Live replay of the EP Plenary session: Brexit - State of play of negotiations with the United Kingdom. Opening statements by Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC and by Michel BARNIER, European Commission Chief Negotiator for Article 50 Negotiations with the UK&nbsp;

TAJANI, Antonio (EPP, IT)

Brexit (T)

article 50 of the Lisbon treaty (T)

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

JUNCKER, Jean-Claude (LU)

(01) EP Plenary session: Brexit - State of play of negotiations with the United Kingdom. Opening statement by Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC (09:03 - 09:09)

SOUNDBITE (English), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, , President of the EC, Buongiorno Presidente, Monsieur le Pr&eacute;sident, Mesdames, Messieurs, September was a month rich in speeches. I started with my State of the Union address on the future of Europe in this very House where I laid out the Roadmap for a More United, Stronger and More Democratic Union. This debate on building a more united, stronger and more democratic Europe continued at the Sorbonne in Paris. President Macron gave a very bold and a very European speech that I would like to congratulate and thank him for once again.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, Prime Minister May's speech, on the other hand, was about separation. In Florence, she struck an optimistic tone on the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the Union. When it comes to Brexit, we still cannot talk about the future with any real clarity. This is because a condition of Article 50 and the mandate given to us by the leaders of the EU27 are very clear: we first need to agree on the terms of the divorce and then we see if we can half-lovingly find each other again. The Prime Minister's speech in Florence was conciliatory. But speeches are not negotiating positions. And as Michel Barnier, the Commission's excellent Chief Negotiator, said last week: work still remains to be done. We have not yet made the sufficient progress needed.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, The negotiators made good progress on citizens' rights but the indispensable role of the European Court of Justice in guaranteeing those rights still needs to be agreed. I am pleased that Prime Minister May and her team recognise that the UK has financial obligations which it must respect. The devil will be, as always, in the detail. But the taxpayers of the EU27 should not pay for the British decision. And when it comes to Ireland, we can only talk of solutions that fully respect EU law and the Good Friday Agreement. I will not go into any more detail here as negotiations continue next week and Michel will complete what I was just saying.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, For those that think that the UK should just "go over Michel Barnier's head", I remind them that the Commission has been appointed by the 27 Member States and my choice of Michel Barnier had been welcomed by them. He acts on their behalf on the basis of clear negotiating mandates. And he will report to them at the next European Council. Until now I cannot say that we are ready to enter the second phase of the negotiations.

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, Monsieur le Pr&eacute;sident, Avec le d&eacute;part du Royaume-Uni, une page de l'histoire europ&eacute;enne se tourne. Et une autre est en train de s'&eacute;crire pour d&eacute;cider de l'avenir que nous voulons construire &agrave; 27. Trop longtemps nous avons repouss&eacute; des questions cruciales &agrave; des lendemains incertains. Trop longtemps nous avons pr&eacute;f&eacute;r&eacute; nous livrer &agrave; de longues discussions institutionnelles au lieu de d&eacute;battre clairement avec les peuples d'Europe de la finalit&eacute; de notre Union. Tout cela doit changer. Et tout cela est en train de changer. Les d&eacute;bats sur le futur de l'Europe se multiplient &agrave; travers l'Europe.

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, C'est bon signe. C'est bon signe parce qu'en le faisant nous d&eacute;montrons sant&eacute; et vigueur de la d&eacute;mocratie europ&eacute;enne. C'est ce que nous voulions en tant que Commission en lan&ccedil;ant le Livre blanc sur l'avenir de l'Europe, nos diff&eacute;rents documents de r&eacute;flexion et les nombreux Dialogues Citoyens qui se sont multipli&eacute;s dans tous les coins du continent. Mais il ne faut pas s'&eacute;parpiller. C'est pourquoi j'ai voulu placer la poursuite de ces d&eacute;bats publics dans le contexte d'une feuille de route structur&eacute;e, avec des &eacute;ch&eacute;ances pr&eacute;cises sur des propositions concr&egrave;tes. Cette route nous m&egrave;nera jusqu'au 30 mars 2019 au Sommet sp&eacute;cial de Sibiu, Hermannstadt, en Roumanie o&ugrave; nous donnerons notre vision d'avenir pour l'Europe et o&ugrave; nous d&eacute;ciderons de ce que nous serons pr&ecirc;ts &agrave; d&eacute;fendre et &agrave; construire ensemble &agrave; 27. Notre avenir ce n'est pas le Brexit, c'est l'Europe.

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, Notre avenir ce n'est pas le Brexit, c'est l'Europe.