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Here’s all we know about the EU deal on tariff-free Ukrainian grain

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Here’s all we know about the EU deal on tariff-free Ukrainian grain

The deal targets 4 kinds of cereal which have prompted disruption within the inside markets of the international locations bordering Ukraine.

The European Union has lastly inked the long-awaited deal to resolve a rising commerce dispute on Ukrainian grain, an issue that had change into a type of litmus check of the bloc’s enduring solidarity with the war-torn nation.

Introduced late on Friday afternoon after days of behind-the-scenes intense negotiations, the deal is supposed to allay the issues of 5 Jap European international locations – Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria – whereas minimising the detrimental influence on Ukrainian agricultural exports, one among Kyiv’s largest sources of revenues.

The settlement “preserves each Ukraine’s exports capability so it continues feeding the world, and our farmers’ livelihoods,” stated European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen.

Here is every thing that we all know in regards to the deal.

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Why was a deal wanted within the first place?

Ukraine is a worldwide chief within the manufacturing of cereals, which was traded at giant portions and aggressive costs all over the world. However when Russia launched its large-scale invasion, commerce was closely upended, notably by way of the Black Sea route, which the Kremlin put underneath its tight management. 

In a bid to offer another pathway, the EU determined final 12 months to carry customs duties on a variety of Ukrainian imports, together with agri-food merchandise like wheat, maize, barley, poultry, eggs and sugar, which already loved particular remedy underneath the 2014 EU-Ukraine Affiliation Settlement.

The suspension of tariffs, along with uncertainty over the Black Sea, prompted a steep enhance in Ukrainian commerce by way of its land routes towards its European neighbours.

For instance: again in June, when the suspension entered into power, the 27 member states imported 548,838 tonnes of Ukrainian maize. By December, the identical imports had jumped to 1,541,183 tonnes.

The inflow prompted deep concern among the many international locations in Ukraine’s rapid periphery — Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria — who argued the oversupply was filling up warehouses, distorting financial dynamics and miserable costs for native producers.

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Below the specter of a looming summer time harvest and continued protests by farmers, a key demographic in upcoming elections, the governments of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria moved to ban the import of a variety of tariff-free Ukrainian merchandise, together with grain, a shocking resolution that was rapidly denounced as incompatible with EU guidelines.

The European Fee then launched talks with the 5 Jap European international locations and Ukraine to achieve an EU-wide resolution that would carry the bans.

What is the essence of the deal?

The deal imposes “preventive measures” on 4 Ukrainian merchandise – wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed – that the Fee considers to have the strongest disruptive impact.

These merchandise might be allowed solely transit by way of the 5 Jap European international locations, which suggests they won’t be saved of their territory nor bought for home consumption. As an alternative, they are going to be despatched on to different member states or shipped all over the world.

This represents an vital compromise by Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria, who had pushed for a bigger checklist of merchandise to be added to the only-transit measures.

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In truth, their nationwide prohibitions focused a a lot wider vary of Ukrainian imports, akin to dairy, fruits, sugar, honey, eggs, meat and wine.

Brussels, nonetheless, insisted the answer wanted to be proportionate and primarily based on financial information.

So what occurs with the bans?

As a part of the deal, the 5 Jap European international locations comply with carry their unilateral bans and comply absolutely with the EU-wide association.

This implies merchandise that have been beforehand banned, like poultry and greens, will now must be allowed entry to the inner market of the bordering states.

The lifting of the bans is predicted to occur by 2 Could, when the preventive measures come into power.

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Might different merchandise be focused?

Sure, however the European Fee will postpone any additional selections till 5 June, the date on which the present tariff-free regime is scheduled to run out.

The Fee has already proposed to increase the regime for an additional 12 months, till 5 June 2024. The authorized textual content remains to be pending approval by the European Parliament and the EU Council.

Below the brand new regulation, the EU will introduce an “expedited safeguard” to observe market developments and reintroduce tariffs on merchandise that “adversely have an effect on” your entire European market.

This selection, way more radical in nature than the only-transit measures underneath the present deal, might be topic to strict circumstances: the Fee will solely launch a proper investigation after acquiring “adequate prima-facie proof” {that a} particular Ukrainian product is inflicting adversarial results.

The investigation must conclude inside a interval of three months.

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What else is within the deal?

Cash.

In trade for the lifting of the bans, the European Fee will unblock a €100-million help bundle for farmers in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria.

The member states might be entitled to designate the businesses and producers who’re eligible for help and the Fee will later reimburse the bills.

This isn’t the primary time the chief rolls out this type of help: in late March, the Fee accepted a €56.3-million envelope for farmers in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria to compensate for the financial losses stemming from larger Ukrainian competitors.

