EU has more pressing priorities than Brexit - French finance minister

[webfact]

EU has more pressing priorities than Brexit - French finance minister

 

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire delivers a speech in Le Havre, France September 6, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

 

PARIS (Reuters) - The European Union has more pressing priorities than Britain's future relationship with the bloc, starting with its own future, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said.

 

EU leaders last week rejected British Prime Minister Theresa May's proposals for post-Brexit trade, standing firm on their position that the plan would undermine their cherished single market.

 

"The British made their choice, that's fine. Excuse me to say so brutally, but there are more important things for us than the future of the United Kingdom. It's the future of the European Union," Le Maire told a small group of foreign journalists on Tuesday.

 

"Any decision that gives European citizens the impression that you can leave the European Union and keep all the advantages would be suicidal," he added.

 

He said the priority was to strengthen the euro zone, notably by completing plans for a backstop for its bank resolution fund and creating a shared budget, so that it could cope with a new financial or economic crisis.

 

Paris is reluctant to let Britain's EU divorce talks drag on and President Emmanuel Macron said last week that he expected Britain to put forward new proposals next month.

 

May has insisted she is sticking with her "Chequers" plan, despite fierce opposition from some in her party. She has complained that the EU had not given her detailed reasons for its rebuff.

 

Macron's cabinet is holding meetings every two weeks to ensure practical preparations are in place should Britain leave the EU without a post-Brexit agreement in place.

 

Le Maire said far more was at stake for Britain as all estimates indicated Brexit would have only a limited impact on French economic growth.

 

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-09-26

[melvinmelvin]

I that photo from the naming ceremony of a container ship?

 

[dick dasterdly]

I shouldn't laugh as to be fair, the eu does indeed have other (equally or more important problems) trying to contain the discontent amongst a number of the electorate in other eu countries.

 

IF ONLY the eu was capable of self-reform as a result of the obvious discontent!  But it has proven that it has no intention of reform ☹️ - which is understandable as that would hit their pay and 'pockets'....

Edited September 26, 2018 by dick dasterdly

[terryw]

Glad to hear an important European politician doing some straight-talking. 

 

The problem is that too many politicians in the UK believe that the Europeans are our friends.

 

The truth is that they might like our money but they are definately our business rivals. They do not want a successful UK outside the EU.

[Jonmarleesco]

The French would claim that. But I highly doubt it.

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, terryw said:

Glad to hear an important European politician doing some straight-talking. 

 

The problem is that too many politicians in the UK believe that the Europeans are our friends.

 

The truth is that they might like our money but they are definately our business rivals. They do not want a successful UK outside the EU.

Do you mean that the Europeans are currently the business rivals of the UK or will be once Brexit has been completed?

[mfd101]

The problem is that too many politicians in the EU believe that the British are our friends.

 

The truth is that the British may like our money but they are definitely our business rivals. They do not want a successful EU apart from the UK.

 

 

[the guest]

UK isn't important so really the EU do indeed have bigger fish to fry. Most of industry in the Uk is foreign-owned so leaving won't change where the profit goes.

[Guest]

34 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

The problem is that too many politicians in the EU believe that the British are our friends.

 

The truth is that the British may like our money but they are definitely our business rivals. They do not want a successful EU apart from the UK.

That's correct. This is also why there will be far less purchases from UK by EU consumers once Brexit has happened. 

 

Brexiters don't tell us we didn't warn you this was going to happen once it becomes reality in March 2019. 

[Sir Dude]

Quote

...President Emmanuel Macron said last week that he expected Britain to put forward new proposals next month.

 

Honestly, this bourgeois arrogant prick nonchalantly "expects" the UK to come with yet more compromises because it's simply not good enough terms to leave the "club" at present. Well, talk about comments being unhelpful and unwelcome. There is no negotiation possible with the EU and it never intended to have any as it has to cower all the other members into submission with fear. Whatever side of this debate you are on, that is BS.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Sir Dude said:

 

Honestly, this bourgeois arrogant prick nonchalantly "expects" the UK to come with yet more compromises because it's simply not good enough terms to leave the "club" at present. Well, talk about comments being unhelpful and unwelcome. There is no negotiation possible with the EU and it never intended to have any as it has to cower all the other members into submission with fear. Whatever side of this debate you are on, that is BS.

Honestly EU has been really patient with UK trying to decide what it wants in the future.

 

That time of patience is now over. UK, find out what you want and find it out fast.

 

Why an earth EU should spend more time to 'negotiate' with UK and all the drama UK seems to love so much. 

 

Britain is not pretty enough to be allowed to show such dramatic acts like Thai bar girls are able to pull for us. 

[bristolboy]

41 minutes ago, the guest said:

UK isn't important so really the EU do indeed have bigger fish to fry. Most of industry in the Uk is foreign-owned so leaving won't change where the profit goes.

