:00:00. > :00:38.Hello and welcome to Politics Europe, your regular guide
:00:39. > :00:43.to the top stories in Brussels and Strasbourg.
:00:44. > :00:46.On today's program, the Brexit secretary David Davis had a frosty
:00:47. > :00:49.reception when he visited the European Parliament,
:00:50. > :00:52.but will he ever be able to find a compromise
:00:53. > :00:57.MEPs have voted overwhelmingly to freeze EU membership
:00:58. > :01:03.That's not pleased Turkey's president, who says if it happens,
:01:04. > :01:07.he will open the gates for migrants to enter Europe.
:01:08. > :01:11.And how has the election of Trump as US President left Baltic states
:01:12. > :01:12.like Latvia feeling vulnerable to Russia?
:01:13. > :01:24.All that to come and more in the next half an hour.
:01:25. > :01:27.First, this week members of the European Parliament have been
:01:28. > :01:31.meeting in Strasbourg for their regular plenary session.
:01:32. > :01:34.What have they been getting up to and what else has been
:01:35. > :01:41.This is our guide to the latest from Europe, in just 60 seconds.
:01:42. > :01:45.In France, former PM Francois Fillon surprised by winning the first
:01:46. > :01:48.round of the centre-right Republican Party's contest to pick
:01:49. > :01:52.a candidate for next year's presidential election.
:01:53. > :01:55.He will face the centrist, Alain Juppe, in a run-off this
:01:56. > :02:02.Former President Nicolas Sarkozy clearly disappointed.
:02:03. > :02:05.MEPs back to common defence policy, a non-binding vote calling
:02:06. > :02:10.for multinational forces and a joint HQ to manage crises.
:02:11. > :02:13.German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would run for a fourth term
:02:14. > :02:16.One challenger might be Martin Schulz.
:02:17. > :02:21.The president of the European Parliament said he would swap
:02:22. > :02:29.UKIP face multiple investigations over claims they misspent UK funds
:02:30. > :02:36.And Brexit secretary David Davis met with Guy Verhofstadt,
:02:37. > :02:40.Did Mr Davis really call him Satan?
:02:41. > :02:49.And with us for the next 30 minutes I have been joined by
:02:50. > :02:53.the conservative MEP Ashley Fox and the UKIP MEP Gerry Batten.
:02:54. > :02:57.Let's take a look at one of those stories in more detail
:02:58. > :03:01.and that is the visit by Brexit secretary David Davis to meet
:03:02. > :03:07.Ashley Fox, Manfred Weber said our government has no idea
:03:08. > :03:10.Guy Verhofstadt, the EU Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator,
:03:11. > :03:12.said the process will be tough and very intense.
:03:13. > :03:16.David Davis said it was fun and useful, so who is not
:03:17. > :03:21.This was a getting to know you session, the first time
:03:22. > :03:24.David Davis has been across to Brussels and Strasbourg,
:03:25. > :03:27.This is about building relationships.
:03:28. > :03:30.The negotiations don't start until March, so I am very happy
:03:31. > :03:38.In a way, we know what many of the leaders in the EU thinks,
:03:39. > :03:41.so nobody should be surprised by what they have said so far.
:03:42. > :03:45.It doesn't want to leave anyway, in my view.
:03:46. > :03:49.Mrs May was a Remainer and if we had remained,
:03:50. > :03:53.it was the best decision and everything is wonderful.
:03:54. > :03:57.I have a plan, I wrote one two years ago, it is called the Road
:03:58. > :03:59.to Freedom and it is simple and clear.
:04:00. > :04:02.Mr Verhofstadt confirmed to Mr Davies the four freedoms
:04:03. > :04:06.including freedoms of open borders, are not negotiable.
:04:07. > :04:12.One thing we want they have told us we cannot have so what kind of plan
:04:13. > :04:20.We welcome Jean Lambert, who is a Green MEP.
:04:21. > :04:24.What do you think of the tone of the meeting between
:04:25. > :04:28.Guy Verhofstadt and David Davis, the Brexit secretary?
