherford thinks Renault is doing more than any other manufacturer when it comes to making affordable electric cars


by: Mike Rutherford
26 Nov 2023
2


Tuesday 7 November, 2023: the Government barks up the wrong tree by trying to answer the question that desperately few real-world motorists are asking. You know, the one about when inevitably expensive driverless cars we don’t want or need will be legal and insurable on UK roads, thereby putting countless hard-working, tax-paying professional drivers out of work and on the dole. Not clever.

A week later: the more clued-up, non-political ‘establishment’ did the opposite by asking – and to some extent answering – several of the more immediate concerns we have about the prices of, and future for, vehicles that run solely on electricity.

Cheapest electric cars on sale 2023

“EV demand in Europe to slow as customers await affordable electric cars,” warned the highly respected Reuters news agency. On the front page of the always- reliable Financial Times was the headline, “Electric car prices slashed after sales run out of juice.”

Even HSBC got in on the act by showing graphics clearly illustrating the current dramatic decline in the rates of EV sales growth across Europe and the United States. Of more immediate interest to buyers in Britain, the bank reckoned that average discounts on new electric cars in UK showrooms jumped from 6.5 per cent in August to 11.1 per cent last month.

The response from the Renault Group was instant and impeccably timed – or purely but deliciously coincidental. The Paris-based empire – led by Italian-born CEO Luca De Meo, ably assisted by his highly cost-effective factories in Eastern Europe, China and beyond – is well aware that the global EV industry’s business model (comprising generally excessive official retail prices resulting in sharply decelerating demand) ain’t working. Now there’s a surprise.

So the Group is now doing and saying more than any other large car maker about what’s broken. It already produces the least expensive pure EV in mainland Europe – the Dacia Spring. When it arrives in the UK in 2024, this urban runabout could start at under £20k.

And the good news continues after De Meo said last week that by 2026 he’ll bring back the Twingo – in pure-electric guise – below the psychologically important 20,000-Euro (£17,000) barrier. For those unable or unwilling to buy outright, the word is that this proper, small, pure-electric car will be available from as little as 100 Euros (£87) a month in some markets with incentives for EVs. By comparison, Citroen UK currently markets the Ami quadricycle from £99 a month (after a deposit of £1,337). Incidentally, Renault’s monthly figure of 100 Euros/£87 for the 2026 Twingo translates into precisely £20 a week.

Pay a bit more and you’ll get more from other imminent, temptingly priced, all-new Renaults, including the intriguing 4 and 5. Maybe a small Alpine or Dacia, or a product from the lesser-known Mobilize brand will be more up your street.

Regardless, at a time when Volkswagen has depressingly decided to ditch its entire entry-level up! range, Luca De Meo’s Renault Group is perfectly positioning itself to take over as the manufacturer of the car – or cars – for the people.

Deliveroo ruling in UK ‘could impact’ future Irish gig economy cases

But employment law experts say there are significant differences between case and Irish Supreme Court ruling in Domino’s case

THESE RULINGS HAVE GLOBAL LABOUR LAW IMPACT

The UK supreme court ruled Deliveroo riders are not employees.

 Photograph: David Davies/PA
Colin Gleeson
Mon Nov 27 2023 -

A ruling by the UK’s supreme court that Deliveroo riders cannot form unions or be recognised as employees could potentially have implications in the Irish courts in future gig economy cases, a leading employment lawyer has said.

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, which has the largest membership of app-based couriers in the UK, had fought the case in court for years, seeking to win formal collective bargaining rights for tens of thousands of Deliveroo riders.

However, the UK supreme court ruled that since riders are able to choose another person to cover their deliveries without Deliveroo’s involvement, the contracts between riders and the company do not constitute an “employment relationship”.

The case drew parallels with a ruling in the Irish Supreme Court last month which found delivery drivers for Domino’s Pizza should be treated as employees and not contractors. The drivers argued they were employees for tax purposes and Domino’s said they were independent contractors under “contracts for service”.

