Brexit – a question of timing for Hollande and May

[webfact]

Brexit – a question of timing for Hollande and May

PARIS: -- The journey matters as much as the destination for Theresa May, and she is clear she wants to take her time exit the EU.

After their first meeting in Paris, the French President appeared to offer some breathing space to the new UK prime minister on triggering divorce proceedings, but pressed home an argument with universal appeal.

“Uncertainty is the biggest danger. While citizens and economic players have doubts about what we are going to do…this creates risks for stability, for the European economy and therefore risks for employment, which is something we are firmly committed to protecting.”

By travelling to Berlin and now Paris, her first foreign tour is an attempt to persuade the EU’s biggest players not to punish Britain over Brexit. May also underlined Britain and France’s shared interests, by reeling off some numbers.

“Last year the value of our bilateral trade reached 50bn euros. We are one another’s fifth largest export markets. Today, French companies employ 360,000 people across the UK. And we are the fourth largest investor in France and I want to reiterate that Britain remains open for Business. That French citizens and their EU counterparts can continue to work in Britain.”

Hollande echoed the sentiment saying that British citizens living in France could stay. But he made clear that in order to stay in the single market, the UK must accept free movement of workers.

On border controls, they agreed that the British border should remain in Calais. Hollande said, “We consider it as our duty … to apply it and also to improve it.”

While May ended by asking for constructive discussions in the run-up to formal Brexit talks, for Hollande pre-negotiations were out of the question.

But on one matter they were unequivocally united – the fight against terror. May said that that Britain stands ‘shoulder-to-shoulder with France’ and offered her condolences to the families of the victims of the Nice truck attack.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-07-22

[JoePai]

May should not worry about that little drip - Hollande will be out of office very soon

[Jip99]

I don't see any real conflict on timing of negotiations - sooner the better suits both parties.

With the value of the bilateral trade I can see that the only contentious point will restrictions on the freedom of movement.

[oxo1947]

The Schengen Agreement----is the main issue IMO that the majority in Britain wants out of the EU. There are other problems of course, but If the main countries like France -Germany-Spain (& especially Belgium) can not see that the Schengen Agreement can not work----then lets get out ASAP.

Because with this sort of wait---we are still bound by the Schengen Agreement until article 50 is enacted.

Edited July 22, 2016 by oxo1947

[Baerboxer]

The Schengen Agreement----is the main issue IMO that the majority in Britain wants out of the EU. There are other problems of course, but If the main countries like France -Germany-Spain (& especially Belgium) can not see that the Schengen Agreement can not work----then lets get out ASAP.

Because with this sort of wait---we are still bound by the Schengen Agreement until article 50 is enacted.

The UK and Eire are both outside of Schengen. Rest of the EU member states are in, along with non EU members Switzerland and Norway.

The biggest issue the free movement of workers i.e. to travel to, work and live in any EU member state.

The UK is outside of Schengen and EU citizens entering the UK have to show a passport at border control,

The issue of illegal immigration by economic migrants is different again.

[bkkcanuck8]

I don't see any real conflict on timing of negotiations - sooner the better suits both parties.

With the value of the bilateral trade I can see that the only contentious point will restrictions on the freedom of movement.

Not quite, with bilateral trade each country has it's own negotiating positions visa vie a UK as just a trading partner. You in effect need agreement of all 27 countries for the trade agreement to go into full force. In the end without the free movement of labour within the borders of EU the UK will not be considered domestic and even with the best agreement you can negotiate you will not have the same trading relationship in all aspects.

Although I believe they will be able to work out a reasonably deep trading agreement there is no way you can be outside and treated as domestic. In effect the rest of the countries would then become 2nd class citizens within the union. If you expect no friction while negotiating the agreement or everything will be the same but without free movement... it might be time to check into a rehab clinic because your pipe-dreams are clouding your sense of reality