:04:29. > :04:31.When you are listening to reports, you almost wonder if they were
:04:32. > :04:39.I think that it is true that, my understanding is at least
:04:40. > :04:42.the agreement, there needs to be a strong European Union
:04:43. > :04:46.So that has implications, I think, for how the EU handles
:04:47. > :04:53.But I think it is also very clear from what I have been hearing,
:04:54. > :04:56.the UK still hasn't really got its head around the magnitude
:04:57. > :05:01.And even some of the, even some of the technicalities,
:05:02. > :05:04.it would appear that David Davis had not realized that the European
:05:05. > :05:12.Parliament get a vote on the Article 50 outcome.
:05:13. > :05:15.So, you know, some of these things that you really think the government
:05:16. > :05:22.Do you really think David Davis didn't know that MEPs...
:05:23. > :05:28.I met him before he met Guy Verhofstadt.
:05:29. > :05:37.Well, somebody who is actually in the meeting.
:05:38. > :05:44.Not the one the night before but the actual meeting.
:05:45. > :05:46.And it is this thing, I think, the understanding
:05:47. > :05:49.of what is going on here, the timetabling of it,
:05:50. > :05:51.the magnitude of it, the fact that you are not
:05:52. > :05:54.going to have everything neatly wrapped up with a ribbon
:05:55. > :06:00.You are still going to have a transition period after that.
:06:01. > :06:04.It is still not really there and clear in the negotiations.
:06:05. > :06:06.Isn't that the problem with Theresa May's mantra,
:06:07. > :06:10.she's not going to give a running commentary.
:06:11. > :06:15.If you don't give some detail and you don't flesh out some
:06:16. > :06:18.of the broad negotiating points, than Jean Lambert,
:06:19. > :06:22.quite rightly and some of her other colleagues,
:06:23. > :06:25.on both sides of the political spectrum, will fill the gap for you.
:06:26. > :06:29.People will not, that is what I am saying.
:06:30. > :06:35.To be honest, the smoke and noise in the media really doesn't matter.
:06:36. > :06:38.What matters is the result at the end of the negotiations.
:06:39. > :06:41.What we will see is in the run-up to the negotiations people
:06:42. > :06:44.like Jean Lambert and others will create a lot of noise
:06:45. > :06:49.I am concerned with getting a good result for Britain and I am
:06:50. > :06:56.There is no way, after two years, the EU will present us
:06:57. > :07:04.They might want to punish the UK for leaving.
:07:05. > :07:09.I think what Mrs May wants to do is delay and delay and then present
:07:10. > :07:14.something like the Swiss or Norwegian option,
:07:15. > :07:17.we still pay money and have to obey a large percentage of EU laws
:07:18. > :07:22.There is a much simpler way to leave, repeal the 1972 act
:07:23. > :07:27.and all of the EU directives would remain as acts of parliament
:07:28. > :07:29.and we can ammend and repeal them over time.
:07:30. > :07:32.Gerry Batten would think that because Guy Verhofstadt,
:07:33. > :07:36.the chief negotiator for the EU, has spent his whole life campaigning
:07:37. > :07:42.for closer EU integration, so was it sensible to appoint
:07:43. > :07:45.someone as hardline as that, in terms of a federalist viewpoint,
:07:46. > :07:54.One of the key negotiators, of course, is also
:07:55. > :07:57.Michel Barnier of the commission and it will be national governments
:07:58. > :08:00.engaged in this, through the council.
:08:01. > :08:02.I think Verhofstadt is there to ensure the interests
:08:03. > :08:09.of the EU and that is going to be his key role.
:08:10. > :08:13.The idea that you can simply pull the plug and create a sense of legal
:08:14. > :08:17.uncertainty in terms of which jurisdiction applies
:08:18. > :08:24.For cables between the UK and mainland Europe,
:08:25. > :08:27.for what we are doing on Euro, any of these are the things,
:08:28. > :08:32.There needs to be something here which will be absolutely
:08:33. > :08:35.concrete in terms of legal certainty and that has to be part
:08:36. > :08:39.of the outcome and we have to engage not only the European Parliament
:08:40. > :08:49.that our national Parliament within this.
