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Henkel: ‘For Juncker #Brexit is a defeat’

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In a meeting (15 January) with former presidents of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said that he agreed that Brexit was a lose-lose situation for the UK and EU. Asked if he wanted to go down in history as the man who ‘lost Britain’, Juncker said that for him it was a defeat, writes Catherine Feore.

Hans-Olaf Henkel MEP launched a campaign to prevent Brexit called ‘A New Deal for Britain’ in November 2017. The campaign is supported by three former presidents of Germany’s main business organization. Henkel argues that it is in the EU’s interest to prevent the breakdown of 40 years of successful economic integration.

Henkel places the onus on the EU to make a new offer to the UK which gives the UK more autonomy in migration policy. Like the British Conservative MEPs, Henkel is a member of the European Consevatives and Reformists Group.

When we contacted the representative of the British delegation we were told that: “The UK Conservative delegation supports much of what Mr Henkel and his colleagues are saying – he stresses the need for continued co-operation between Britain and the EU-27, the closeness of the relationship, and the potential for economic damage to both sides if the negotiations are mishandled. We hope that President Juncker takes this on board and that the forthcoming talks focus on securing the best deal for all our citizens and businesses.” However, the representative added: “The British people have voted to leave and the government is getting on with implementing that decision.”

Today (16 January), the European Parliament debated the outcome of the European Council and the decision to move into the second phase of negotiations with the UK. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, indicated that the EU would remain open to a change of heart in the UK.

Henkel has taken heart from Juncker’s personal expression of regret about Brexit and their shared conviction that the EU-27 and the UK will both lose if the UK leaves. However, it is hard to see how this group can have much traction if there is no willingness from the current Conservative government to prevent an exit from the EU.

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