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EU lawmakers urge Britain to call off

Brexit | DW | 14.01.2019
Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com)
5-6 minutes

Scores of MEPs have made an emotional appeal to the British

government to think about future generations and remain in the EU.
The lawmakers said they want to "send a signal" that the UK is
welcome to stay.

In an open letter quoted by newspapers belonging to Germany's

Funke media group Monday, more than 100 European
parliamentarians called on the United Kingdom to call off Brexit,
saying such a decision would be welcome in the EU.

The draft letter is expected to be published in Britain a day before a

crucial vote in the British parliament on Prime Minister Theresa
May's draft Brexit deal, which observers are expecting to fail.

What the EU lawmakers said:

"Any British decision to stay in the EU would be greatly welcomed

by us."

"We would work with you to reform and improve the European
Union."

"(We have) greatly valued the tremendous influence of British

politicians and citizens over the past 40 years."

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"We would miss the extraordinary expertise of our British
colleagues."

Read more: Opinion: Britain's hour of destiny

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from

Europe

June 2016: 'The will of the British people'

After a shrill referendum campaign, nearly 52 percent of British

voters opted to leave the EU on June 24. Polls had shown a close
race before the vote with a slight lead for those favoring remaining
in the EU. Conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron, who
had campaigned for Britain to stay, acknowledged the 'will of the
British people' and resigned the following morning.

Welcome to stay

Peter Liese, MEP and Christian Democratic Union lawmaker in the

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center-right European People's Party, told the Funke news group:
"We want to send a signal to the people and, as such, to the House
of Commons and make it clear that if the British decide to stay, they
are welcome."

Read more: No Brexit renegotiation, Angela Merkel tells Bundestag

In Germany, industry leaders have warned of the dire

consequences of a no-deal Brexit.

Eric Schweitzer, president of the German Chamber of Commerce

and Industry, said: "In Germany, about 750,000 jobs depend on
trade with the United Kingdom. Without a deal, millions of additional
customs declarations and billions of custom duties would need to
be paid."

Temporary measures

In a separate letter, European Council President Donald Tusk and

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker provided
the British government with further assurances that a backstop to
prevent a hard border in Ireland was a temporary provision.

"The Commission can confirm that, just like the United Kingdom,
the European Union does not wish to see the backstop enter into
force," the letter said. "The Commission can also confirm the
European Union's determinate to replace the backstop solution on
Northern Ireland by a subsequent agreement that would ensure the
absence of a hard border on the island of Ireland on a permanent
footing."

But the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a junior coalition partner

in May's government, said the EU's letter providing reassurances
about the backstop did not go far enough to secure the draft Brexit

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deal.

"The letter isn't legally binding," DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds
told British broadcaster BBC. "The prime minister will struggle to
justify what the delay was about."

Crucial vote

British Parliament is scheduled to hold a pivotal vote on May's

Brexit plans on Tuesday. But observers believe she doesn't have
enough support to make it through.

Some British lawmakers have suggested extending the Brexit

deadline, which is currently set for March 29. But Manfred Weber,
lead candidate for the European People's Party, said that such an
extension should not go beyond European parliamentary elections
slated for May.

Read more: Germany pledges full EU support for Ireland over

Brexit

May's last stand

As the UK prepares for a decisive vote on May's draft deal, the

prime minister spoke to factory workers in Stoke-on-Trent, a post-
industrial town that voted overwhelmingly for Brexit.

During her speech, she said she believes British lawmakers will opt
to remain in the EU instead of crash out of the bloc without a deal.

"There are some in Westminster who would wish to delay or even

stop Brexit and who will use every device available to them to do
so," May said. She called on lawmakers to "consider the
consequences of their actions on the faith of the British people in
our democracy."

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Read more: Opinion: What happened to Brexit architect David
Cameron?

ls/rt (AFP, dpa)

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