:08:50. > :08:52.The idea that you can sideline elected bodies outrageous.
:08:53. > :08:54.Is it acceptable, if there will be these negotiations,
:08:55. > :08:56.which clearly there are, that Manfred Weber calls
:08:57. > :08:59.for Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson unbelievably arrogant and say
:09:00. > :09:01.what they like about the British government?
:09:02. > :09:03.I think you can also argue whether Boris Johnson has been
:09:04. > :09:08.What Ashley is saying in terms of a lot of the rhetoric
:09:09. > :09:12.That there will be position taking, there will be stretching things
:09:13. > :09:23.But in terms of the negotiation, there are a hell of a lot of nuts
:09:24. > :09:26.and bolts that need to be sorted through.
:09:27. > :09:30.It is not a quick and easy job as, some seem to think.
:09:31. > :09:32.There are things that have enormous implications for business,
:09:33. > :09:34.for people's daily lives and therefore that needs
:09:35. > :09:39.On the other side, as Jean Lambert was saying, Boris Johnson threatens
:09:40. > :09:42.sales on Prosecco if the Italians didn't come on board.
:09:43. > :09:48.He was illustrating the point that those countries in Europe
:09:49. > :09:51.will want to continue to trade with us and I am confident
:09:52. > :09:56.Right, and do you think you will still have to apply,
:09:57. > :10:00.all EU leaders have said and the Prime Minister of Malta,
:10:01. > :10:06.you would have to have some freedom of movement if you want to have full
:10:07. > :10:07.tariff-free access to the single market.
:10:08. > :10:10.And would have to pay some contribution to the EU.
:10:11. > :10:13.I think you need to distinguish between being a member
:10:14. > :10:22.Canada has just negotiated tariff-free access at 98%.
:10:23. > :10:25.I think we can do better than that and retain control.
:10:26. > :10:29.This is a problem easily solved quickly, because the British
:10:30. > :10:32.government should say to the EU, "We can negotiate with you forever
:10:33. > :10:34.but not necessarily reach an agreement.
:10:35. > :10:40.Do you want continued tariff-free trade with the UK or do you want
:10:41. > :10:47.And give them a month and they can think about it,
:10:48. > :10:50.they make the decision, because they will do it anyway.
:10:51. > :10:54.Do you think the alliance made up of the UKIP MEPs will have to repay
:10:55. > :10:56.the 173,000 euros of allegedly misspent funds?
:10:57. > :11:03.I was a member of that, only briefly.
:11:04. > :11:09.There is a double standard here because I have been assured
:11:10. > :11:13.by the people in charge of this that all the money was spent
:11:14. > :11:15.in accordance with the rules and other groups under...
:11:16. > :11:19.I haven't been misled about anything, what I am saying
:11:20. > :11:22.is the EU parliament acts as the judge, jury and executioner.
:11:23. > :11:25.Other groups have spent money in polling, available to everyone.
:11:26. > :11:32.You said other groups have done the same thing.
:11:33. > :11:35.They have spent money in the same way.
:11:36. > :11:38.Is that funding political activities?
:11:39. > :11:40.Political activity hasn't been funded but there
:11:41. > :11:44.There is a big sex scandal brewing in the European Parliament.
:11:45. > :11:51.A number of assistants have gone to the Brussels police,
:11:52. > :11:57.Police have gone to the Parliament and asked to investigate
:11:58. > :11:59.and they are impeded by the authorities.
:12:00. > :12:02.We will look at that but I wanted to focus on...
:12:03. > :12:05.We are looking specifically at the misspent,
:12:06. > :12:17.Now, one of the most significant votes of the week in
:12:18. > :12:22.the European Parliament, the decision by MEPs to back
:12:23. > :12:25.the suspension of EU membership talks with Turkey by a majority
:12:26. > :12:34.Politicians right to left backed a symbolic rejection of the Turkish
:12:35. > :12:36.government's disproportionate measures after a failed military
:12:37. > :12:43.Our correspondent has been speaking to the leader of the socialists and
:12:44. > :12:45.Democrats in the European Parliament and asked him why
:12:46. > :13:01.After the coup, he put in jail thousands of people.