Not true

One in four large UK businesses are foreign owned - but which countries own most?

"Among large businesses - defined as those that employ more than 250 people - the rate of foreign ownership rises to 27pc.,,

The ONS found that foreign-owned businesses contributed £333.7bn in approximate gross value added, turning over £1.26 trillion. Gross value added is a productivity measure that tallies up the net value of goods and services produced."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/03/27/one-four-large-uk-businesses-foreign-owned-countries/

If I understand that figure correctly, then slightly less than 13% of UK GDP is created by foreign owned firms. That's still a substantial number, but not even close to "most".

[bristolboy]

14 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

 

Honestly, this bourgeois arrogant prick nonchalantly "expects" the UK to come with yet more compromises because it's simply not good enough terms to leave the "club" at present. Well, talk about comments being unhelpful and unwelcome. There is no negotiation possible with the EU and it never intended to have any as it has to cower all the other members into submission with fear. Whatever side of this debate you are on, that is BS.

It's really not a matter of the EU being obliged to compromise. The UK chose to leave. It wants to be outside the EU. So the most it should reasonably expect is the best deal that the EU has offered to other nations outside the EU. So not Canada++++ but just Canada. Or whatever other deals the EU has offered nations outside the borders of the EU.

Edited September 26, 2018 by bristolboy

[melvinmelvin]

19 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

 

Honestly, this bourgeois arrogant prick nonchalantly "expects" the UK to come with yet more compromises because it's simply not good enough terms to leave the "club" at present. Well, talk about comments being unhelpful and unwelcome. There is no negotiation possible with the EU and it never intended to have any as it has to cower all the other members into submission with fear. Whatever side of this debate you are on, that is BS.

1

 

that is no BS but a very clear signal to

 

a)  UK

b) the EU negotiators

 

re what France could be prepared to accept re final deal

 

don't kid yourself, this is no pub game

 

Edited September 26, 2018 by melvinmelvin

[Esso49]

Another typical arrogant pratt.   When the UK leaves next year it will prompt referendum from other nations concerned the way the EEC is heading. We know that Italians, Dutch and the Greeks could well put the vote to their people so the 27 in 2019 may well become the 23 in 2023.  And that's assuming other countries don't follow suit.  By  2030 we could see a Europe very different from today.  Most certainly Germany will be taking a massive swing to the right again with all the refugees, by then having settled status and wanting more say. Remember last time anybody ? France will do what it always does,  nothing, and just rely on other nations to help them out.   Leaving exactly what behind ? The alchoholic European Commissioner, Juncker, together with his sweetheart Michel Barnier,  better start stocking up on their Bisto granules now because their gravy train will soon start grinding to a halt.

 

 

Edited September 26, 2018 by Esso49

[OneMoreFarang]

Brexit is important. But what can the EU really do until the UK made up their mind what they want?

The EU put all possible option on the table a long time ago. Now the UK has to chose which option they want.

Only the UK can decide what they want.

Why should the EU waste more resources trying to do something as long as the UK does nothing substantial?

 

It's like someone coming to a shop and the owner tells the visitor what is available and what it cost.

Now it's up the visitor to decide what he wants.

And telling the shop owner we want that big cake over there for the price of that little cake but only if you include lots of cherries just won't work.

Edited September 26, 2018 by OneMoreFarang

[Esso49]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Brexit is important. But what can the EU really do until the UK made up their mind what they want?

The EU put all possible option on the table a long time ago. Now the UK has to chose which option they want.

Only the UK can decide what they want.

Why should the EU waste more resources trying to do something as long as the UK does nothing substantial?

 

It's like someone coming to a shop and the owner tells the visitor what is available and what it cost.

Now it's up the visitor to decide what he wants.

And telling the shop owner we want that big cake over there for the price of that little cake but only if you include lots of cherries just won't work.

I disagree.   You join a party organised by your company where food and drink are laid on.  When you wish to leave you are not expected to pay to leave.  In fact the party is a thank you for your contribution to the companies well being.

The UK should never ever have considered negotiation  as there is nothing to negotiate. Leave full stop. Nothing in the EEC agreement states anything about penalties on leaving.  It is a figment of an Alcoholics imagination and a French arrogant pillock who have deceived the sheep into thinking that screwing another country, or trying to do so, is a good thing  and of course being given general support for their antics by the German Chancellor who is more unpopular herself than ever , just trying to blow a smoke screen over her own internal problems.

[Sir Dude]

4 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Brexit is important. But what can the EU really do until the UK made up their mind what they want?

The EU put all possible option on the table a long time ago. Now the UK has to chose which option they want.

Only the UK can decide what they want.

Why should the EU waste more resources trying to do something as long as the UK does nothing substantial?

 

It's like someone coming to a shop and the owner tells the visitor what is available and what it cost.

