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Brexit wrangle over citizens’ rights is nonsense, says Juncker 'Now they have to pay': Juncker says UK stance on Brexit bill untenable
(about 4 hours later)
Jean-Claude Juncker has dismissed Brexit negotiations over citizens’ rights as a “nonsense”, claiming he could not understand why the British had not guaranteed from the start that everything would remain the same for European nationals – “or ‘foreigners’, as they are saying in London” – after the UK leaves the EU. Jean-Claude Juncker has upped the pressure on Theresa May over Britain’s Brexit divorce bill, acknowledging Europe’s debt of gratitude to the country “during the war, after the war, before the war”, but insisting: “Now they have to pay.”
The European commission president told students in Luxembourg on Friday that progress was being made on the issue but he failed to see why the British had not taken the “common sense” option of retaining the status quo. With EU leaders meeting for a summit next week, the European commission president used a speech in Luxembourg to express his frustration at the British government’s failure so far to commit to honouring its financial obligations to the bloc on leaving it.
Ahead of a European council summit next week, where leaders are expected to conclude that talks about any future trading relationship with Britain will have to be delayed due to a lack of progress on the issues of citizens’ rights, the Irish border and the divorce bill, Juncker also said the British were learning “day after day” about the perils of their choice to leave the bloc. The Brexit secretary, David Davis, insisted on Thursday at the end of the fifth round of negotiations that the UK would only spell out what aspects of the past commitments it was willing to meet once talks were opened on the future trading relationship. As a consequence, the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, claimed the talks were in a “very disturbing state of deadlock”.
“Brexit is a serious issue,” he said. “It came unexpected but not totally unexpected. Now we have to deal with the results and first to be impressed by the numerous disadvantages that Brexit – Brexit meaning Brexit – is entailing for the British. They are discovering, as we are, day after day, new problems. That is the reason why this process will take longer than initially thought.” Juncker told students at Luxembourg University that the British position was untenable. “We cannot find, for the time being, a real compromise as far as the remaining financial commitments of the UK are concerned,” he said.
He continued: “We had the idea that we would clear all the questions related to the divorce, but it’s not possible. Citizens’ rights, yes, we are making progress. I don’t even understand this problem. Why not say, easily, with common sense – which is not a political category, as we know – that things will stay as they are? The Europeans – ‘foreigners’, as they are saying in London – they are there in the island, and so many British friends are here. Let them here, let them there. Why are we discussing nonsense like that?” “As we cannot do this, we will not be able to say during the European council in October that now we can move to the second phase of the negotiations, which means the shaping of the British-European future. Things have to [be] done. One has to deliver.
On Thursday, the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said the talks were in a state of “deadlock” due to a failure to find a way forward on the divorce bill, which it has been estimated could be as large as €100bn, although it is likely to come to half that amount. “If you are sitting in the bar and you are ordering 28 beers and then suddenly some of your colleagues [are leaving without] paying, that is not feasible. They have to pay. They have to pay.”
Juncker reiterated the EU position that Britain would need to pay in full the cost of the financial commitments it had made as a member of the EU, including contingent liabilities such as pensions and covering long-term loans. To laughter in the audience, Juncker added: “Not in an impossible way. I am not in a revenge way. I am not hating the British. We Europeans have to be grateful for so many things Britain has brought to Europe. During the war, before the war, after the war. Everywhere and every time. But now they have to pay.”
The British government has so far refused to spell out what it is willing to pay, claiming it cannot do so unless it is clear on what the future relationship with the bloc will be. Estimates on the size of the divorce bill have varied from about €60bn to €100bn (£54bn to £90bn).
On citizens’ rights, differences remain between the negotiating parties on a number of issues including the so-called right of family reunification, which would allow EU nationals to avoid having to meet an income threshold, as British citizens do, when they are seeking to bring a non-EU spouse to the UK. Juncker also dismissed the negotiations over citizens’ rights as a “nonsense”, claiming he could not understand why the British had not guaranteed from the start that everything would remain the same for European nationals – “or ‘foreigners’, as they are saying in London” – after the UK leaves the EU.
Juncker said on Friday that while European citizens would always grateful for Britain’s influence and impact on the continent, “now they [Britain] need to pay”. Citizens’ rights is the aspect of the negotiation upon which the two parties are closest to a deal, but differences remain on a number of aspects, including the so-called right of family reunification, which would allow EU nationals to avoid having to meet an income threshold, as British citizens do, when they are seeking to bring a non-EU spouse to the UK.
He said: “We cannot find, for the time being, a real compromise as far as the remaining financial commitments of the UK are concerned. As we cannot do this, we will not be able to say during the European council in October that now we can move to the second phase of the negotiations, which means the shaping of the British-European future. Things have to [be] done. One has to deliver.” “Brexit is a serious issue,” Juncker said. “It came unexpected but not totally unexpected. Now we have to deal with the results and first to be impressed by the numerous disadvantages that Brexit – Brexit meaning Brexit – is entailing for the British. They are discovering, as we are, day after day, new problems. That is the reason why this process will take longer than initially thought.”
To laughter from the students at Luxembourg university, he added: “If you are sitting in the bar and you are ordering 28 beers and then suddenly some of your colleagues [are leaving without] paying, that is not feasible. They have to pay, they have to pay. Juncker continued: “We had the idea that we would clear all the questions related to the divorce, but it’s not possible. Citizens’ rights, yes, we are making progress. I don’t even understand this problem. Why not say, easily, with common sense – which is not a political category, as we know – that things will stay as they are? The Europeans – ‘foreigners’, as they are saying in London – they are there in the island, and so many British friends are here. Let them here, let them there. Why are we discussing nonsense like that?”
“Not in an impossible way. I am not in a revenge way. I am not hating the British. We Europeans have to be grateful for many things to Britain. During the war, before the war, after the war. Everywhere and every time. But now they have to pay.” The European council summit next week is expected to see the EU’s leaders conclude that talks about any future trading relationship with Britain will have to be delayed because of a lack of progress on the issues of citizens’ rights, the Irish border and the divorce bill.
A document leaked on Thursday suggests that the European council president, Donald Tusk, will, however, invite the 27 EU member states to start working among themselves on their vision of the transition period and the future relationship, in the hope that sufficient progress on the opening issues can be made by a summit in December.
One EU source said the move was both “prudent planning” and an attempt to push the UK to build on Theresa May’s pledge in her speech in Florence to pay its way, including the provision of €20bn to ensure no member state loses out in the two years after Brexit.
During a wide-ranging speech, Juncker also attempted to play down suggestions that his recent state of the union address was an attempt to turn the EU into a single political entity.
“I don’t believe a European citizen would really like to see the creation of a united states of Europe similar to what they have in the USA,” he said. “I’m not in favour of a united states of Europe, but I am in favour of further integration.”