Fullständigt förhandlingsreferat

Torsdagen den 30 januari 2020 - Bryssel

8.1. Avtalet om Förenade konungariket Storbritannien och Nordirlands utträde ur Europeiska unionen och Europeiska atomenergigemenskapen (A9-0004/2020 - Guy Verhofstadt)

Oral explanations of vote

  Michaela Šojdrová (PPE). – Paní předsedající, včera, když jsme hlasovali o dohodě o vystoupení Velké Británie z EU, bylo to pro mě nejtěžší hlasování za uplynulých pět let. Chci říci, že jsem nesouhlasila s vystoupením Velké Británie, ale hlasovala jsem pro tuto dohodu, protože je důležité, aby odchod Velké Británie byl na základě dohody, která umožní dobré postavení občanů EU v Británii a britských občanů v EU, dobrou přípravu na následující dobrou spolupráci a partnerství v EU. Proto jsem pro tuto dohodu hlasovala, přestože jsem velmi smutná, velmi nešťastná z odchodu Britů, budou nám zde chybět, ale já věřím, že to nebylo sbohem, ale na shledanou.

  Sheila Ritchie (Renew). – Madam President, today, many, many hundreds of thousands of UK citizens are grieving their loss of EU citizenship. I pray this House finds a way to be generous to them, to us. Do not treat, please, us as churlishly as our Brexiteers have treated you. I warn you all of the dangers of populism. We are the first victims; do not let there be more. I could not vote for this disgraceful agreement. It is, of course, better for the EU than it is for the UK: a fact which the UK seems to be blind to. I thank this House for its continuous courtesy. Goodbye.

  Barbara Ann Gibson (Renew). – Madam President, thank you for allowing me to speak. Today, I’m the voice of millions of UK citizens. I am heartbroken. The personal sense of loss is enormous; the loss of my freedoms and rights, the loss of my EU citizenship, part of my very identity that I value so much. I know in my heart that Brexit is a mistake, and I don’t think I will ever be able to forgive the self—serving politicians who have brought it upon us. Ours is a great nation, but we are greater in the EU. The UK should be leading in Europe, not leaving. I am heartbroken.

  Jane Brophy (Renew). – Madam President, yesterday in this Chamber, along with my Liberal Democrat colleagues, I voted against the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. I did this because I believe this Withdrawal Agreement is a bad deal for Britain. There is no deal that is as good for the UK as remaining a member of the European Union. The next few months will bring us insecurity; not just for our country but also for European citizens living in the UK and British citizens living in Europe. This deal does not go far enough to protect their rights. I’m appalled that this issue was not at the forefront of Boris Johnson’s government negotiations and ashamed that it fell on the EU negotiation team to fight for. I hope that over the next few months our EU colleagues and friends will support us through these very difficult times. Please do not fall to the demands of Boris Johnson’s Government, weakening citizens’ rights. Hopefully, we will continue to work closely together as neighbours, continuing the fight to stop catastrophic climate change and keep peace in the world at these turbulent times. My hope is that we will remain close friends and allies, and one day we will be back.

  Matthew Patten (NI). – Madam President, I’m really proud to have voted for the Withdrawal Agreement and to uphold the democratic mandate of the British people to leave the European Union. While the Agreement is deeply imperfect, I was really heartened by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s promises on divergence, ending the rule of the European Court of Justice, fishing and promising no extension.

Mr Verhofstadt’s speech yesterday only confirmed my view that Britain leaving the EU is the right decision. He said the reason for Brexit was because the EU had given too much, too many opt-ins and opt-outs. His future is for the EU to take over complete sovereignty from its Member States. This is not the lesson of Brexit. The lesson is that the drive from an economic union to an overbearing political superstate, distant from the daily lives of its citizens, will always end in failure.

  Julie Ward (S&D). – Madam President, it’s been a privilege and a pleasure to serve here since 2014 for the northwest of England and particularly because, before I was in politics, I worked with young people and I participated in many programmes that were supported by Youth in Action, which became Erasmus+ and which brought young people together across boundaries.

Well, I voted against the Withdrawal Agreement because I cannot in good faith ratify a deal that will wreck the economy, weaken citizens’ rights and social protections, limit opportunities for those very young people, threaten peace, security and stability, and damage the UK’s international reputation. Many people will argue that it’s time for acceptance, but I think it’s time for truth telling and accountability. This has never been about my job as an MEP, but about the millions of jobs at stake because of Brexit and the families and the communities that will be adversely affected, and most of them are marginalised people in deprived communities to whom the EU held out a helping hand when our own government in Westminster ignored us.

  Belinda De Lucy (NI). – Madam President, it was not easy voting for the Withdrawal Act yesterday. However, Boris has made amendments and, thanks in huge part to the pressure from the Brexit Party, promised that there would be no level playing field, nor an extension beyond 2020 and these promises lent Boris a huge majority in the general election, which gave his Brexit strategy a democratic mandate that the Brexit Party must respect.

Over the next 11 months, Boris will have to prove he is a man of honour and deliver on his promises and, of course, we will be waiting in the wings. This beautiful democratic movement that is flourishing in the UK will act as an inspiration. An inspiration to those who feel their democratic agency and stake in the rules they have to live under are at risk. Our vote is an equaliser between prince and pauper. It is the safeguard between us, the people, and the establishment abusing its power. It is worth fighting for and I thank the patience of the millions of Brits who did not take to the streets in violence when their vote and voice were being dismissed, but with perseverance, fortitude and resilience proved to people all over the world that change can be enacted peacefully through the ballot box.

