EU must learn the lessons of Brexit

Commenting on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 29 April, where the EU27 adopted the guidelines for the Brexit negotiations, Greens/EFA co-president Philippe Lamberts said:

“It is encouraging that the Council and Parliament have been able to reach broad agreement on the negotiating terms for Brexit, with a welcome focus on the rights of citizens. But we need to ask what lessons have been learned from Brexit. While we avoided the worst in Austria, the Netherlands and France, we must beware complacency in the face of the nationalist-populist threat. It is clear the confidence of our citizens in their political institutions and representatives, and in their economic security, has been severely shaken. Rather than allowing a race to the bottom under the pressure of multinational corporations, we must look to elevate social, environmental and democratic standards. If we can achieve this, we will have shown we have truly learned the lessons of Brexit and will be able to move forward with the ambitious European integration which remains our best opportunity to deliver shared prosperity."