During the plenary session (28-29/11/2018) of the European Parliament in Brussels, MEP debate on the outcome of the special meeting of the European Council on Article 50, whose purpose was to endorse the Brexit withdrawal agreement. Members of the European Council held a summit in Brussels, to finalise the Brexit deal with Theresa MAY, British Prime Minister.

Brussels

Brexit (T)

article 50 of the Lisbon treaty (T)

statement

plenary session

Outcome of the Special meeting of the European Council (Article 50) and Meeting with the UK Prime Minister: extracts from the opening statement

SOUNDBITE (French), Michel BARNIER, Chief Brexit negotiator, The withdrawal agreement and this political statement owe a lot to your four resolutions, and to the careful vigilance you have shown since the beginning of this negotiation. Obviously to preserve the rights of the citizens you represent it was your priority, it was my priority to preserve the interests of the Union, the integrity of the single market and the indivisibility of the four freedoms and the autonomy of decision of the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (French), Michel BARNIER, Chief Brexit negotiator, The withdrawal agreement provides legal certainty for all business people in regions worried about the consequences of the UK decision to leave the European Union. Evidently European citizens four and a half million people, four and a half million people, who live in the United Kingdom and British citizens established in one of the countries of the Union. The people and businesses of Ireland and Northern Ireland, Madam President, who participates in all human social economic dimensions of North-South cooperation, the back stop on which we agreed to avoid return a physical border in Ireland while protecting the single market. This back stop is part of the back-stop withdrawal agreement for Ireland, without it there is no withdrawal agreement !

SOUNDBITE (French), Michel BARNIER, Chief Brexit negotiator, Communities then universities companies that carry so many projects funded by European policies and budgets including with UK partners the universities extremely dynamic laboratories in the UK. Farmers who benefit from the common agricultural policy and who legitimately wanted to protect their intellectual property rights but much more than that through geographical indications. And then everyone whose personal data has been exchanged with UK based organizations or companies. These are some of the sectors, first and foremost the people for whom we had a duty to put security back where Brexit created insecurity.

SOUNDBITE (French), Michel BARNIER, Chief Brexit negotiator, We will continue to work with the UK and not against it, to build this future partnership. We will continue to work with the respect that is due to a great country that will in any case remain our friend our partner our ally.

SOUNDBITE (French), Michel BARNIER, Chief Brexit negotiator, If we concretize this political declaration in all its dimensions, the partnership with the United Kingdom will be unprecedented by the extent and number of cooperation topics. As President Juncker wished, as the Member States and your Parliament have wished, we are preparing ourselves and we will be ready to launch this negotiation on the future relationship once the United Kingdom has become a third country.

SOUNDBITE (French), Michel BARNIER, Chief Brexit negotiator, Of course, Madam Speaker, there is still one decisive step to take: the ratification of our withdrawal agreement. It is now time for everyone to take responsibility. British parliamentarians will in the coming weeks decide on this withdrawal agreement and on the text of the political declaration. This vote commits the future of their country. We must respect it. I will respect this debate and the time of parliamentary and democratic debate in the United Kingdom.