During the plenary session (11-14 June 2018) of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mark RUTTE, Dutch Prime Minister, answers the political group leaders' questions on the Future of Europe. Mark RUTTE is the seventh EU leader to debate the future of Europe with MEPs and Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

future of the European Union (T)

RUTTE, Mark

EU - Netherlands (T)

Future of Europe debate with Mark RUTTE, Dutch Prime Minister: extracts from the answers to MEPs

SOUNDBITE (English), Mark RUTTE, Dutch Prime Minister, You also made a point on migration and other speakers in the round also made a point on migration. That it is crucial to come to an agreement also at the level of the European Council. We are very much pushing for that to happen at European Council taking place on June at the end of this month, it is not easy, it is not easy because at the moment between the north and the south, but also with the countries in the east, there are still a lot of debate going on in this whole notion of solidarity, of burden sharing, of making sure that everybody is involved and if that you find an acceptable compromise. I&rsquo;m not very much optimistic at the moment that we were going to come to a conclusion at the end of June, we need your help there.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mark RUTTE, Dutch Prime Minister, I cannot foresee that without United States we can solve any major crisis in the world. And for our defence it is crucial that we keep our dialogue with the US going. Even if within the family relationship we have some serious quarrels at the moment.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mark RUTTE, Dutch Prime Minister, We have to acknowledge that 70% of the European budget at the monet is spent on the priorities of yesterday. So why not think about making savings there to free money up for new priorities. We cannot just discuss new money, we also have to discuss where we can find the money. I am simply against the 1,3 %. think if you really want to make the extreme parties much bigger than they are today, keep on pushing for 1,3%, it is the best recipe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mark RUTTE, Dutch Prime Minister, Military mobility is one of the things that the Netherlands is pushing for at the moment within NATO an within the EU. We are very much behind the proposals President MACRON is making to make a more effective base to organise defence within the EU. But at the same time I woudl argue that we should not now push for new symbols like a European Army.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mark RUTTE, Dutch Prime Minister, Taxation is a key element of the political systems in our democracies. And in the treaties they are therefore part, and I believe rightly so, part of the Member States competencies.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mark RUTTE, Dutch Prime Minister, When I listened to Emmanuel Macrons speech in the Sorbonne last September I agree with most of the points he made there. And we have greed to work together on issues like migration, the G5 Sahel outer borders, particularly also climate change and pushing for this 55% CO2 emission target.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mark RUTTE, Dutch Prime Minister, The Governor of the UK Central Bank has made this calculation that already now, that the cost of UK leaving the EU is 900 pounds per average British family. That is the cost at the moemnt already that British families is incurring. And that will rise.