Jeffrey Greene, a partner in William Fry’s employment and benefits department, said that in spite of the similarities between the two cases, there are “notable differences” from a legal standpoint.

“The Domino’s case concerned a Revenue challenge as to whether the drivers be taxed as employees or not, whereas the Deliveroo case was a trade union seeking to officially represent Deliveroo riders in collective bargaining,” he said.

Mr Greene also said there were differences in the weight given by the two courts to different factors. One of these was the right of “substitution”, meaning the right of the driver to appoint someone else to do their work.

“The UK supreme court attached a very high weight to this question of substitution alone,” he said.

“A further distinguishing factor between the two cases is that Deliveroo riders had a very high degree of discretion over who they substituted in for their work, not even limiting it to other Deliveroo riders and not preventing the rider from profiting from that substitution.

“By contrast, in the Dominos case, the right of substitution was very limited and as seen as more akin to swapping shifts between co-workers.”

A Domino's Pizza delivery driver. Photograph: Jason Alden/Bloomberg

Mr Greene pointed out that UK decisions “are often quoted in arguments before Irish courts so you can expect today’s ruling and its arguments to potentially be referred to in later Irish gig economy cases by one side or another”.

Michael Doyle, employment partner at A&L Goodbody, agreed the Irish and UK supreme courts “appear aligned” on the issue of substitution being a key factor in determining employment status.


“Both accept that, as personal service goes to the very heart of the employment relationship, where there is an unconditional right to delegate the performance of this service to another person, that is inconsistent with the existence of an employment relationship,” he said.

Triona Sugrue, a knowledge consultant at A&L Goodbody, said an “obvious difference” between the two cases is that the UK case concerned adherence to the European Convention on Human Rights whereas the Irish case concerned tax law.

“As pointed out by the Irish Supreme Court in the Domino’s case, the particular legislative regime under consideration is a key factor in the overall analysis of whether or not an individual is properly considered an employee,” she said.

Ronnie Neville, a partner in Mason Hayes and Curran’s employment law and benefits team, said the Irish Supreme Court looked closely at and took guidance from various UK decisions on the “vexing question of employment status” when reaching its decision.

However, he said that while there are some common themes or features examined by both courts, the cases are “in fact very different”.

Mr Neville said Deliveroo riders in the UK were seeking recognition of riders as “workers” which is an intermediate employment status for many people whose working relationship has some features of an independent contractor and some features of an employee.


“This worker status in the UK confers some limited employment protections on the worker, including collective bargaining,” he said. “In Ireland, you are either an employee with full employment law protections or a contractor with no employment law protections, other than equality law.

“The court and tribunals both in Ireland and in the UK have strongly and repeatedly emphasised that they will not be bound by the description of the status of a worker set out in the relevant contract between the parties.

“That said, the contract is this starting point in any analysis of the relationship between the parties. Next, you look at the facts on the ground, how the de facto relationship actually operates.

“The Irish Supreme Court looked closely at the contract, and the nature of the relationship, between the company and the drivers before concluding, after detailed analysis, that the drivers were employees for tax purposes.”

Mr Neville said that those who regularly use contractors in their business in Ireland should review and consider the Irish Supreme Court decision from a risk evaluation and risk mitigation perspective.

€800 million to jolt the market: Europe’s hydrogen boosters activate

By Nikolaus J. Kurmayer | Euractiv.com
Nov 24, 2023

EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic has launched the EU's hydrogen bank in order to provide a jolt to the nascent market. 

[EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK]
 Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>>

The EU’s Hydrogen Bank has begun operations and is offering €800 million to hydrogen producers to kickstart demand for the fuel crucial to industrial decarbonisation.

By 2030, Europe wants to produce 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually. To get companies to switch, Brussels is footing the difference between their ability to pay and the high prices charged by producers of clean-burning gas.

“Today’s launch is about connecting supply and demand for renewable hydrogen,” explained the EU’s new Green Deal chief, Maroš Šefčovič, when launching on 23 November.

