MEPs debate and vote on a €5.4 billion Brexit Adjustment Reserve to help member states deal with the economic, social and territorial impact of the UK's departure from the EU. Measures that qualify for funding must be specifically set up to counter the adverse economic, social, territorial and environmental consequences of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Extracts from the debate (14/09), from the vote and statement by Pascal ARIMONT (EPP,BE), rapporteur on Brexit Adjustment Reserve during the plenary session (13-16 September 2021) in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Brexit (T)

statement

Strasbourg

EU - United Kingdom (T)

debate

plenary session

vote

ARIMONT, Pascal (EPP, BE)

FERREIRA, Elisa (S&D, PT, EC)

LARROUTUROU, Pierre (S&D, FR)

HAYER, Valérie (Renew, FR)

TOLLERET, Irène (Renew, FR)

Brexit Adjustment Reserve: extracts from the debate (14/09), statement by Pascal ARIMONT (EPP,BE), rapporteur, and extracts from the vote

Title: Brexit Adjustment Reserve: extracts from the debate, extracts from the vote and statement by Pascal ARIMONT (EPP,BE), rapporteur (EBS)

Exterior shots of the European Parliament, Strasbourg

Atmosphere from inside the Hemicycle, Strasbourg

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, We are at the end of a marathon. In the six short months following our proposal on Christmas Day last year for the Brexit adjustment reserve, we have had intensive negotiations between the co-legislators, followed by political agreement achieved in record time through just one political trialogue.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Our text today is a balanced compromise, carefully crafted as a concrete expression of European unity and solidarity when it comes to the adverse consequences of Brexit. We are sending a strong signal to European firms and workers who are affected most strongly by Brexit, Europe stands by them. Our work here is part of our broad commitment that no region should be left behind, that no European should be feeling forgotten, not because of Brexit, not because of Covid, not because of the green transition, not because of the digital transition. We have got to be careful to bring everybody on board.

SOUNDBITE (French), Pierre LARROUTUROU (S&amp;D, FR), Rapporteur, The budget committees voted unanimously with four abstentions on the draught amending budget to implement the Brexit adjustment reserve. The reserve, as Pascal has just set out, allows us to provide concrete responses for all of our citizens and businesses who are affected by Brexit.

SOUNDBITE (French), Val&#233;rie HAYER (Renew, FR), Colleagues, Madam commissioner, Brexit is a failure. Look at the UK. Look at all the lies which have blown up in everybody's face. We can see that clearly. Unlike the euro sceptics, we are determined to stand by our people and we will continue to do so as we are doing today.

SOUNDBITE (French), Ir&#232;ne TOLLERET (Renew, FR), The European Union once again shows that Union has won out over division. It's also a message to any type of national selfishness, and I'm addressing some of our colleagues sitting in this chamber. The exit from the European Union is never a solution. The solution is more cooperation, more solidarity, more Union shared European responses to challenges such as Covid-19, vaccine procurement and the withdrawal of the European of the United Kingdom. The best example of this, the European Union is alive and well and doing better than ever.

SOUNDBITE (English), Pascal ARIMONT (EPP, BE), Rapporteur, Brexit has been a economic earthquake for many member states, for regions, for companies, for the business in general. So we created, as a European Union, that reserve, that found in order to help regions, to help companies that had to invest, that had to spend money because there are new rules, there are new controlling measures. There is a new legal situation, new red tape, and therefore, they had to invest money. The business between UK and the EU is in difficult times, actually. So we had to find a solution to help them to make trade more easy. And therefore, they found the reserve has been created with 5.4 billion euros. It's a lot of money, but we don't have to be naive. It will not cover all the costs of the Brexit. It's only for small part of that negative consequences. But it's a beautiful sign of solidarity from the member states towards those regions, those member states that are heavily affected from that situation. And therefore, it's good that we have done it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Pascal ARIMONT (EPP, BE), Rapporteur, It was quite important for us to have criteria based on statistics. So criteria that are objective, that we put the money where it's most needed. We used three criteria. The first is the importance of the intensity of economic relationship between the UK and that region or that member state. The second is the importance of fishery in the UK exclusive waters, and the third is on people or population living in the border regions to the UK. These are the three criteria that we used, and we used it in the way that the most affected regions and member states will have most of the money out of that bar. That means that Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and France will have most of that money out of the 5.4 billion euros.