On CNews: The European Union is not an obstacle to Brexit

A few months before the 2019 European Elections’ Day, current events are marked by national issues such as the Grand débat national (Great National Debate), to the detriment of other subjects that should be part of the European debate. Similarly, wouldn’t the many twists and turns of Brexit parasitize the 2019 European elections’ campaign? Questions to which Yves Bertoncini, President of the European Movement – France, answered on CNEWS.

The Great National Debate launched by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron gave rise to numerous exchanges on national themes, which Yves Bertoncini welcomes: “This President had the ability to open up more to consultation”. However, he fears the consequences of the Great National Debate on European elections: “the small European debate that will follow the Great National Debate will serve as an intermediate election”. For Yves Bertoncini, these elections must concentrate as much of Europe as possible, but “if there is no clear way out of the Great National Debate, these elections will serve as an electoral test“.

Brexit: Does the European Union want to disgust other states?

Faced with Sébastien Chenu, who stated that the European Union wants to make this Brexit “an expensive and difficult divorce”, Yves Bertoncini recalled that “Brexit is a sovereign choice” and that it is sufficient on its own to disgust the other Member States. He explains that the British will leave the European Union, which is not an obstacle to this decision, but the problem is that “the British do not know where they want to live and have underestimated the costs of moving”.

Will the European Union accept a delay if the British request it?

For the President of the European Movement, the British will go out with or without agreement, but they may ask for a delay. In this case, “it will be a dilemma for Europeans who will not be able to refuse it, even if they want to because they have no interest in a disorderly exit”. Yves Bertoncini rightly points out that “Europeans did not ask for this divorce but they will nevertheless suffer the consequences“. That is why it is in their interest to make sure that Brexit goes as smoothly as possible, but Yves Bertoncini reminds us that not everything is their responsibility: “The choice of the British is a choice that engages them, they can and will go out”.

Non l’Union européenne ne fait pas obstacle à la sortie du #RoyaumeUni ! Invité sur @CNEWS le Président du @MouvEuropeen_Fr @ybertoncini explique « le choix des #Britanniques est un choix qui les engage eux » mais qui sera lourd de conséquence pour tous 👇https://t.co/ArCDCvAQBI pic.twitter.com/sODDTEth2B

— Mouvement Européen – France (@MouvEuropeen_Fr) 13 mars 2019

In addition, the President of the European Movement stresses that Brexit is above all a British conflict which is explained by the existence of two different Brexits. For him “there is a protectionist Brexit against free trade and free movement supported by the working classes and a liberal Brexit for those who want to build a Singapore on the Thames”. To reach a consensus in the British Parliament, Yves Bertoncini specified that Theresa May would have to get rid of the ultra-radical fringe of her party because “she would not have a majority without the Labour Party, if she could convince a few dozen of them perhaps she would succeed”.

While several guests accused the European Union of not wanting to respect the democratic decision represented by the referendum on Brexit, Yves Bertoncini concluded that “the denial of democracy is to consider that we, the French, will build Europe in our image without taking into account the opinions of other people, the European crisis today is a crisis of co-owners”.