Brexit
Brexit: ‘Most difficult part is still to come’, warns Barnier
Progress is being made but 'the most difficult part is still to come', EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said in an interview with European press agencies including EURACTIV's partner Ouest-France, as well as La Repubblica, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Le Soir and El Espanyol.
UK has yet to see post-Brexit challenges, former Irish minister says
Britain, the former sick man of Europe, has seen its economy grow strongly in the EU. It is making a major mistake by leaving the bloc and the customs union and does not even realise what serious challenges it will face in the future, says former Irish minister Dara Murphy.
Trade expert: Jersey holds the key to unlock Brexit dilemma
Could the Channel Islands hold the key to unlocking the Brexit puzzle? Trade expert Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform tells EURACTIV that Jersey's 'strange relationship' with the EU could be an acceptable 'half-way house'.
British Council boss: Brexit won’t change the way we help the world
The British Council will continue to do the work it has always done, despite Brexit, and its priorities in areas like Eastern Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East remain as important as ever, said the organisation’s CEO in a wide-ranging interview.
McAllister: Brexit is a historic mistake
It is not clear whether the Council will be able to state in December that sufficient progress in Brexit talks has been made, David McAllister, who chairs the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, told EURACTIV.
British farmers’ boss: I hope outside the EU, decisions will be science-based
The leader of Britain's farming union, Meurig Raymond, hopes that the agriculture-related decisions made in London after his country leaves the EU will be more science-based and less emotional than is currently the case in Europe.
UK shadow minister: Britain needs a real food policy after Brexit
After Brexit, the UK should develop a real food policy focused on consumer health and self-sufficiency, while ensuring public money gets to the farmers who need it, David Drew told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Catalonia’s chief communicator: We will be independent and an EU member
EXCLUSIVE / The EU may be reluctant now but it will inevitably accept to mediate in the separation of Catalonia from Spain and the presence of the new Catalan state within the EU, Joan Maria Piqué told EURACTIV in an interview.
Stanley Johnson: In 50 years, Brexit may look like the right move at the right time
Former MEP Stanley Johnson, the father of the current UK foreign secretary, told EURACTIV.com that Brexit should not throw out the baby with the bathwater and maintain the best the EU has to offer.
Greek minister: EMA bid shows drugs are a social good
Athens’ decision to claim the European Medicine Agency's relocation from London sends a message that medicine is “not just a commodity but a social good”, Greece’s Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Georgios Katrougalos, told EURACTIV.com.
MacShane: ‘We can leave the EU but not the single market’
To stop Brexit now would require another referendum and there is no public appetite for it, according to Denis MacShane. Instead, he argues the British government should push to remain in the single market and keep trade with Europe open.
Dublin’s man in Berlin: Confidence growing in Irish economy despite ‘Brexit challenges’
Ireland’s priority in the Brexit negotiations is to ensure 1998’s Good Friday Agreement is protected, as well as maintaining close as possible ties between the EU and the UK, explained Dublin’s ambassador to Germany.
Estonian ambassador: Trump is right, Europe should pay for own defence
Estonian Ambassador to Poland Harri Tiido explained the priorities of his country’s EU Presidency and talked about the current challenges facing Europe, in an interview with EURACTIV.pl.
Dutch health minister: EMA relocation is not entertainment, listen to the Commission
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is not a toy to be played with by politicians, Edith Schippers told EURACTIV.com. The decision on the agency's relocation should be based on the European Commission's assessment, she argues in an interview.
Pharma expert: EU drug agency should be ‘easily’ accessible to all
Any country that wants to inherit the European Medicines Agency (EMA) from London has to be easily accessible. Candidates will also need to increase their national agency’s resources, as staff are expected to move to the EMA, according to Adrian van den Hoven.
Darknet guru: New technology can help build European identity
Modern technology could shore up the European project, boost transparency and help governments collect taxes. Author Jamie Bartlett told EURACTIV.com that the EU should become the great technological innovator but warned that politicians simply aren’t prepared for massive changes ahead.
Kamall: Why do we confine ourselves to just Europe?
"I would like to see a deal where we couldn’t perceive the UK or the EU as winners or losers. Where the UK is no longer a reluctant tenant of the EU but we are good neighbours," ECR chief Syed Kamall told EURACTIV Poland.
Portuguese minister: Southern cities better placed to host medicines agency
Portugal is the latest member state to try and poach the UK-based European Medicines Agency after Brexit. In an interview with EURACTIV.com, Portugal’s junior minister for European affairs insisted having two EU agencies based in Lisbon already would not hurt its chances.
BDA chief: Brexit Exchange can instill ‘rationality’ in a purely political debate
Business leaders should respect the UK's decision to leave the EU, but can help to mitigate the economic damage by bringing reason to an otherwise purely political process, Steffen Kampeter told EURACTIV.com ahead of the launch of the Brexit Exchange forum.
Estonian president: In the face of Brexit, unity will be at the heart of our EU presidency
EXCLUSIVE / As Estonia gets ready for its stint at the helm of the EU, its President Kersti Kaljulaid told EURACTIV that her country will fight to keep the Union together, despite Brexit, and help the bloc forge a new vision, branching out from the Commission proposals.
A. C. Grayling: ‘Brexit is starting to look a lot like a coup’
Brexit is politically illegitimate, and when the chickens come home to roost, reality and pragmatism will kick in and the Remainers will win the day, Professor A. C. Grayling said in an interview with EURACTIV.com.
Watson: There can only be ‘losers’ from Brexit
The upcoming UK elections are unlikely to deliver enough certainty about what life will look like post-Brexit, said the former MEP and ALDE leader in an interview with EURACTIV.com, adding that no winners will emerge from the process.
Moravcsik interview, part II: Brexit is a ‘PR exercise’
Brexit is not what Britain’s politicians say it is, Princeton University’s Andrew Moravcsik told EURACTIV Slovakia. It’s more akin to a half-truth, disguising business-as-usual.