Debate on the Outcome of the referendum in the United Kingdom, during the Extraordinary Plenary session of the EP in Brussels. Statements by Jean-Claude JUNCKER, EC President, Jeanine HENNIS-PLASSCHAERT, Dutch Minister of Defence, Marcel de GRAAFF (ENF, NL), Nigel FARAGE (EFDD, UK), Alyn SMITH (Greens/EFA, UK), Martina ANDERSON (GUE/NGL, UK), Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE), Ryszard LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), Giovanni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), and Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE)

Brussels

VERHOFSTADT, Guy (Renew, BE)

Brexit (T)

referendum on EU membership (T)

EU - United Kingdom (T)

debate

plenary session

WEBER, Manfred (EPP, DE)

PITTELLA, Gianni (S&D, IT)

LEGUTKO, Ryszard Antoni (ECR, PL)

ANDERSON, Martina (GUE/NGL, UK)

JUNCKER, Jean-Claude (LU)

FARAGE, Nigel (NI, UK)

SMITH, Alyn (Greens/EFA, UK)

de GRAAFF, Marcel (NI, NL)

HENNIS-PLASSCHAERT, Jeanine (ALDE, NL)

Outcome of the referendum in the United Kingdom: extracts from the EP Extraordinary Plenary session (Part 2)

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, EC President, (to Mr Farage) You told us a few days ago that you made a mistake on the budgetary aspects of what was at stake in the relationship between the EU and the UK. If you had said this before the vote then I could have congratulated you, but you lied, you didn&rsquo;t tell the truth, you fabricated a reality and now you are restoring the truth (applause)

SOUNDBITE (English), Jeanine HENNIS-PLASSCHAERT, Dutch Minister of Defence, At this point in time the answer is not necessarily less or more Europe it is about a better Europe. It is about a convincing Europe. The Union of 27 will continue if the UK decides to leave, but it is clear that we have to act, our Union can only exist if it is supported by the millions and millions of citizens it is supposed to serve and to protect and that support cannot be taken for granted so we need to work day and night to earn it.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Marcel de GRAAFF (ENF, NL), The evil Union is losing an important member state and this is the beginning of the end of this unfortunate project. This Union it&rsquo;s been experimenting with the population, and this is at the cost of ordinary people. The stated opinion of the British people is that sovereignty belongs to the people. And this is not just in the UK. Voters across Europe are looking to see their sovereignty restored.

SOUNDBITE (English), Nigel FARAGE (EFDD, UK), Well we have seen the Prime Minister resign and indeed the British Commissioner, Lord Hill resign, they have both done so I think for the right reasons; and you never know we may be getting rid of a labour party leader as well.  But upheavals in politics can actually be a very healthy and a very good thing. I went into politics because our political class in Britain led us towards a European political project. So if that result last week sweeps a few of them away, so be it, but I am looking forward next year to celebrating our independence day on June the 23rd.

SOUNDBITE (English), Alyn SMITH (Greens/EFA, UK), I want my country to be internationalist, cooperative, ecological, fair, European, and the people of Scotland along with the people of Northern Ireland and the people of London and lots of people in Wales and England also, voted to remain within our family of nations, I demand that status, and that is pro-European, be respected, a colleagues there are a lot of things to be negotiated we will need cool heads and warm hearts. But please remember this: Scotland did not let you down, so please I beg you do not let Scotland down now. Applause, colleagues raise.

SOUNDBITE (English), Martina ANDERSON (GUE/NGL, UK), You and the EU, you have supported our peace process I ask you to continue to do that. We Sinn F&eacute;in we went and we worked for a strong &lsquo;remain&rsquo; vote, on the basis for another Europe, a more social Europe and a more democratic Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE), By the end of this debate I want to make an appeal to the Members, present here to send our strong message to the European Council and to the European citizens and the best way we can do that is to vote massively the resolution we have prepared for this session.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Ryszard LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), What do you want to do to correct this mistake? The majority in this Parliament, what are you going to do? Because you are playing the same tune again and again: it is this nationalists, it is the chauvinists who are to be blamed. This means you haven&rsquo;t understood what reality is. Whatever happens in Europe you still play the same tune. I want to know: what now?

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Giovanni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), We are in good company here: the Christian democrats, the Liberals, the Greens&hellip; all those who want to change and save Europe.  We have indicated what to do next. So I ask the European Council to listen and to acknowledge what we are saying.

SOUNDBITE (German), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), We stand by this idea and we want to take it into the future. We believe in the European project, and we ask the Council today and tomorrow not to engage in internal dissensions like it has happened in the past, but  to send a clear signal that the 27 believe in the future of Europe and they want to keep working for the future of Europe.