Alfred Sant expresses reservations about EU-UK BREXIT negotiations

Labour MEP Alfred Sant has expressed his reservations regarding the way BREXIT negotiations between the EU and the UK are proceeding and stated that both sides have spent too much negotiating time digging into their initial positions and maintaining them. 

Alfred Sant stressed that, if agreement is to be reached in any negotiation, the lookout should be for acceptable compromises to be reached on a mutually satisfactory give and take basis. 

Although he voted in favour of a European Parliament resolution entitled “Recommendations on the negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”, Alfred Sant said it does not look as if we are close to reaching this approach in the current BREXIT negotiations. 

The European Parliament adopted the resolution by a large majority and acknowledged the call by the negotiating parties to intensify talks in July. In the text, the European Parliament regrets that differences remain substantial while there is little time left to reach an agreement on the future EU-UK relationship. 

“There is no point in blaming just one side for this; both are responsible. Yet meanwhile a huge economic recession is creeping in. Pessimism about the outcome of the BREXIT negotiations or indeed their breakdown, will only serve to fuel further negative trends right across the board. This should be considered as unacceptable by all concerned”, stated Alfred Sant. Both sides at the negotiating table need to drop their rigid and dogmatic approaches. They should stop considering the talks as also serving to give messages and signals to third parties about the implications of the BREXIT development, which is now a fait accompli. The priority should be that of arriving at a reasonable deal as quickly as possible.