JUNCKER: I’M WASTED! Outgoing EU president blasts ‘time & energy’ spent on Brexit
BREXIT has been a “waste of time and energy” for the European Union, according to outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mr Juncker said it has “pained” him to have spent “so much” of his time in his role dealing with Britain’s exit from the EU.
“The commission has worked tirelessly to negotiate and renegotiate an agreement with the United Kingdom to respect the UK’s decision to leave the European Union,” he said.
Mr Juncker said the EU could only ratify the Brexit deal that was agreed last week once it has been approved by British MPs.
He told MEPs: “We need now to watch events in Westminster very closely.
“But it’s not possible, not imaginable that this parliament would ratify the agreement before Westminster has ratified the agreement.”
Deported
European Council President Donald Tusk said he was discussing Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s request for a delay to Brexit with other EU leaders, with a decision set to be made “in the coming days”.
The request should be treated “in all seriousness”, he said.
And he added: “It is obvious that the result of these consultations will very much depend on what the British parliament decides or doesn’t decide.
“We should be ready for every scenario.
“But one thing must be clear. As I said to Prime Minister Johnson on Saturday, a no-deal Brexit will never be our decision.”
But the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator suggested that ratification of the deal there was not a foregone conclusion.
Guy Verhofstadt suggested “all problems faced by EU27 nationals in the UK need to be solved” first.
He said his demands included no citizens being deported from Britain if they miss the deadline for settled status so as to prevent “another Windrush scandal”.
On Monday, Speaker John Bercow rejected the PM’s attempt to stage a straight yes/no “meaningful vote” on the deal.
The focus now turns to the government’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which it wants to swiftly pass into law in time for the October 31 Brexit deadline.