Key remarks by Michel Barnier, Chief Negotiator for the Conduct of Negotiations with the UK
• “The State of the Union conference has become a major forum for debate. And the debate on the future of European citizenship is very much needed, now more than ever.”
• “My theme today is the importance of the rights of European citizens and the priority that they will be given in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations. In particular, free movement of people is at the heart of European citizenship.”
• “People are concerned about the free movement of EU workers, not only in the UK, but also in many other Member States. This is certainly the case, I can tell you as a French citizen, in my home country.”
• “But the solution is not to restrict the free movement of fellow EU citizens.
• “This debate goes far beyond Brexit. However, it is important to draw a number of lessons from Brexit if we are to encourage a more informed public debate across the Member States.”
• “Let me now turn to the Brexit negotiations and the rights of citizens.”
• “The EU is ready to start negotiations based on the clear guidelines of the European Council. Two days ago, the Commission put forward its recommendations for the forthcoming negotiations.”
• “I confidently expect that the Council on the twenty second of May will give me a mandate to start negotiations. It is now clear exactly what the EU intends to place on the negotiation table in June.”
• “The European Council has decided that preserving the rights of EU citizens and their families will be a priority. It should be easy to agree on general principles, but it will not be as easy to formulate all these principles neatly in a legally precise text.”
• “What are the principles that we will put forward? First, the level of protection afforded under EU law must not be watered down. Second, there must be equal treatment between all EU and UK nationals in the UK. Third, the EU requires iron-clad guarantees that rights will be effectively enforced.”
• “The media has focused a great deal on the "right to stay". Individuals legally residing in the UK today must remain residents after withdrawal, including in those cases when people have no documents to prove residency. The same goes for UK nationals in the 27.
• No one should be confronted with a mountain of red tape. But the right to residence is only one aspect amongst many others. There are a whole series of rights at stake.”
• “It would be premature of me to discuss the details of this future relationship today. Nevertheless we can be certain that Brexit will inevitably entail a number of negative consequences. This is not a question of “punishment”. These negative consequences simply follow logically from the choice made by the British people.”
• This leads me to the consequences for the UK of the EU's research and higher education policy. I understand that universities are keen to have clarity as soon as possible with regard to the future relationship that they will find themselves in.”
• “I do not expect negotiations to bring clarity on these and a plethora of other issues in the immediate future. We first need to tackle the rights of citizens and the orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom.”
• “Protecting rights is our moral duty. It is also a political necessity: we will not discuss our future relationship with the UK until the 27 Member States are reassured that all citizens will be treated properly and humanely.”
• “Some in the UK have tried to blame Member States for the continued uncertainty that citizens have been confronted with for ten months now. That is wrong. The only cause of uncertainty is Brexit. The only way to remove uncertainty and to protect rights properly is through an Article 50 agreement.”
• “Here, I should like to finish by saying that I will, of course, approach our British friends constructively and amicably on all issues. But I will also be firm, backed by European Council guidelines and Council directives.”
• “And I will do everything in my power to ensure that information on the negotiations is made public so that an informed debate can take place.”
Key remarks by Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Vice-President of the European Commission
On EU-US relations, security and defence
• “I have seen readiness and the commitment to engage”on the part of the US.
• “We have had excellent contacts with the US Vice-President”since his visit to the EU institutions.
• “We have a different approach on free trade”and other challenges such as climate change.
• “I see an interest in working together on defence and security.”
• “I would always choose the responsible way”as opposed to announcements that would make the headlines. The European approach is: “you don’t play with provocation, you try the quiet, cooperative, rational win-win approach. We have to get out of this zero-sum game”.
• “Security has become number one priority for European citizens.”
• “An EU that is stronger on defence is also strengthening NATO”. It is about “overcoming the ghosts of the past; the perception that the EU and NATO cannot work together”.
• “There is not one security threat in our world which can be faced by military power only.”The EU approach “is always an integrated”one.