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Reactions to Theresa May's speech: "A speech alone does not trigger negotiations." "There will be absolutely no negotiations without the official notification."
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Presentation of the programme of the Maltese Council Presidency - extracts from the opening statements. © European Union, 2017 / Source: EC - Audiovisual Service
Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta (Presidency of the Coucil):
"Unless the essence of the Turkey deal is replicated in the central Mediterranean, Europe will face a major migration crisis. Let me not mince my words. I see no way in which one single Member State can manage or absorb this further wave. Thus, the essence of the core principles of the European Union will be seriously tested unless we act now.
I do believe that a strong political message is necessary at this point. And I say that if we manage to get such an agreement, we should then, as European Union, organise humanitarian safe passages and corridors that would get recognised asylum seekers to Europe safely.
The fact that the British Prime Minister declared that she will take her country out of the Single Market because of the political choice to limit freedom of movement of persons, confirms the position of the EU27, that the four freedoms are one package. (That is by itself a somewhat positive development).
Once there is a notification, a clear and clean cut from current arrangements, and afterwards negotiating an unrelated and new free trade agreement, ushered in by possible transitional arrangements where European rules and institutions cannot be compromised, will be an arduous task.
There will be absolutely no negotiations without the official notification. Once the notification is made, depending also on the contents of such a notification, consultations will start amongst Member States with the intention of convening an extraordinary European Council meeting within a short period of time."
President Juncker:
"And ambition, we need more than ever to revive our economies, to face the migratory wave, to face the terrorist threat, to find the right way to react to the decision of the United Kingdom to choose the Brexit and to prepare our relations with 'America by Donald Trump'.
I welcome the clarifications made yesterday by the British Prime Minister. I told her last night that a speech alone does not trigger negotiations. As soon as the United Kingdom activates Article 50, it will begin an unprecedented negotiation which should culminate in two years under the Treaty and whose consequences will be considerable for that country, for its 27 partners and for the European Union as a whole. For my part, I will do everything possible to ensure that this negotiation leads to a balanced solution in full compliance with our rules.
Most of you, most of the politicians, most of our citizens and, no doubt more than all, the Commission I have the honor to chair, would have liked Europe to respond more quickly and in a more solidary way to events that sadly marked the year 2016. Often our hesitations, sometimes our divisions, have played the part of extremists and europhobes who hastened to make the Union responsible for all the evils. I want to state here and now that they are mistaken and, even more serious, that they deceive those to whom they make believe that introversion, closure of borders, rejection of asylum seekers are solutions. It's just the opposite.
We must say clearly, and especially prove, to those who think that the time has come to deconstruct the Union, to tear it apart, to divide us, that they are completely wrong. Without the Union, no country would be able to receive asylum seekers, combat terrorism, organize our economy, fight unemployment and weigh in world affairs.
The Commission proposed to reform the Dublin rules by introducing a clear, predictable and fair system to help countries on the front line in the event of a mass influx of refugees. And also by transforming the European Asylum Support Office, which has its headquarters in Valletta, into a true European Union agency for asylum.
I would like to make a solemn appeal to all of us, particularly Parliament and the Council, so that we can successfully conclude the reform of the Dublin mechanism under the Maltese presidency as time is short."
The EU Single Market
The EU Single Market is one of Europe’s major achievements. By allowing people, goods, services and capital to move more freely across the EU it opens up new opportunities for citizens, workers, businesses and consumers. It is an engine for economic growth and consumer welfare within the European Union but, however, it has not achieved its full potential yet. Its economic gains could be secured, for instance, by a better and more effective application of existing legislation and by its own deepening.
The economic cost of market fragmentation and of the gaps and shortcomings in five EU areas: the free movement of goods, the free movement of services, public procurement, the digital economy, and the body of consumer law known as the consumer acquis, ranges between EUR651 billion and EUR1.1 trillion per year, equivalent to between 5 per cent to 8.6 per cent of the EU GDP.