Now it's up the visitor to decide what he wants.

And telling the shop owner we want that big cake over there for the price of that little cake but only if you include lots of cherries just won't work.

 

 

That's all very well if the shop owner has zip to lose...which is not the case here. Looks like the EU wants to have it's cake and eat it too.

 

If we are going with the metaphors, then its like a group of mafia controlled businesses that suddenly one says "I'm out" but will still give the mafia their bit/concessions on lots of things (even pay to leave) but we want to do our own thing regarding business, justice decisions and who is on/allowed into our turf (and still trade to mutual benefit) plus will also still contribute to the security of the area controlled by the mafia with forces and law enforcement intel and boots-on-the-ground if required. Mafia says "No" because it's not good for us compared to now...and the leaving business gets whacked. 

[bristolboy]

27 minutes ago, Esso49 said:

Another typical arrogant pratt.   When the UK leaves next year it will prompt referendum from other nations concerned the way the EEC is heading. We know that Italians, Dutch and the Greeks could well put the vote to their people so the 27 in 2019 may well become the 23 in 2023.  And that's assuming other countries don't follow suit.  By  2030 we could see a Europe very different from today.  Most certainly Germany will be taking a massive swing to the right again with all the refugees, by then having settled status and wanting more say. Remember last time anybody ? France will do what it always does,  nothing, and just rely on other nations to help them out.   Leaving exactly what behind ? The alchoholic European Commissioner, Juncker, together with his sweetheart Michel Barnier,  better start stocking up on their Bisto granules now because their gravy train will soon start grinding to a halt.

 

 

Predict away all you like. Right now, the majority of Greeks and Italians not only want to stay in the EU but they want to keep the Euro as well.

[melvinmelvin]

2 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Predict away all you like. Right now, the majority of Greeks and Italians not only want to stay in the EU but they want to keep the Euro as well.

dont screw up a good anti EU rant from non thinkers

 

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Brexit is important. But what can the EU really do until the UK made up their mind what they want?

The EU put all possible option on the table a long time ago. Now the UK has to chose which option they want.

Only the UK can decide what they want.

Why should the EU waste more resources trying to do something as long as the UK does nothing substantial?

 

It's like someone coming to a shop and the owner tells the visitor what is available and what it cost.

Now it's up the visitor to decide what he wants.

And telling the shop owner we want that big cake over there for the price of that little cake but only if you include lots of cherries just won't work.

 

Indeed. UK made it's mind and now has to bear the consequences of pushing the Article 50 bell, which separates it from the EU.

 

EU has been waiting patiently what UK actually wants. So far nobody knows, not even UK.

 

UK made her decision to divorce. Now do your decision, what you want our relationship to be in the future. EU is still forced to wait for UK to get her act together.

[Sir Dude]

2 minutes ago, melvinmelvin said:

dont screw up a good anti EU rant from non thinkers

 

Ahh...resorting to insults rather than discussion.

[Brunolem]

18 minutes ago, Esso49 said:

Another typical arrogant pratt.   When the UK leaves next year it will prompt referendum from other nations concerned the way the EEC is heading. We know that Italians, Dutch and the Greeks could well put the vote to their people so the 27 in 2019 may well become the 23 in 2023.  And that's assuming other countries don't follow suit.  By  2030 we could see a Europe very different from today.  Most certainly Germany will be taking a massive swing to the right again with all the refugees, by then having settled status and wanting more say. Remember last time anybody ? France will do what it always does,  nothing, and just rely on other nations to help them out.   Leaving exactly what behind ? The alchoholic European Commissioner, Juncker, together with his sweetheart Michel Barnier,  better start stocking up on their Bisto granules now because their gravy train will soon start grinding to a halt.

 

 

Yes...

Referendum are unlikely in a EU which is looking more and more like the former Soviet Union, with its politburo sitting in Brussels and country leaders who think the populations are stupid, can't be trusted, and need to blindly follow luminaries such as Merkel and Macron.

 

Well, Merkel is dying a slow political death and Macron will soon remain the only dinosaur in the room, notwithstanding the politburo of course.

 

The British will probably be better off being outside before the whole house of cards crumbles...they may have jumped in the last rescue boat before the EU Titanic hit the iceberg...

 

The EU has so many fish to fry, or rather holes to plug that it has become impossible to count them, starting with the walking dead euro and its cohort of walking dead banks which are still moving only thanks to the manipulations of the ECB in Francfort.

 

The UK won't be on the hook when the time will come to finance the culling of this rotten herd.

 

Instead, the UK will be able to focus all its energy on its crown jewel...not at Buckingham Palace, but in the City, the world capital of financial crime and only real breadwinner of a country which has known better times...

