Tag: Guy Verhofstadt

• Saturday, June 10th 2017 - 10:30 UTC

  Europe “ready” to begin Brexit talks sticking to the time plan, says Angela Merkel

  

  Angela Merkel has said she sees no obstacles in the way of beginning Brexit talks as scheduled after Theresa May failed to win a majority in Thursday's UK election. The German chancellor said she believed Britain would stick to the timetable, adding the European Union was “ready”.

• Monday, May 15th 2017 - 07:46 UTC

  EU prepared to block Brexit talks unless citizenship measures are “reasonable”

  

  The European Parliament could seek to block talks on a UK-EU trade deal unless guarantees are put in place for the rights of citizens, the MEP in charge of the process has indicated. Guy Verhofstadt, the parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, said MEPs would have to decide whether sufficient progress had been made on issues including EU citizens’ rights in the UK and those of British expatriates on the continent before talks on Britain’s future relationship with Brussels could proceed.

• Monday, April 24th 2017 - 11:26 UTC

  PM May's snap election driven by “political opportunism”, claims EU parliament Brexit negotiator

  

  UK Prime Minister Theresa May's claims that a general election victory will strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations have been called “nonsensical” by the European Parliament's chief Brexit coordinator. Guy Verhofstadt, a long-standing critic of Brexit, wrote in The Observer that it was “irrelevant” whether the Conservatives increased their majority.

• Wednesday, April 19th 2017 - 04:59 UTC

  The snap election and consequences seen from the European Union

  

  Prime Minister Theresa May announcement of a June snap election could strengthen her hand in the Brexit negotiations but the rest of the European Union was firm about its position in the two-year talks, insisting that their stance would be unchanged whatever the result.

• Monday, March 13th 2017 - 08:30 UTC

  EU should be “open and generous” to UK citizens, says European Parliament leader

  

  British citizens should be able to choose to keep various benefits of EU membership including the freedom of movement after Brexit, the European Parliament’s chief negotiator has said. Guy Verhofstadt said he hoped to convince European leaders to allow Britons to keep certain rights if they apply for them on an individual basis.