Using revenue generated from the EU’s carbon price, currently at €80 per tonne, the “hydrogen bank” will match suppliers to off-takers and smooth over the price difference.

Doing so transparently will allow outside observers to understand the market dynamics of the developing hydrogen economy. Today, little hydrogen is traded as the main consumers and refineries tend to produce it on-site for their own use.

“It is about creating transparency about price points, which will help kickstart a European hydrogen market,” says the Commissioner.

A total of €3 billion was allocated to the scheme, the remaining €2.2 billion will be up for grabs early next year.

Support is capped at €4.5 per kilogramme and will be disbursed for ten years and once signed, production must start within five years. Given the budget, the entirety of the scheme could facilitate the production of a total of at least 0.09 million tonnes of hydrogen or 0.9% of the annual 2030 target.

Meanwhile, Germany’s domestic hydrogen procurement scheme, H2Global, is about €5 billion. Europe’s hydrogen industry has long hoped to marry the two schemes and for other EU countries to also put money into the bank and the idea was officially endorsed by Berlin leadership in May but has yet to be implemented.

More money for other technologies

Meanwhile, €4 billion of ETS revenues is also going towards deploying other decarbonisation technologies – beneficiaries of the hydrogen bank will be excluded.

Projects large and small can have 60% of their cost covered by the EU, provided they can prove their potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, are cost-efficient and located in Europe.

“We are investing massively in this transition by using the revenues of emissions trading. This is a sustainable model that brings down emissions and boosts the competitiveness of European industry,” said the Green Deal chief.

In hopes of bolstering the EU’s clean technology manufacturing base, €1.4 billion has been earmarked with a target audience of producers of solar panel components, wind turbine parts, batteries, heat pumps and hydrogen electrolysers.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

The Brief – Trump cards in Europe


By Sarantis Michalopoulos | Euractiv.com

Nov 24, 2023
Content-Type: Opinion

DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this column reflect the views of the author(s), not of EURACTIV Media network.

The Brief is Euractiv's evening newsletter. 

Composition: Esther Snippe for Euractiv/Images: 
 Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>>

With a Trump 2.0 administration considered to be an increasingly realistic scenario in Brussels, Europe has started looking to future-proof its relations with Washington while Eurosceptics are having a field day.

As Euractiv has previously reported, over the past weeks, European Commission officials and member states have started discussing how to ‘Trump-proof’ the Brussels-Washington relationship, given the experience with the previous Trump administration.

A senior source from the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) also confirmed to Euractiv that more consideration is being given to how to deal with a potential new Trump era and expedite the progress of legislation needed in specific fields, such as trade.

“Europe is examining all the key strategic moves that need to be made”, the EPP source said. “We have many unknowns such as the decoupling from China discussion, the Ukraine issue […] We need to be ready.”

Traditionally, US Democrats have been aligned with the EU’s liberals and centre-left and US Republicans with the EU centre-right (EPP).

However, with Trump at the helm, the US Republicans no longer have their traditional friends from the European People’s Party on board. Under the current EPP leadership, all relations with the Republicans have been frozen.

Moreover, the EU centre-right has also frozen its relationship with the International Democracy Union (IDU), which promotes conservative policies across the globe and supports Trump.

Although Europhiles have started taking measures, on the other side of the political spectrum, Eurosceptics are rushing to buy red carpets.

Europe’s own political landscape is shifting, from the Netherlands and Geert Wilders’ election victory to Germany’s far-right AfD, which is consistently polling in second place. Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy government is already in power.

In France, Marine Le Pen leads the polls, as does the far-right FPÖ in Austria. In Spain, Franco nostalgics in Vox attempted to get into government following the inconclusive July elections but a coalition with the centre-right did not materialise.

And in Sweden, the vice president of the conservative ECR and MEP for the far-right Sweden Democrats is now calling for Swexit, should the EU obtain more powers than it currently has.