:13:02. > :13:13.Journalists, loyal politicians, leader of parties, everybody
:13:14. > :13:16.But without motivation in front of the situation,
:13:17. > :13:20.we have decided to take initiative with other groups in the European
:13:21. > :13:33.We reached a large, very large majority of the resolution.
:13:34. > :13:37.Isn't it right that at this point in time, what the people
:13:38. > :13:40.side of the debate say is that Europe needs Turkey,
:13:41. > :13:46.you need to keep talking, now is not the time to stop dialogue.
:13:47. > :13:59.We freeze the talks for accession, but not the dialogue.
:14:00. > :14:02.We need the dialogue, but we want democratic talk,
:14:03. > :14:04.we want a country in which the citizens are free.
:14:05. > :14:07.Free to discuss, are free to criticise, are free
:14:08. > :14:31.is of an illiberal and undemocratic view, and if he was to introduce
:14:32. > :14:35.the relationship between the EU and Turkey will finish for always.
:14:36. > :14:45.Because Europe relies on Mr Erdogan for his side of the deal to stop
:14:46. > :14:57.One thing is not linked with other things.
:14:58. > :14:59.And I don't think, I don't believe that President Erdogan
:15:00. > :15:03.And in any case, the EU does not accept blackmail
:15:04. > :15:11.Ashley Fox, did you vote for the suspension of EU membership
:15:12. > :15:19.My group abstained on this resolution.
:15:20. > :15:21.We think it is unhelpful because we regard Turkey
:15:22. > :15:27.as a strategic ally, important in nature.
:15:28. > :15:29.We don't want to push them towards President Putin,
:15:30. > :15:32.but at the same time, we are really concerned
:15:33. > :15:34.about what is happening in Turkey at the moment.
:15:35. > :15:36.The arrest of journalists, opposition MPs.
:15:37. > :15:40.But the main opposition party in Turkey say this is unhelpful
:15:41. > :15:46.in re-establishing democracy in Turkey.
:15:47. > :15:56.Do you not need to make a stand against what you listed?
:15:57. > :16:00.I know you abstained, but most MEPs voted to stop talks.
:16:01. > :16:02.We regard this as megaphone democracy by the European
:16:03. > :16:06.We want to carry on talking to the Turks.
:16:07. > :16:09.Explain they are important to us, but that we want them to come
:16:10. > :16:12.away from the autocratic system they are developing.
:16:13. > :16:20.We abstained for good reason, because this is a non-legislative
:16:21. > :16:27.Some call it symbolic I will call a useless.
:16:28. > :16:29.And everything will be all right in the future.
:16:30. > :16:35.Turkey doesn't even fulfil the EU's own criteria for being a member.
:16:36. > :16:37.Whenever there is a progress report on Turkish entry,
:16:38. > :16:48.we always vote against it, UKIP MEPs.
:16:49. > :16:55.And of course the Conservatives, Lib Dems, Greens vote for it.
:16:56. > :17:01.The Conservative Party have not decided they are leaving
:17:02. > :17:04.the European Union, but why would you want to join the EU
:17:05. > :17:07.where Turkey should be a member at some point in the future?
:17:08. > :17:11.You would like Turkey to be a member in the future?
:17:12. > :17:14.The majority of Conservative MPs don't see that happening.
:17:15. > :17:19.It is a channel of communication to Turkey to encourage them along
:17:20. > :17:22.The point is that President Erdogan is truly important.
:17:23. > :17:24.His country is sitting in an important position,
:17:25. > :17:27.and he has already said that if this were to become binding,
:17:28. > :17:31.and I do take your point that it is not at the moment,
:17:32. > :17:33.he would open the borders and allow the migrants
:17:34. > :17:36.he has taken in from the Middle East across into Europe.
:17:37. > :17:39.Yes, but why are we leading Turkey up the garden path?
