Brexit ‘a warning to other states’
BREXIT will badly affect Britain – and will act as a warning to other EU countries thinking of breaking away, the European Commission president has said.
Jean-Claude Juncker said other EU countries will realise it is not worth leaving the bloc when they see what Brexit does to Britain.
British prime minister Theresa May yesterday announced the UK would trigger Article 50 on March 29 next week – beginning two years of negotations before leaving the EU.
But Mr Juncker signalled the effects of Brexit would be bad for Britain, saying: ‘Britain’s example will make everyone realise that it’s not worth leaving.’
He said the decision by UK voters to leave the EU and what happened afterwards will persuade the remaining 27 member states to appreciate their position inside the bloc.
‘On the contrary, the remaining member states will fall in love with each other again and renew their vows with the European Union,’ Mr Juncker told Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
In an apparent rebuff at the idea of associate membership of the EU, he said: ‘Half-memberships and cherry-picking aren’t possible. In Europe you eat what’s on the table or you don’t sit at the table.’
Meanwhile, former taoiseach John Bruton has warned that Ireland now needs to ‘prepare for the worst’ as the Brexit negotiations are imminent. He said the State needs to ‘up our game diplomatically in Europe’.
Mr Bruton said Ireland must also try to make the best of any opportunity that arises, including attracting financial services here. ‘One of them is, of course, to attract more of the financial services activity that is currently in London into Ireland,’ he said.