Press

In a speech to the Centre for European Reform which will enrage Eurosceptics, Mr Barnier insisted that any attempt to create new rules after Brexit even on domestic issues such as farming and healthcare will meet fierce resistance from the EU.

Mr Barnier argued there would be a risk to Europe’s financial stability if the continent’s main financial centre was outside the EU’s regulatory orbit. While co-operation would be possible at international level, Mr Barnier said this could never amount to the type of access enjoyed by Britain under the single market. “Let’s not have a short memory!” he said, referring to the financial crisis. “We will not compromise on financial stability — we will never compromise on financial stability — in the EU and in the eurozone.” His assessment came in a speech to the Centre for European Reform that highlighted the hurdles remaining if Britain is to achieve “sufficient progress” in divorce negotiations by a crucial December summit.

France had wanted a smaller group; that Germany’s eastern neighbours are included is an important signal , says Sophia Besch, a security expert at the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think-tank. But for PESCO to succeed, much more is needed, including financial commitments which German voters may still be unwilling to accept.

 Unia próbowała tego wiele razy. Po raz pierwszy inicjatywa może zakończyć się sukcesem – mówiła Sophia Besch, ekspertka think tanku Centre for European Reform w Londynie.

 Po raz pierwszy inicjatywa może zakończyć się sukcesem – mówi Sophia Besch, ekspertka think tanku Centre for European Reform w Londynie. Państwa Europy Środkowowschodniej krytykowały od początku zawarty w PESCO cel budowy tzw. strategicznej autonomii UE, której wielkim zwolennikiem jest prezydent Macron. Uważam, że ta krytyka jest słuszna, bo ten zapis tworzy pole do zbyt wielu interpretacji – uważa Sophia Besch.