Hollande: EU must learn the lessons of Brexit and adapt to life within the 27 countries
PARIS, March 6. /Offset. TASS Ivan Batyrev/. The EU should draw lessons from the decision of great Britain to withdraw from the community (Brexit) and learn to live a new life, composed of 27 member States, giving member countries a choice of different rates of integration depending on their capabilities.
This was stated by the President of France Francois Hollande on the results of the informal summit in Versailles, with the participation of Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy and the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Paolo Gentiloni.
“If we want Europe to be in the coming years on top, she must first learn the lessons of Brexit and be able to live in the 27 countries,” he said. According to Hollande, the EU and “consisting of 27 countries can be unified enough to cause me to respect”.
The leader of France stressed that no one is able to influence others or to make consolidated decisions, “if strengthened the controversy.” “This applies equally to the European Union and any other organization,” he added.
However, continued the French President, the overall unity of the European Union, which is required at the moment amid all the difficulties, “not the same as uniformity”.
“That’s why I advocate that have created new forms of cooperation. Must be new projects in the framework of the so-called differentiated cooperation, which would allow some countries to move ahead faster and further in areas such as defense, the deepening of economic and monetary Union within the Eurozone, the social and tax harmonization, culture, youth exchanges — we must go forward quickly and confidently in several countries, but others should not be barred from this, but others should not be able to fix this obstacle,” said Hollande.
Thus, he concluded, the EU after Brexit should emerge strengthened and renewed in the direction of greater flexibility. “It is very important that we can demonstrate solidarity in part 27, but also to show the ability to move forward at a different rhythm, different between the countries that make up Europe 27,” — said the President of France.