:17:40. > :17:45.It probably suits the Turkish politicians just as much.
:17:46. > :17:47.Is there no intention of anybody in the EU...?
:17:48. > :17:53.It has been going on for 30 years now.
:17:54. > :17:56.They less fulfill the criteria for membership than they did
:17:57. > :18:00.They are going backwards in terms of human rights and democracy.
:18:01. > :18:04.It was almost false to say during the EU that accession
:18:05. > :18:08.You have to ask the Conservatives and Lib Dems who are voting for
:18:09. > :18:20.But it was incorrect to always claim that Turkish accession and 75
:18:21. > :18:24.million Turks coming across the border into Europe,
:18:25. > :18:26.because you don't think this would ever happen.
:18:27. > :18:29.It is true they are being asked to reply, and every time
:18:30. > :18:34.we have a progress report, it is voted in favour.
:18:35. > :18:38.If they did join, 75 million people would be able to come in.
:18:39. > :18:42.Is it a worry that President Erdogan could use the stick of opening up
:18:43. > :18:45.the borders even if this is not a binding vote
:18:46. > :18:49.So is Turkey's move towards an autocratic system.
:18:50. > :18:53.It is very worrying that 100,000 people in the Army and civil service
:18:54. > :18:56.are being purged from their jobs since the coup in July.
:18:57. > :18:59.So I think we need to maintain the strategic dialogue with Turkey,
:19:00. > :19:01.and this megaphone diplomacy from the European Parliament
:19:02. > :19:05.What we need is to establish proper talks with Turkey
:19:06. > :19:08.about where their position is in relation to the European Union.
:19:09. > :19:10.I very much doubt that is full membership.
:19:11. > :19:14.And I don't think it would ever get through the European Parliament.
:19:15. > :19:19.Now, what does the election of Donald Trump as US president mean
:19:20. > :19:24.It is a member of both the EU and Nato, but during his election
:19:25. > :19:27.campaign, Donald Trump suggested that America might no longer defend
:19:28. > :19:29.Nato allies against military action from neighbouring Russia.
:19:30. > :19:32.In the latest of our meet the neighbours series,
:19:33. > :19:35.Adam has been to Latvia to find out more.
:19:36. > :19:51.Friday the 11th of November, and it is a big day
:19:52. > :20:03.The 11th of November is an important day.
:20:04. > :20:11.He killed a bear and put those ears on and had more power.
:20:12. > :20:15.Also known as bear slayer day, it marks the moment in 1919
:20:16. > :20:17.when Latvians saw off foreign fighters,
:20:18. > :20:22.But it is also their equivalent of Remembrance Day, and a chance
:20:23. > :20:24.for the Ministry of Defence to talk about modern-day threats.
:20:25. > :20:29.This is a scimitar tank from the Latvian Army,
:20:30. > :20:32.but here you will also find troops from the US Army,
:20:33. > :20:36.That is because in the last few months Nato has been
:20:37. > :20:41.bolstering its presence in all three Baltic states to send a clear
:20:42. > :20:44.message to their next-door neighbour, Russia.
:20:45. > :20:46.Meet the defence minister, a former Olympic weightlifter.
:20:47. > :20:50.Now grappling with what he sees as a Russian buildup on his border.
:20:51. > :20:56.We saw what has happened around our borders.
:20:57. > :21:12.The scale of exercises, snap exercises.
:21:13. > :21:14.We see strategic bombers, not just close to our borders
:21:15. > :21:16.but the UK and Portugal as well.
:21:17. > :21:18.Of course this is a real rattling of sabres.
:21:19. > :21:22.The kids love the weaponry, but for the adults, Russia provokes
:21:23. > :21:29.We are always between two big enemies.
:21:30. > :21:35.Donald Trump is elected and he said great things about Russia.
:21:36. > :21:40.40% of the population is ethnically Russian or speaks the language.
:21:41. > :21:44.Miroslav runs a small political party that campaigns for them.
:21:45. > :21:51.I think the industry in the United States and maybe
:21:52. > :22:04.in Europe also is interested in aggravating tension,
:22:05. > :22:07.because it will allow them to sell more and more military equipment.