On the other end of the spectrum, the left is steadily declining.

From Greece to France and Germany, leftist parties are being dismantled. An already fragmented EU left is collapsing.

The EU liberals, centred around France’s Emmanuel Macron, are expected to see a further drop in their influence after next June’s EU elections as they struggle to establish a clear political identity, relying mostly on the spiel of “either you vote for us, or left-wing or right-wing populism is coming”.

For their part, the Greens’ environmental agenda is proving to be somewhat disconnected from people’s needs and reality. Caring more about electric cars than people’s pockets does not go down well with most of the EU electorate.

Similarly, the Socialists remain divided into two camps: a ‘centre-right in disguise’ or mainstream leftists.

All these parties, broadly considered ‘progressive’, are expected to be dealt electoral blows in the upcoming EU elections.

On the other hand, conservatives in the ECR, who aim to represent the new centre-right face of the EU, are expecting gains. From Italy’s Meloni – who has openly expressed her admiration for Trump – to Poland’s PiS party, which will do everything to paralyse the leadership of more reform-minded Donald Tusk.

The EPP is still projected to remain the main power in EU politics and will highly likely keep the top Commission job under Ursula von der Leyen. The recent fretting in and around Berlaymont is therefore not at all surprising.

Trudeau, EU leaders talk Ukraine and climate at Canada summit


Euractiv.com with AFP
Nov 24, 2023

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen deliver media statements at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 23 March 2022. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Brussels to attend an extraordinary NATO summit which will take place on 24 March. 

EPA-EFE/GEERT VANDEN WIJNGAERT / POOL

The leaders of Canada and the European Union reiterated on Friday (24 November) strong support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, while pledging to deepen coordination on climate efforts.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel at a summit in Canada’s easternmost city, St. John’s.

“We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” the two sides said in a statement, pledging to “work to address Ukraine’s immediate military and defense needs and ensure Ukraine has the long-term security commitments needed.”

Trudeau announced that Canada would donate 11,000 assault rifles to Ukraine along with nine million rounds of ammunition.

Since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, Canada has pledged Can$2.4 billion (€1.645 billion) in military aid to Ukraine.

Michel also said that the EU was “ready to do more in the weeks to come.”

The announcements come as the United States, Ukraine’s biggest military backer by far, has been unable to pass additional funding through Congress amid political deadlock.

Von der Leyen praised Canada as having backed Ukraine even before the war.

She cited Canadian programs to train the military in pro-Western Ukraine and said this had been key in fighting the invasion.

Von der Leyen said the EU has now trained 30,000 Ukrainian troops out of its goal of 40,000, and that the bloc will soon disclose what it plans to do with Russian assets it has seized in response to the invasion.
Canada mineral wealth

The European leaders also expressed interest in Canada’s rich mineral resources, especially those used in electric vehicle batteries, with Von der Leyen inviting Canada to join a “critical raw material club” the EU plans to launch at next week’s COP28 summit in the United Arab Emirates.

The former German defense minister described Canada as “the only country in the Western Hemisphere with all the raw materials required for lithium batteries.”

The leaders also announced the creation of a Canada-EU Green Alliance to strengthen cooperation in the fight against climate change, notably in regards to carbon markets and green hydrogen.

Trudeau, who thanked the EU for its help during Canada’s “worst wildfire season on record” over the summer, also announced the sale of several firefighting planes to Europe.

The EU leaders meanwhile raised the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), US President Joe Biden’s signature climate and social spending law passed last year.

The package provides some $370 billion in investments to combat climate change, mainly in the form of incentives and subsidies for projects in the United States.

European leaders have worried EU-based energy and auto companies will be shut out or move to the United States due to the IRA’s provisions requiring components to be sourced domestically or among Washington’s free-trade partners, such as Canada.

“We discussed the consequences for Canada, for the EU, of this IRA put in place by the United States,” Michel said.

He reiterated the need for the G7 to develop a competitive model based on a “level” playing field.

