Brexit report: “We draw a highway with several exit lanes”

Invited by several national media on 10 and 11 April 2019, Yves Bertoncini, President of the European Movement – France, comments on the challenges of Brexit and the consequences of its postponement until 31 October for European integration.

“Ensuring an orderly exit is in everyone’s interest”

Yves Bertoncini recalled that leaving the United Kingdom without an agreement, the No Deal scenario, would be catastrophic not only for Great Britain, but also for the European Union. That is why, in the period of the “interregnum”, when European integration will be “a little slow”, the European Union has nothing to lose by giving the British extra time while encouraging them to ratify the exit agreement as soon as possible. “As on a motorway heading towards the cliff”, they can use several ways out before 31 October: by ratifying the agreement before 22 May so as not to hold European elections, or before 31 June so as not to send deputies to Strasbourg.

“Preventing the United Kingdom from being kept in the EU from undermining its proper functioning”

Yves Bertoncini recalled that despite the statements of several British personalities, the British MEPs elected on 23 May will only represent 10% of the hemicycle and will have little chance of blocking European integration.  “It’s vocal, it’s tribunitarian, but it’s not with them that compromises are made – compromises are made with the governing parties in a grand coalition. Moreover, if these deputies are elected for only a few months, they will not be given positions of responsibility.

The President of the European Movement also stresses that no major European decision in the coming months – including the appointment of the President of the Commission – requires unanimity and cannot therefore be blocked by the United Kingdom representatives. On the other hand, the British are expected to leave the EU before the negotiations in November on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, where a country can block all decisions of the Council of Ministers.

“A little Shakespearean theatre in all this”

Yves Bertoncini commented on the position of the President of the Republic who wished to limit the postponement of Brexit to a minimum. According to him, “Emmanuel Macron would like us to take care of something else. He has very ambitious projects on Europe, he is an architect of European construction, he has designed the overall vision, except that he currently finds himself not with an architect’s helmet, but with a fireman’s helmet”.

Nevertheless, this shows a Franco-German dissensus: “Europe as it is today is suitable for Germans who do not generally share the revolutionary macronist project”.

“Theresa May made a gift of herself.”

For the President of the European Movement, the organisation of the European elections in the United Kingdom is a new means of pressure used by Theresa May to get the exit agreement ratified. It characterises the UK’s internal policy as a “poker game” where all scenarios are now on the table. In order to find an understanding, it is essential that Theresa May find a transparent agreement with the Labour Party – and she had to start these negotiations much earlier. According to Yves Bertoncini, she made a “gift of herself” by putting her resignation on the balance sheet and thus eliminating all political thought – the ball is now in Jeremy Corbyn’s court – who also has ulterior motives and may want chaos to settle in order to win his party in the European or legislative elections.

To review these programs:

– On FranceInfo
– In the programme “Ça se comprend” on Cnews (debate with Alex Taylor, British journalist, Stéphane DEO, economist and Harold Hyman, CNEWS journalist from Brussels)
– On BFM Business
– On France 24 EN (debate with Mary Honeyball, British MEP, Pierre-Jérôme Hénin, President of The Progressive Company and Mark François, Vice-President of the European Research Group)
– On BFM TV (debate with Charlotte Onfroy, special correspondent in Brussels, Anne-Elisabeth Moutet, editorial writer at the Daily Telegraph, Christian Makarian, Deputy Editorial Director of L’Express, Stéphane Ravier, Senator (RN), François Grosdidier, Senator (LR), Julien Bargeton, Senator (LREM), Bruno Jeudy, political editorialist at BFMTV and Bastien Lachaud, Deputy (FI))
– On Swiss Radio Television
– On SudRadio
– On ARTE
– On Cnews in the program “Les voix de l’info”