 

 

[Guest]

35 minutes ago, Esso49 said:

Another typical arrogant pratt.   When the UK leaves next year it will prompt referendum from other nations concerned the way the EEC is heading. We know that Italians, Dutch and the Greeks could well put the vote to their people so the 27 in 2019 may well become the 23 in 2023.  And that's assuming other countries don't follow suit.  By  2030 we could see a Europe very different from today.  Most certainly Germany will be taking a massive swing to the right again with all the refugees, by then having settled status and wanting more say. Remember last time anybody ? France will do what it always does,  nothing, and just rely on other nations to help them out.   Leaving exactly what behind ? The alchoholic European Commissioner, Juncker, together with his sweetheart Michel Barnier,  better start stocking up on their Bisto granules now because their gravy train will soon start grinding to a halt.

 

 

It's funny how you call a EU leader as arrogant prat, when he doesn't think that Britain and it's Brexit is the centre of the universe. 

 

 

[welovesundaysatspace]

5 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

Looks like the EU wants to have it's cake and eat it too.

The biggest cake for the EU is the single market. Offering some crumbs instead won’t work. 

 

5 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

Mafia says "No" because it's not good for us compared to now...and the leaving business gets whacked. 

1. The EU, unlike a mafia, operates based on laws. If the U.K. feels it is being treated unfairly, it can call a court. The EU will do that if the U.K. doesn’t fulfill its payment obligations.

 

2. The EU doesn’t say “no”. It cannot even say “no”. Article 50 has been triggered; there is no way back. 

 

3. Likewise, the EU isn’t whacking anyone because the EU can’t. If anything, the U.K. is whacking itself.

[Esso49]

16 minutes ago, oilinki said:

It's funny how you call a EU leader as arrogant prat, when he doesn't think that Britain and it's Brexit is the centre of the universe. 

 

 

Clearly over your head because the article is about the French Foreign Ministers statement whom is not a EU leader ! but he is just a normal arrogant Frenchman who perhaps would like to think he is the EU Leader rather than the drunk from Luxembourg.

[My Thai Life]

30 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

1. The EU, unlike a mafia, operates based on laws. If the U.K. feels it is being treated unfairly, it can call a court. The EU will do that if the U.K. doesn’t fulfill its payment obligations.

 

2. The EU doesn’t say “no”. It cannot even say “no”. Article 50 has been triggered; there is no way back. 

 

3. Likewise, the EU isn’t whacking anyone because the EU can’t. If anything, the U.K. is whacking itself.

1 Actually the Mafia does operate to its own laws. Very strictly enforced I understand. The UK's payment obligations are a matter of different legal opinions.  If we end up in a no-deal situation we have very limited payment obligations. Rather like being in a marriage, when you divorce you don't pay for the projects that haven't yet started, or continue to pay for projects for which you don't receive ongoing benefits. On the contrary, you share the assets. The EU could end up owing us money ????

 

2 There are conflicting legal opinions about this, but I haven't heard a leaver ask for it anyway.

 

3 Is this the Godfather type of whacking ????  The EU can take a number of different approaches - the cliche that the EU can only follow rules is too simplistic. The EU has a lot to lose in a bad outcome, so does the UK, but nobody's going to get whacked - it's just a figure of speech I guess. A successful post-Brexit UK is very scary for the EU, as other countries might follow suit. Naturally this affects the EU’s posture. There are also numerous different views about Brexit within the EU nations. This all gets glossed over in the forum’s mud-slinging and point-scoring.

Edited September 26, 2018 by My Thai Life

[melvinmelvin]

4 minutes ago, Esso49 said:

Clearly over your head because the article is about the French Foreign Ministers statement whom is not a EU leader ! but he is just a normal arrogant Frenchman who perhaps would like to think he is the EU Leader rather than the drunk from Luxembourg.

 

this is exactly the much sought after attitude desperately needed for UK to complete a usefull deal with EU and an

orderly exit from the EU,

 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Esso49 said:

Clearly over your head because the article is about the French Foreign Ministers statement whom is not a EU leader ! but he is just a normal arrogant Frenchman who perhaps would like to think he is the EU Leader rather than the drunk from Luxembourg.

What are you saying? Of course he is a EU leader. Just like my country's president and Theresa May are EU leaders. 

 

EU is not run by some arbitrary aliens, EU is run by people who are elected to run our countries. You should know this by now. 

[Esso49]

Just now, oilinki said:

What are you saying? Of course he is a EU leader. Just like my country's president and Theresa May are EU leaders. 

 

EU is not run by some arbitrary aliens, EU is run by people who are elected to run our countries. You should know this by now. 

He is not a leader, he is only a Minister under Macron who is the French Leader, or in your world is everybody in any government who is arrogant enough to sprout their own version of what the EC needs to do "a Leader".  If so that explains why the EU is where it is today,  a bunch of headless chickens all running around thinking they are a leader. More like a flock of sheep.