said:
In her speech in Florence, Prime Minister has expressed a constructive
spirit which is also the spirit of the European Union during this
unique negotiation.
The speech shows a willingness to move forward, as time is of the
essence. We need to reach an agreement by autumn 2018 on the
conditions of the United Kingdom's orderly withdrawal from the
European Union. The UK will become a third country on 30 March
2019.
Our priority is to protect the rights of citizens. EU27 citizens
in the United Kingdom must have the same rights as British
citizens today in the European Union. These rights must be
implemented effectively and safeguarded in the same way in the
United Kingdom as in the European Union, as recalled by the
European Council and European Parliament. Prime Minister May's
statements are a step forward but they must now be translated
into a precise negotiating position of the UK government.
With regard to Ireland, the United Kingdom is the co-guarantor of
the Good Friday Agreement. Today's speech does not clarify how
the UK intends to honour its special responsibility for the
consequences of its withdrawal for Ireland. Our objective is to
preserve the Good Friday Agreement in all its dimensions, as well
as the integrity of the Single Market and the Customs Union.
The United Kingdom recognises that no Member State will have to
pay more or receive less because of Brexit. We stand ready to
discuss the concrete implications of this pledge. We shall
assess, on the basis of the commitments taken by the 28 Member
States, whether this assurance covers all commitments made by the
United Kingdom as a Member State of the European Union.
Today, for the first time, the United Kingdom government has
requested to continue to benefit from access to the Single
Market, on current terms, and to continue to benefit from
existing cooperation in security. This is for a limited period of
up to two years, beyond its withdrawal date, and therefore beyond
its departure from the EU institutions.
If the European Union so wishes, this new request could be taken
into account by the EU and examined in light of the European
Council stated in its guidelines of 29 April 2017: "Should a
time-limited prolongation of Union acquis be considered, this
would require existing Union regulatory, budgetary, supervisory,
judiciary and enforcement instruments and structures to apply."
The sooner we reach an agreement on the principles of the orderly
withdrawal in the different areas – and on the conditions of a
possible transition period requested by the United Kingdom – the
sooner we will be ready to engage in a constructive discussion on
our future relationship.
The EU shares the goal of establishing an ambitious partnership
for the future. The fact that the government of the United
Kingdom recognises that leaving the European Union means that it
cannot keep all the benefits of membership with fewer obligations
than the other Member States is welcome. In any case, the future
relationship will need to be based on a balance of rights and
obligations. It will need to respect the integrity of the Union's
legal order and the autonomy of its decision-making.
The EU will continue to insist on sufficient progress in the key
areas of the orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom before
opening discussions on the future relationship. Agreeing on the
essential principles in these areas will create the trust that is
needed for us to build a future relationship together.
and I will meet in Brussels
next Monday to begin the fourth round of the negotiations. As
always, we are preparing the upcoming round with the 27 Member
States and the European Parliament. On Monday I will have a
discussion with the European Parliament in its Brexit Steering
Group, as well as with all Member States in the General Affairs
Council.
We look forward to the United Kingdom's negotiators explaining
the concrete implications of Prime Minister Theresa May's speech.
Our ambition is to find a rapid agreement on the conditions of
the United Kingdom's orderly withdrawal, as well as on a possible
transition period.
