The Europeans and Brexit
The European Union and the UK began Brexit talks on Monday.
Daniela Budu, 20.06.2017, 13:16
Brexit talks started in Brussels in an atmosphere of
optimism and transparency, one year since the referendum of June 23, 2016, when
Britons decided to leave the European Union. Chief negotiators Michel Barnier
and David Davis have set up three working groups, established a meeting
timetable, once a month, and identified the main priorities during the
negotiation process. European chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has more on the
issue:
Today we’ve started to talk about three
key issues. We have to commit together to guaranteeing the citizens on either
side of the Channel that they can continue their lives as in the past, we have
to close the accounts and honour our financial commitments, we have to find
solutions to keep all the pledges stipulated in the agreement on Northern
Ireland. Eliminating uncertainties relative to these issues, we will lay the
basis for the needed confidence to later build a new partnership between the EU
and the UK.
Michel Barnier gave assurances that the
27 states are united and want to have a fair agreement with the Britons and not
against them. In turn, the UK’s Brexit Secretary, David Davis, has said the
citizens’ rights are very important during the negations:
Ever since
the referendum, I have been clear that my first priority is to provide
certainty to European Union citizens living in the United Kingdom, and to UK
citizens resident in the European Union – and I know Michel shares that
aspiration too. So now that the negotiations have started, we are determined to
get on with the job and deliver that certainty as soon as possible.
David Davis has announced that Prime
Minister Theresa May will present the European leaders with negotiation offers
on the citizens’ rights at the European summit to be held in Brussels later
this week. Afterwards the main
guidelines of this proposal will be published in a document by the London government.
Concurrently with Brussels’ officially launching Brexit talks, the Romanian
Government’s inter-ministerial working group on Brexit discussed in Bucharest
about the negotiation files between the 27 EU member states and Great Britain.
Romania’s minister delegate for European
Affairs, Ana Birchall, has said Romania will actively participate in
consolidating a stance to reflect the interests of the 27 EU member states
during the negotiations. She said the European Commission’s mandate during the
negotiations also includes Romania’s objectives, which are mainly aimed at
safeguarding the rights of the Romanians domiciled in the United Kingdom. The
working group has also talked about preparing Romania’s candidacy to host the
European Medicines Agency, after it is relocated from London.