The last EU-Canada summit was held in Brussels in June 2021.

UK Supreme Court to decide on state immunity of sunken treasure


BY:MARIA WARD-BRENNAN

UK Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is due to decide on the first case of state immunity over millions of pounds of salvage sunken silver.

The ship at the heart of this dispute is the SS TILAWA, which was sunk in the Indian Ocean on 23 November 1942 by two Japanese torpedoes. The ship was travelling from Bombay to Durban during the Second World War. The ship had passengers and crew on board and 281 were killed when the vessel sank.

The ship was regarded as unsalvageable, but in 2017, it was claimed to be recovered by London-based Argentum Exploration, who found a cargo of 2,364 bars of silver said to be worth $43m (£37.35m).

Supreme Court rules London Deliveroo riders are not ‘workers’


Argentum Exploration locates and salvages valuable shipwrecks and is run by British racing driver Ross Hyett.

The silver bars were taken to Southampton in October 2017 and were declared to the Receiver of Wreck, an official who administers law dealing with maritime wrecks and salvage. At the time, the company mistakenly believed that the ship belonged to the UK.

The silver, at all material times, was owned by the government of the Republic of South Africa. The majority of the silver was intended to be used for the production of coinage for the Union of South Africa.

The company issued the salvage lawsuit in 2019, seeking a declaration that it was the owner of the silver bars. However, the Republic of South Africa argued that it was immune from the proceedings due to state immunity.

This case has already been in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. So far, on state immunity grounds, the courts have not agreed with the Republic of South Africa’s argument.

The Republic of South Africa asked the Supreme Court to dismiss Agentum’s claim for salvage on the ground that it is immune from the jurisdiction of the UK under the State Immunity Act 1978. The Supreme Court will rule on this tomorrow.

This case was the first ever to consider the State Immunity Act since it was enacted in 1978. The case not only tests the state immunity law but also the law of salvage. The decision will be watched by those in the maritime sector as well as those with a love of history.

Global scramble for Uranium spells trouble for UK’s nuclear plans

BY:RHODRI MORGAN

With no signs of easing, the UK must urgently factor a price surge into its nuclear plans

City A.M.’s energy editor Rhodri Morgan delves into the sector’s challenges in his weekly column.

The global rush for Uranium, and the consequential price spike, could pose a major headache for the UK’s nuclear power ambitions. 

Nuclear power currently provides about 10 per cent of the world’s electricity. And, despite this relatively small market share, – fossil fuels account for 61 per cent and renewables 29 per cent – nuclear energy, and by extension uranium production, is big business.

Over the last week, the price of Uranium concentrate – commonly known as U308 or yellowcake – has risen to a 15-year high of $80.25/lb.  The $139/lb high reached in 2017 came shortly after the world’s largest undeveloped uranium deposit flooded, driving panic around short-term supply. 

This time around, there’s no flood to speak of. In fact, there is a global uranium mining malaise. In order to be converted to nuclear reactor-ready energy sources, yellowcake needs to be converted and enriched, meaning buyers secure long term contracts for the ore from producers.

Over the years utilities have relied on existing over-supplied inventories until about 2018. This is where utilities – the primary user of uranium fuel – should have begun restocking supplies, but didn’t. 

Bram Vanderelst, head of uranium at Head of Uranium at Curzon Uranium, said it was a case of complacency, the effects of which are being seen fully now. 

“Utilities started running down stockpiles and bought as they needed it because uranium prices were at multi-decade lows and there was massive amounts of inventory,” he said. “When the market gets tight and stories come out about under-ordering and under-supply, that’s utilities panicking and covering.”

This is the wave uranium is riding, and will likely ride for the next year or two, as utilities rush to market to stockpile during a time when there’s not enough to go around, driving the price even higher. 

And to make matters more complicated, for Western states at least, Russia is the sixth largest producer of Uranium in the world.  Though Moscow appears to hold the cards, it can’t afford to withhold supplies from the West either as it tries to solidify its positions on reactor construction overseas. 

