Individuals and institutions across the globe make final pleas for UK to REMAIN in EU

Britain's remaining in the European Union is key for trans-Atlantic security and common efforts to fight violent extremism, the chief of the NATO alliance said Wednesday. "It's up to the people of Great Britain to decide whether to remain or leave," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told The Associated Press. "But what I can do is tell you what matters for NATO. A strong U.K. in a strong Europe is good for the U.K., but it's also good for NATO": http://bigstory.ap.org/article/cd9d8f65357a44d1a284080234bd5ba5/ap-interview-nato-head-says-europe-safer-britain-eu

A 70-page analysis [published by the think tank British Influence] claims to conclusively rubbish the Leavers' belief that the Commonwealth is waiting with open arms for Brexit Britain…In the whole referendum battle not one Commonwealth member has advocated Brexit. The Commonwealth urges Britain to lead, not leave, Europe because it wants closer trading, political and security links with the continent: http://www.britishinfluence.org/1_day_to_go_the_commonwealth_says_remain

In a joint appeal published in the German tabloid Bild, the leaders of 20 European trade unions representing 23 million workers, are warning of the dangers of Britain leaving the EU. They say: "Legislation enforcing basic rights like paid annual leave, limits on working time, equal pay, parental leave, workplace safety and fair treatment for part-time and agency workers have been won at EU level by trade union campaigning. There is no guarantee that these rights will be maintained in national law by the current British government. A growing number of research studies warn Brexit would also put at risk hundreds of thousands of jobs in the UK, and provoke a drop in GDP, consumer spending and the value of sterling. At the same time, it would weaken the EU economically and politically, undermining the interests of workers across Europe": http://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/brexit/europaeische-gewerkschaften-gegen-brexit-46322270.bild.html

In recent years, the European Commission has disbursed a large amount of financial resources to UK regions, aiming to promote economic development and employment. Drawing on recent research, Marco Di Cataldo demonstrates [in a study published by the London School of Economics] that the most economically disadvantaged areas have made good use of these funds and reduced the share of unemployed people more than other areas. The interruption of financial aid - one of the potential consequences of a Brexit - would be likely to undermine the labour market and economic gains achieved during the period of highest financial support: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2016/06/20/cornwall-and-wales-benefited-from-eu/

French president Francois Hollande joined the chorus of EU leaders pleading with UK voters to remain in the EU, reports EUobserver. "There would be a very serious risk for Britain to lose its access to the single market and everything that goes with the European economic area," he said Wednesday, warning the decision would be irreversible. Hollande added he would travel to Berlin next week to work on "relaunching the European project": https://euobserver.com/tickers/133955

The former mayor of New York City and businessman Michael Bloomberg said he hoped the United Kingdom would vote to stay in the European Union, reports EUobserver: https://euobserver.com/uk-referendum/133942

For the UK, some wounds may be bandaged, but others are bound to open up, no matter the result, says Politico. That diverse list of potential casualties ranges from fragile peace in Northern Ireland, to renewed calls for Scottish independence, and lingering resentment at the power of Brussels bureaucrats. The fact that absolutely nothing will change regarding EU laws and rules on Friday may further inflame Leave voters, especially if they win. They will face a multi-year negotiation, which even at its end, would likely leave much of the status quo in place: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmB9Sy-fw45hG7UxBgS7Lzjg2&fid=flinbox

There is a "Brussels consensus" that Britain would face a chilly future, cast out to perhaps talk its way back later into some kind of trade access in return for concessions such as free migration from inside the bloc and contributions to the EU budget - things which Brexit voters want to end, says EurActiv, outlining what it calls a roadmap for a leap in the dark. But cautious diplomats do not rule out surprise turns: http://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/after-brexit-roadmap-for-a-leap-in-the-dark/?nl_ref=15441653

European [Parliament] President Martin Schulz told MEPs to brace for an extraordinary plenary session on Tuesday (28 June), while a meeting of the College of Commissioners would take place on Sunday (26 June) if Britons vote to leave the EU, reports EurActiv. Hours before Brits began to queue up to vote on whether to remain in the EU, European institutions speeded up their preparations for the day after the referendum: http://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/institutions-prepare-for-emergency-sessions-if-brexit-wins/?nl_ref=15441653

If Britain Favors 'Brexit,' Changes Will Come Slowly, says the New York Times. For all the drama the vote would bring, change would not be instant: The separation would begin when a treaty clause with a two-year deadline is invoked:

https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmQ8nPcv845hGSbNidZ181gA2&fid=flinbox

