London cannot “choose from an à la carte menu” what it wants from the European Union, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stated. She went further, when speaking to Germany's Lower House of Parliament upon the consequences of the Brexit referendum, saying that the union is “strong enough” to survive Brexit.
“The EU is strong enough to overcome Great Britain's departure. It is indeed strong enough to continue to work to move forward, even with 27 members.”
This was her considered opinion before a crucial European Summit in Brussels. Here leaders will meet, for the first time, having part of their discussions without the United Kingdom at the table.
The United Kingdom cannot keep the rights that it had within the European Union, whilst simultaneously giving up all of its obligations “choosing from an à la carte menu”, she also warned.
“We will make sure that the negotiations do not develop per the principle of ‘choosing à la carte’. (...) Anyone leaving the family must not expect that all of their obligations disappear but that all of their rights are preserved,” she told the Bundestag.
The Brussels Times
