Renew Europe has today welcomed the conclusion of Brexit talks ahead of the end of the transition period and is committed to scrutinising the provisional agreement reached today before a European Parliament consent vote next year.
While we welcome the agreement, which promises to provide much needed certainty for businesses and citizens, Renew Europe regrets that, due to the British Government’s choices and tactics, the European Parliament will not be able to scrutinise and consider its consent in 2020. The European Parliament must have access to the negotiated texts as soon as possible.
President of Renew Europe, Dacian Ciolos, said today:
"I welcome that an agreement has today been reached. The agreement will certainly contribute to mitigate the damage of Brexit and provide certainty for European citizens and businesses.
I am confident that the agreement will also contribute to building a balanced and solid relation between the European Union and the United Kingdom in the coming years. The EU and the UK need to remain close friends and partners to the benefit of both European and British citizens."
"I would like to thank Michel Barnier for his tireless work. The EU has shown exceptional unity throughout this process.
"Renew Europe deeply regrets that the European Parliament will not be able to scrutinize the text and provide its consent before of the end of the year, in the regular manner, due to UK’s government negotiating tactics which led to significant delays. Under no circumstance, this cannot set a precedent for future trade and partnership agreements.
The members of Renew Europe will democratically scrutinize the text of the agreement as soon as possible, bearing in mind the interest of the European citizens".
Nathalie Loiseau MEP, a member of the UK Coordination Group and chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence said:
"As much as we know that there is no good Brexit, it was important that all efforts were made until the very last minute in order to protect the interests of European citizens and businesses and to preserve a strong relationship with the UK in the future. "
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to Michel Barnier for his tireless efforts. We will take a close look at the agreed text and make sure it is fair, balanced and sustainable before we give our consent. "
"A good agreement makes no winners and no losers. A good agreement must be the victory of realism against ideology and a promise for the future instead of nostalgia for the past. I hope this will be the case. "
Morten Helveg Petersen MEP, member of the UK Coordination Group said:
‘We will now closely scrutinise this provisional agreement, and hopefully it delivers on all the issues that we know have been difficult. Fishing is one example. We all wish for some form of agreement, in order to avoid a no- deal, but of course it has to be the right deal.’
Liesje Schreinemacher MEP, Renew Europe shadow for EU - UK relations on the European Parliament’s Trade Committee said :
“We all know this Brexit deal has been a long time in the making. Especially for citizens and businesses, it is a relief that we are a step closer to clarity and avoiding a no-deal Brexit. The final step is a vote in the European Parliament, and we will work hard in the next weeks to scrutinise the texts. We have been clear from the start that we prefer a deal, but not at any cost. I want to see our internal market protected in this deal as well as a decent compromise on fisheries. "
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