Brexit - “major loss” for EU if it cuts ties with British economy

The Polish President, Andrzej Duda, considers that it will be “a great loss” for the European Union, if it were to choose not to cooperate with Britain on the economic front owing to Brexit. Duda said, in an interview which appeared yesterday (Monday), that the British should not be “punished” as a result.

Mr Duda's statements come a few days after the Head of Eurogroup, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, considered as “unrealistic” Great Britain's approach in its exit from the European Union.

The Italian Minister for Economic Development, Carlo Calenda, considered as “unworkable” Britain’s wish to maintain its access to the common market, whilst limiting immigration.

“It would be a major loss for the EU if it split off from the British economy,” and indeed if it ended its "cooperation" with London. The Polish President insisted this, in an interview granted last week, to the news agency Bloomberg.

It would be, moreover, dangerous for “a group of stubborn [European] political men” to “try to punish the British or the United Kingdom for having dared to leave the EU,” Mr Duda pursued.

Duda called upon everyone to keep their "emotions" in check. This would avoid all stakeholders being “losers” at the end of the day, “as much in the EU as the United Kingdom.”

In June, the British voted in a referendum to leave the European Union. The subsequently-appointed new Prime Minister, Theresa May, stated that she would start the official Article 50 procedure for Britain to leave the European Union by the end of March 2017.

Brexit supporters, in particular, cautioned against the wave of hundreds of thousands of citizens coming to Britain from other EU states looking for jobs.

Mrs May stated that she wished to reduce this number, whilst maintaining “maximum” access to the single market for British businesses. This has had the effect of isolating European leaders who favour Britain also retaining continued free movement of people into and out of Britain, this being a fundamental tenet of European law.

Around 800,000 Polish individuals have left their home country to live in the United Kingdom, where they already make up one of the most significant national minorities in Britain.


The Brussels Times


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