#Article50: Leaving the EU ‘is a historic mistake’

The leader of the European People’s Party, the European Parliament’s largest group, Manfred Weber (pictured) spoke to journalists on the eve of the United Kingdom triggering Article 50 to withdraw from the European Union, writes Catherine Feore.

Weber said that the EPP would support the two step approach Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier is taking, addressing firstly the divorce and then the new relationship. Weber argued that this was also a question of procedure, as the method of agreeing to withdrawal and that of agreeing to a trade agreement are very different. The aim is to have an agreement on the divorce within 18 months, with a ratification period of 6 months.

Weber outlined the three main issues.

Citizens

Firstly, he said the EU will want immediate clarification on the situation of 4.4 million EU citizens living in the UK citizens living in the EU-27.

The bill

Secondly, the issue of cost, or as it is called the Brexit bill will need to be agreed upon. Weber said that the cost of Brexit will prove that the Leave campaign lied during the campaign and that they continue to lie.

The bill, as many have speculated, will include the financial commitments made by the UK to the mutli-annual financial framework – which commits all EU countries until the end of 2020.

Weber’s words hint that the UK's future access to the single market will require some sort of payment, which Brexit minister David Davis has also alluded to.

Northern Ireland

The third and maybe the most surprising priority is the high importance the EPP is giving to Northern Ireland. Weber said that a solution must be found that avoids the creation of a hard border on the island of Ireland. He regretted that it was necessary to talk about the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process again.

Play fair

Weber had some words of warning for the British negotiators. He referred to suggestions that the UK could become a large tax haven, a sort of Singapore adjacent to the EU as a move that would create distrust between negotiators. He also said that threats to use social dumping to improve the competitiveness of the UK’s economy after Brexit would not be welcome

We are standing for the EU’s 440 million citizens not the City of London

The EPP's leader in the Parliament said that the days of cherry picking were over for the UK; this is consistent with views already expressed by all leaders that the four freedoms are indivisible and shall be kept intact.

The EU’s concern will be the 440 million citizens of the EU and securing the best deal for them. To make this point hit home, he said that his main issue will not be the City of London’s interests, but the EU-27's interests. This point is particularly hard hitting and comes a day after the ECB made it clear that it would not allow a regulatory race to the bottom. We know that the issue that will agitate the UK more than any other will be the future of the London as a seat of finance.

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