David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), Chair of the European Parliament's UK Coordination Group (UKCG), Kati PIRI (S&D, NL) and Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), co-rapporteurs, speak after the meeting on the recommendations on the negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Recommendations on the negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: views during the meeting and vote and statements

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Title: Recommendations on the negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: views during the meeting and vote and statements

SOUNDBITE (English), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), We hope that the United Kingdom will stick to what was jointly agreed in the political declaration in October last year. And our report, our resolution covers a number of specific issues, especially we want to see more progress on the four important fields of the level playing field, fisheries cooperation on police and judicial matters and governance issues.

SOUNDBITE (English), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), We are still very closely interlinked. The United Kingdom is exactly at our doorstep and this country remains an important trade partner and a NATO ally. So we are interested in having the best possible cooperation. But of course, there are many issues where we have to agree. on trade. We are making the United Kingdom an unprecedented offer for a third country, full access, no quotas, no tariffs for goods to the world's largest single market. But on the other hand, we expect the United Kingdom to accept our rules of fair competition.

SOUNDBITE (English), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), Well, the European Court of Justice is for us the sole interpreter when it is about EU law. And that's why the European Court of Justice will always play a prominent role if we allow other third countries access to a single market in this kind of way.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kati PIRI (S&amp;D, NL), I think what you will see is what the European Parliament is calling for is for actually Prime Minister Johnson and his government to stick to the commitments he made in the political declaration. That means signing a new agreement with fair competition, not lowering the standards on social and environmental issues. And, of course, also reaching a fisheries agreement before we negotiate further on trade.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kati PIRI (S&amp;D, NL), It's true. What we see right now is a salami tactic of the British government. They want to take all the benefits, although they are no longer a member of the European Union and not having any conditions. Now, that is, of course, a no goal. We are already halfway through the transition period and unfortunately, we had four rounds of negotiations and we are actually in a complete stillmate.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kati PIRI (S&amp;D, NL), What they would like to see is, of course, full access to the European Union market, not having the European Court of Justice playing any role in possible arbitration. That's what we called the governance structure. What they want is to have full access to the market by being able to compete with our companies, by lowering their labor standards, by lowering their environmental standards. And what we see is no willingness at all to discuss, for instance, cooperation in the area of foreign policy, security, development aid, migration, important topics to which Prime Minister Johnson had said a couple of months ago. "Yes, that should be the basis of a negotiation". And it seems right now, in the last month, that he completely forgot.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), We want to have one agreement, which includes fisheries. For us it is very clear. If we don't deal with fisheries right now - and in principle, this should already be ready by the 1st of July, so time is really running - we can't conclude a trade agreement. Because fisheries are of course, the United Kingdom is selling 70 % of their fishery products directly into the into the European Union. So we have to find the agreement before. And on the other side, either cites 40 % of our European fisheries fleets are fishing in waters in UK waters. So this has to do we have to find a good solution here.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kati PIRI (S&amp;D, NL), Just a blame game via exchange of letters is not the right way to go. And I think if we manage to set a new tone and we focus again, what is in the withdrawal agreement. Let me focus again what is in the political declaration, because this has been signed by Boris Johnson and by the European Union. So if we take this as a basis for discussion, I see that the ideology that is being put out there at this moment can be set aside. We have to focus on what is most important, that is find good solutions for our citizens, find good solutions for our businesses. That is the most important. And every responsible politician should be aware of that and handle it the best and the best way he could.

Atmosphere in the meeting room. Views during the vote.

Sündmuse kuupäev	12.6.2020
Reference:	I192016V
Format:	16:9 format
Copyright:	© European Union
copyrightYear:	2020

Recommendations on the negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: views during the meeting and vote and statements

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