:22:08. > :22:10.Democracy is in some sort of deadlock, one way out of crisis
:22:11. > :22:18.The day ends with thousands of candles laid by Riga Castle.
:22:19. > :22:21.It is to remember fallen soldiers, and is really quite impressive.
:22:22. > :22:23.Latvia has been on the frontline of history before.
:22:24. > :22:32.Can you understand the fear of the Baltic states like Latvia
:22:33. > :22:41.I'm not a fan of Donald Trump or President Putin.
:22:42. > :22:44.I think Trump won because he was not Hillary Clinton.
:22:45. > :22:50.I think he made a big mistake not backing Nato because President Putin
:22:51. > :23:05.He is basically a gangster running a gangster state,
:23:06. > :23:08.but he is interested in winning prestige at home by winning
:23:09. > :23:12.Do you understand the fear of the Baltic states?
:23:13. > :23:14.I think Donald Trump needs to change his message
:23:15. > :23:18.and say he is 100% behind Nato will protect Nato countries.
:23:19. > :23:21.On that basis, do you understand why they are worried about the future
:23:22. > :23:23.policy relationship between President Putin and Donald
:23:24. > :23:27.It underlines the importance of Nato, and unlike Donald Trump
:23:28. > :23:29.and Nigel Farage, I don't admire President Putin.
:23:30. > :23:34.What about the problem of ethnic Russians, or those who speak
:23:35. > :23:36.the language, in a state like Latvia?
:23:37. > :23:38.Could you see it going the same way as Ukraine?
:23:39. > :23:44.The Russians who wanted to return when the Soviet Union broke up,
:23:45. > :23:46.Russian speakers who live there are perfectly happy
:23:47. > :23:48.by and large to be part of Latvia.
:23:49. > :23:52.I'm not an expert but that is my understanding at the moment.
:23:53. > :23:53.President Putin does not need reality.
:23:54. > :23:55.It is like Hitler and Czechoslovakia in 1948.
:23:56. > :23:58.He doesn't need reality to move into territories, he needs
:23:59. > :24:03.He is rational, that is one thing you can say in his favour.
:24:04. > :24:06.He is a criminal and works on the basis of increasing
:24:07. > :24:10.He will not make irrational decisions.
:24:11. > :24:16.But he will maybe decide the West is weak enough in order to take back
:24:17. > :24:18.some of those states formerly owned by the Soviet Union.
:24:19. > :24:22.One of the potential solutions is for increased spending by other
:24:23. > :24:28.Some people have said that would be enough to allay Donald Trump's
:24:29. > :24:31.reluctance, if you like, to come in on behalf
:24:32. > :24:36.Do you think that would work and should happen?
:24:37. > :24:39.I think it is important that all Nato members pay their fair
:24:40. > :24:42.share, and if Donald Trump made one valid point,
:24:43. > :24:45.it was that Europe was freeloading within the Nato alliance.
:24:46. > :24:47.The United Kingdom, Poland, Estonia, Greece, only four countries meet
:24:48. > :24:50.that 2% target, and all of them should.
:24:51. > :24:58.Would you like to hear a commitment from Donald Trump
:24:59. > :25:01.that he would actually, or America would come in on behalf
:25:02. > :25:04.of another Nato member state in the event of any
:25:05. > :25:08.It is very important that Nato stands by all that numbers
:25:09. > :25:12.and the United States stands by its European allies.
:25:13. > :25:14.We don't want to detach European security from the security
:25:15. > :25:16.of the United States, but all European countries
:25:17. > :25:19.as neighbours of Nato have that responsibility to pay
:25:20. > :25:26.That is a good point to end the programme on.
:25:27. > :25:44.It's all quiet on the weather front as we move into the second half
:25:45. > :25:49.In fact, most of us should see a fair amount of sunshine on Sunday.
:25:50. > :25:51.That wasn't the case everywhere on Saturday,
:25:52. > :25:54.thanks to our Weather Watchers, who captured foggy scenes