At Stanhope Hotel in Brussels, EPP leaders meet ahead the European Council 18-19/10/2018. Statements by Antonio TAJANI, EP President, Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), Leo VARADKAR, Irish Prime Minister and David McALLISTER (EPP, DE). Arrivals of Donald TUSK, President of the European Council, Jyrki KATAINEN, Member of the EC, Viktor ORBAN, Hungarian Prime Minister, Leo VARADKAR, Irish Taoiseach, Pablo CASADO, Spanish EPP Party, Laurent WAUQUIEZ, French EPP Party, Johannes HAHN, Member of the EC, and Angela MERKEL, German Chancellor.

Brussels

TAJANI, Antonio (EPP, IT)

meeting

WEBER, Manfred (EPP, DE)

McALLISTER, David (EPP, DE)

KATAINEN, Jyrki (FI, EC)

MERKEL, Angela (DE)

TUSK, Donald (PL)

HAHN, Johannes (AT, EC)

ORBÁN, Viktor (HU)

VARADKAR, Leo (IE)

European Council meeting 17-18 October 2018 (T)

WAUQUIEZ, Laurent (FR)

EPP leaders meet ahead the European Council: arrivals and statements

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/19863480/I161453Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

Exterior views of EP President Antonio Tajani in front of the EPP Headquarters (2 shots).

SOUNDBITE (English), Antonio TAJANI, EP President, We need to know where the good content and the three most important points. First of all the rights of European citizens living in the UK. We want they have the same rights as today. The second point is the money. We need to respect the engagements. Third points is the border between Northern Ireland and Irish Republic. We want to protect our health our agrifood industry and our agriculture. It's possible to organize customers control between England and Ireland. Now it's important to have good answers from the UK. We need to speak before with Mrs May . Is not easy, is not easy. We are living a difficult the moment during the negotiations. I think for us it's is important to achieve an agreement. But that is not our decision, this is the decision of the United Kingdom.

Arrival of Donald Tusk, European Council President.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), For us at EPP group it's clear that we have two main concerns. One is the citizens who care about the citizens who are living in Europe in Great Britain. The EU's citizens in Great Britain we have to take care about them. You have to create legal certainty for them. The second element is there is no solution without the Northern Ireland solution. No hard border. The two clear criteria for us to make our assessment and nobody should underestimate the role of the European Parliament to keep this points alive till the end of the process. But we cannot accept is to talk about an endless process about prolongation and prolongation of prolongation. What we need are now political decisions. I cannot accept that we are discussing prolongation beyond the European elections next year. The people in Europe will go to the vote and they go and do participating in the elections. So they want to have clarity about what Brexit really means at any level. And that is what we have to achieve.

SOUNDBITE (English), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), Both sides should have a huge interest to get this British withdrawal from the European Union done in an orderly manner. Michel Barnier himself has said that 90 % of all open issues have now been negotiated but we're not quite there yet. Still a few details we have to discuss. I expect that we won't be able to conclude the negotiations tonight. There will be another EU summit necessary, probably, mid-November. But the time is now really starting to run out, the clock is ticking and we have to conclude the negotiations by end of November beginning of December latest. We need time to then adopt that withdrawal agreement not only by the House of Commons and the House of Lords and by national governments but also by the European Parliament.

Arrival of Jyrki Katainen EU Commissioner.

Arrival of Viktor ORB&Aacute;N, Prime Minister of Hungary.

SOUNDBITE (English), Viktor ORB&#193;N, Hungarian Prime Minister, We are the EPP!

Arrival of Leo VARADKAR, Taoiseach  of Ireland.

Arrival of Pablo CASADO, Spanish EPP Party.

Arriva of Laurent WAUQUIEZ, French EPP Party.

SOUNDBITE (English), Leo VARADKAR, Irish Prime Minister, First of all I'm very much looking forward to spending a few days here in Brussels. There are four summits as you know. A summit on the Eurozone and deepening and strengthening the monetary union. We are very committed to Ireland as a founder member of the Eurozone and we want to make sure the economic monetary union is the strongest possible. Regular European Council meeting at the EU-Asia Summit. And I'll be using that as an opportunity to advance Ireland's case to be elected to the UN Security Council and also as well to the summit on Brexit which is going to happen tonight.

Ireland's position is as it always has been, ever since the referendum happened. We want there to be a withdrawal agreement so the UK can leave the EU in an orderly fashion. We want there to be a transition period so that bussinesses and citizens can prepare for any changes that may take place. We want there to be the protection of citizen's rights all across Europe. We want there to be a financial settlement . And we also need a legally binding guarantee that there will not be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. So our position is as it always has been on this matter and we have a very strong support from all of the other European countries and European institutions as well which I am very grateful for.

Arrival of Johannes HAHN, EU Commissioner.

Arrival of German Chancellor Angela MERKEL.