A a lot vaguer component of the deal is a promise by the Fee to enhance the functioning of solidarity lanes and guarantee tariff-free imports go away the European market and attain creating international locations in Africa and the Center East, which rely closely on low-cost Ukrainian foodstuffs.

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Logistical issues, excessive transport charges and an absence of contemporary infrastructure in Jap Europe have additionally been blamed for the grain glut. Privately, Fee officers admit these questions are too advanced and deep-seated to be resolved underneath a short lived deal, which suggests stress on native costs is predicted to proceed within the brief time period.

“Nobody pretends the safeguards will alone resolve the issues behind the difficulty, however they create a respiratory house,” stated a senior EU official.

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Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

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Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant
Italian state railways Ferrovie dello Stato plans to invest 1.3 billion euros ($1.36 billion) in a photovoltaic plant with an initial 1 gigawatt (GW) capacity that would cover 19% of its energy needs by 2029, the CEO said in a newspaper interview.
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Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

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Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Christmas, Navidad in Puerto Rico, extends far beyond Dec. 25. 

The island proudly proclaims itself as having the “longest holiday season in the world,” according to the website Discover Puerto Rico. 

On average, the holiday festivities in Puerto Rico last about 45 days, per the source, commencing right after Thanksgiving, and stretching all the way through mid-January. 

The Christmas season in Puerto Rico typically lasts around 45 days. (iStock)

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The holiday season in Puerto Rico is full of rich traditions beloved by families. 

One tradition those who visit Puerto Rico will immediately notice during the holiday season is decorations. 

In Puerto Rico, decorations are typically put up by Thanksgiving, and kept up until the season concludes in mid-January, with opportune picture moments at every corner. 

Parrandas, Christmas caroling, is a holiday staple. 

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Carolers choose houses of family and friends to visit, typically starting around 10 p.m., performing aguinaldos (traditional Christmas songs), with not only their voices, but often with instruments as well, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

The group you begin caroling with is likely not the same group you end with. 

In Puerto Rico, when carolers visit a house, they’ll often stop inside for conversation, food and drink before moving to the next residence. 

Coquito

Coquito is a popular beverage enjoyed during the holiday season in Puerto Rico. Coconut, vanilla and rum are among the ingredients. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Usually, the residences of the house visited will join the group for the next house, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

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A night of serenading loved ones can last quite a while, often stretching into the early morning hours of the following day, according to the source. 

The biggest day of the holiday season in Puerto Rico actually isn’t Christmas, but instead, the night before. 

In Puerto Rico, Dec. 24 is Nochebuena. On that day, loved ones gather for the exchange of gifts, caroling and a large feast. 

Many families will also attend a midnight Mass on the day, known as Misa de Gallo. 

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After Christmas passes, the festivities go on in Puerto Rico. 

Another big event in the holiday lineup is Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, a holiday that “commemorates the visit that the Three Wise Men paid to Jesus after his birth,” according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

On the eve of the day, children fill up a shoebox with grass to be left for camels to munch on while the Three Kings leave behind gifts for them, according to PuertoRico.com. 

For a particularly festive Three Kings Day, Juana Díaz is the place to go, as it hosts the largest celebration in Puerto Rico for the holiday. In Juana Díaz, there is an annual festival and parade in honor of Three Kings Day that brings together over 25,000 people every year, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

Woman Wrapping Christmas Gifts

Gifts are primarily exchanged between loved ones on Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico. (iStock)

 

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Then, eight days later is Octavitas, a post-holiday celebration where families get together and celebrate one last time for the season. 

The end of the holiday season is marked with the San Sebastián Street Festival.

This festival, spanning over multiple days, takes place in Old San Juan, and is filled with live music, dancing, shopping and parades. 

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Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

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Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Twin-engine plane crashed in largely residential neighborhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff, authorities say.

A small plane has crashed into a tourist hotspot in southern Brazil, killing all 10 people on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, officials have said.

The twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 hit the chimney of a home and the second floor of a different house before crashing into a shop in a largely residential neighbourhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff from Canela, Brazil’s Civil Defense agency said on Sunday.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference that the aircraft’s owner and pilot, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, was killed along with nine members of his family.

Leite said that 17 people on the ground were injured, 12 of whom were still receiving treatment in hospital.

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Galeazzi’s company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that its CEO and Galeazzi’s wife and three daughters had died in the crash.

“Luiz Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable career as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the company said in a post on LinkedIn.

“In this moment of immense pain, Galeazzi & Associados is deeply grateful for the expressions of solidarity and affection received from friends, colleagues and the community. We also sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the region.”

Gramado, located in the Serra Gaucha mountains, is a popular destination for vacationers, especially during the Christmas season.

The crash comes a little more than a year after Brazil suffered its worst air disaster in nearly two decades when a twin-engine plane crashed in the southeastern city of Vinhedo, killing all 62 people on board.

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