China is also aggressively buying up uranium. Its current total operable reactor net capacity is around 53,286 Megawatt electric (MWe), almost half that of the US. And it has 27,749 MWe capacity under construction, almost four times as much as second-place India. 

The required uranium for these projects is likely to deepen the already existing supply shortfall, sending prices, you guessed it, higher.

With no signs that the scramble is easing, the UK should urgently factor in this price surge into its nuclear plans.

West Cumbria’s nuclear expertise to shine in Paris

Posted on 26 Nov 2023 
Photo courtesy of McMenon Engineering

West Cumbria's nuclear capabilities are to be promoted by a delegation of key industry leaders at the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) in Paris next week. The three-day event, taking place 28-30 November in Villepinte, will bring together prominent stakeholders, innovators, and experts from around the world to discuss and explore the latest advancements in the nuclear sector. The delegation from West Cumbria will be based at the UK & EIC (Energy Industries Council) Pavilion).

Led by the Department for Business and Trade, the Northern Powerhouse delegation includes: Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH), www.par.com PAR Systems (UK) Ltd, McMenon Engineering Services Ltd, James Walker, FIS360, Nuclear Transport Solutions, Barrnon and Oakwood Engineering Solutions. The contingent represent the region’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and collaborative progress within the nuclear technology sphere.

John Maddison, managing director of iSH-based in Cleator Moor, said the role of iSH is to represent and highlight the capability of the West Cumbrian supply chain, acting as a voice for the businesses and academic institutions unable to attend themselves. He added: "West Cumbria has long been a hub for nuclear excellence, and our participation in the WNE underscores our commitment to advancing the industry globally. This is a chance to showcase our capability to a global market.

West Cumbria has a diverse and well-established skills base geared towards decommissioning. That learning and innovation can be used and harnessed elsewhere with our knowledge and learning shared across the world. The goal is to bring back collaboration opportunities for the SMEs who so ably support our nuclear services.”

PAR Systems (UK) Ltd is an advanced engineering company specialising in remote and material-handling solutions for the nuclear industry. Managing director John McGibbon said: “We are delighted to be participating at this year's event as part of the UK Pavilion. We look forward to showcasing our specialist expertise in remote/material handling systems; manipulator systems for in-cell operations; maintenance, site support and upgrade of nuclear cranes and decommissioning applications for the nuclear industry.”

Exploring new horizons
Anand Puthran, McMenon Engineering CEO, said: “As we navigate the currents of growth and diversification, attending the WNE marks a pivotal step in our journey. We are not just showcasing our prowess in providing flow and temperature measurement instrumentation for nuclear projects, but also highlighting the crucial role we can play in this dynamic industry. It is about more than presence it is a commitment to fostering collaborations, exploring new horizons, and solidifying McMenon’s position as a key player in the civil nuclear landscape.”

James Walker, a leading provider of sealing solutions, will demonstrate the crucial role of reliable engineering in nuclear applications. Mark Brook, James Walker manufacturing director, said: “Although James Walker has been supplying sealing solutions to the nuclear industry for many years, applications are constantly developing. We want to make sure that our materials and expertise are considered in these cases, so I will be using the visit to the WNE to carry out research into key application opportunities and to try to identify companies we may be able to partner with in developing solutions to new challenges.”

Frank Allison, CEO of FIS360 said: “FIS360’s participation at the WNE is an opportunity to highlight the importance of innovation and how it shapes the future of nuclear advancement. Our aim is to foster active connections, share insights and explore collaborative partnerships, ultimately contributing to the collective growth of, and innovation within, the nuclear sector.”

The WNE will provide an invaluable platform for these West Cumbrian entities to forge international partnerships, share knowledge, and contribute to the global conversation on the future of nuclear energy. The delegation's presence at the exhibition is a testament to West Cumbria's status as a hub for nuclear innovation and expertise.