If Britain votes to leave, it will face three options for exiting the EU, according to the Centre for European Reform…If Leave wins, Britain's partners are likely to offer just three options: the Norwegian model of the European Economic Area (EEA); the Canadian model of a free trade agreement (FTA); and the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO): http://www.cer.org.uk/insights/europes-offer-post-brexit-britain

After a campaign filled with confusing and often misleading claims…many Britons [are] horrified at the way the run-up to the historic referendum has divided their society, reports EurActiv: http://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/anger-confusion-as-eu-vote-divides-britain/?nl_ref=15441653

Whatever the result, the Remain camp has been weak, Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, told EUobserver. If the Remain…option wins, it will be because ultimately people fear the economic uncertainty and they don't know what the impact of leaving would be. Another reason would be that many voters would not live in Nigel Farage's Britain, he added. Leaders of the Vote Leave campaign, like former London mayor Boris Johnson were internationalists and economic liberals but they made a pact with the devil by allying with Farage and using the same anti-migrant rhetoric: https://euobserver.com/uk-referendum/133951

"You're never the same after a near death experience, comments Politico … Whether the U.K. stays or not after Thursday's vote, there's seemingly no business as usual to return to for Britain, the EU or even the Western world … The vote in Britain … has coincided with and deepened a crisis of an order built after World War II and reinforced and expanded with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Thursday's referendum, regardless of its outcome, may turn out to be merely a starter to a larger course of troubles": https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmB9Sy-fw45hG7UxBgS7Lzjg2&fid=flinbox

"We respect the decision and we regret it." That's how Brussels will respond on Friday if Britain votes to leave the EU, says Politico. In a simple, two-line statement designed to avoid a "cacophony" of reactions, that will be the European institutions' first response to a Brexit vote, according to one EU official. Reading between the lines, it means the EU wants an orderly process of separation to begin quickly, in order to avoid ambiguities that could rattle financial markets: http://www.politico.eu/article/sorry-and-good-riddance-how-europe-will-greet-brexit/

Wall Street is breathlessly on edge over the U.K.'s Brexit vote on Thursday, with many analysts fearing a major sell-off and possible global slowdown if the country votes to leave the European Union, reports Politico: http://www.politico.eu/article/wall-street-holds-its-breath-on-brexit-remain-leave-eu-referendum/

If Leave wins, [financial] markets will see sharp moves downward in the pound and U.K. and European stocks, says Politico Morning Exchange: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cm1fl6pRI55hGeCAAhWtisVg2&fid=flinbox

According to Politico: London's position as the tech capital of Europe could be under threat if voters opt for Leave: http://www.politico.eu/pro/5-ways-brexit-could-disrupt-londons-tech-scene-and-not-in-a-good-way/; Building new trading relationships after quitting the EU will take a long time and be difficult: http://www.politico.eu/pro/eu-referendum-a-guide-to-what-could-happen-to-uk-trade-after-brexit/; and Entrepreneurs in financial technology say Britain would throw away the advantages it has built in the new industry by leaving the EU: http://www.politico.eu/pro/eu-refrendum-london-may-not-be-fintech-capital-if-uk-opts-for-brexit-ceos/

The European Commission adopted on Wednesday (22 June) the main principles of a new EU template for China relations, which include the possibility of a free-trade agreement, reports EUobserver. In the five-year horizon set out in the paper, the EU executive envisions "a deep and comprehensive" trade deal. But it said China would first have first to stop dumping exports in the EU at artificially low prices: https://euobserver.com/economic/133947

China remains concerned about the prospect of Britain finding itself outside the EU, reports EUobserver. In recent months, high-ranking Chinese officials have repeatedly expressed their government's worries about the prospect of a British EU exit. Beijing's diplomatic campaign constitutes an unusual departure from the Chinese foreign policy principle of not interfering with the domestic matters of other countries. It shows how much Chinese investors in Britain worry about access to the single market and how much Beijing fears losing the UK as an advocate in Brussels: https://euobserver.com/opinion/133930

The Council and the European Parliament on Wednesday agreed to set up a new EU border force and coast guard, the latest effort to stem the flow of migrants into Europe, reports Politico: http://www.politico.eu/article/eu-border-force-coast-guard-moves-toward-reality/

The European Commission is set to present a new draft of its data-exchange pact with the US, the Privacy Shield, in early July, reports EUobserver. EU justice commissioner Vera Jourova told EUobserver in a recent interview that the most contentious issues had been agreed by Washington and Brussels. These concerned access to data by US security services and bulk collection of people's personal information: https://euobserver.com/justice/133941

Courtesy of Peter Morris, European Movement in the North East. This is Peter's last bulletin. We are deeply grateful to him for all his efforts over the last 6 months.