  Claire Fox (NI). – Madam President, I voted for the Agreement with a message from many Brexit voters in the UK: this is not goodbye but au revoir, as my T—shirt says. Not because we’ll be back in the EU, but because we will see you soon, as friends and equals in each and every nation state represented here. We don’t need the EU to manage our friendships and collaboration as European colleagues. Let’s keep in touch.

I am a proud European. I owe Europe, not the EU, for my politics and principles. I learned the best way to fight for individual citizens’ rights is through nation states; a lesson from Rousseau and the Enlightenment philosophers. I owe my love of classical music to Beethoven; his Ode to Joy is a hymn to freedom, not a faux EU anthem.

Finally, thanks to those of you who have listened and been open-minded on Brexit. Thanks to those of you on the left and right who value national sovereignty and democratic accountability. Good luck, au revoir, let’s keep in touch.

  Billy Kelleher (Renew). – Madam President, I voted in favour of the Withdrawal Agreement. The reason being is simply we need to have an orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and to facilitate that, the Withdrawal Agreement allows for us to go into a negotiation phase around the future relationship.

If we were to reject it, obviously it would be a disorderly withdrawal and could have profound implications for citizens both in the UK and European Union, but from my perspective, on the island of Ireland.

We have now established that there will be no hard border on the island of Ireland, but I am certainly taking a leap of faith with regard to the issues of citizens’ rights and whether or not they will be whittled away in time after the future agreement is agreed.

So I want to put on the record here, today, that I have genuine worries that Irish citizens who want to remain European, who live in Northern Ireland, will have their rights and entitlements diminished if we do not ensure the continuation of the principles of the Good Friday Agreement throughout the negotiations on the future relationship between the European Union and the UK.

  Antony Hook (Renew). – Madam President, I want to thank every MEP singing with us yesterday, and the kindness shown to British MEPs. It has made a deep impression on the British people.

Brexit was close to being stopped. When the government lost its majority, a new government with a leader trusted by Labour, Liberal Democrats and sensible ex-Conservatives could have been formed and put Brexit back to the people.

It wasn’t done. Progressive people and parties have to put our common ground ahead of our disagreements and the mistakes of the past. Compromise is not bad, it’s the way people get things done. Attacks on each other help our opponents. We can win the chance for Britain’s young people to rejoin the EU. We can overturn Johnson’s majority in 2024. We can make Britain a great country again – if we have the courage to take each other’s hands, not just in this Chamber but in the future.

  Илхан Кючюк (Renew). – Г-жо Председател, подкрепих това споразумение за излизане на Обединеното кралство от Европейския съюз не защото го харесвам, не защото е добро, а защото е единственото възможно споразумение и няма друго решение в настоящия случай.

Първото, от което имаме най-много нужда, е спокоен тон, прагматичен разговор за това какви бъдещи отношения трябва да има между Европейския съюз и Обединеното кралство. Имаме нужда от подреден Брексит. Второто нещо, от което имаме нужда, е продължаване на добрия диалог и целта да бъде всеобхватно и задълбочено отношение между Европейския съюз и Обединеното кралство.

Въпросите са много, но главният е един. Може ли да имаме всеобхватни отношения с Обединеното кралство, когато имаме само 11 месеца да ги договорим. И отговорът тук според мен е един. Няма как да се случи. И моето притеснение идва от това. Безспорно ние ще разговаряме по важните теми, свързани със сигурността, екологичните въпроси, които стоят пред нас, икономическите отношения и други. Заедно с това обаче темата за правата на гражданите – и британските, и европейските – трябва да бъде част от дневния ни ред. Изключително е важно това и аз ще продължавам да работя по този въпрос.

  Rory Palmer (S&D). – Madam President, it was a sad day yesterday when the Withdrawal Agreement was approved by this Parliament. It was approved with a handsome majority and, sadly, we will leave the European Union tomorrow, but we will do so without my endorsement. I could not bring myself to vote for that agreement yesterday. But I accept the course of events. I accept that, sadly, we now leave the European Union. But if I can accept that, those who’ve championed the cause of Brexit in the Conservative Party and indeed in the Brexit Party as well, you must now accept full responsibility for what happens next and what follows from here. I genuinely now believe and hope that a path can be charted, a path can be trod that makes this work somehow for our country, but I genuinely fear that is an impossible challenge, an impossible task.

  Łukasz Kohut (S&D). – (start of speech off mike) ... Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union is a very unwelcome occurrence for the integration process of the Union. The UK has been a very valuable member of the European Union for many years. Even if there is sound evidence that during the Vote Leave campaign, a huge number of demonstrably false claims were made and fake news spread, the British people decided and now we have to look to the future, and I’m sure as a European federalist from Silesia that the future of the UK is in the European Union. We must be always ready for the UK to return. We cannot fail in assuring the Scottish, the Welsh, the Irish and the English that the arms of the European Union are open to welcome them back.

The last few words for all my friends from the United Kingdom: you will never walk alone.

  Samira Rafaela (Renew). – Madam President, my British friends, yesterday I was faced with an almost impossible choice, and in the end I voted for the protection of the rights of British and European citizens, at least for in the foreseeable future.

Nobody wins with Brexit and here in Parliament we lose colleagues and dear friends, and I will lose my neighbour here in the plenary. Luisa, we both arrived here in May, young and ambitious, and we both still had the hope of stopping Brexit. It has been a true pleasure to have sat next to you in all our Group meetings and here in Plenary, but above all, you have become one of my best friends. Brexit may raise a lot of barriers, but these will not hinder our friendship.

Thank you, and thanks to my British colleagues. I wish you all the best and I’m looking forward to the day when you will be again among us.

  Gilles Lebreton (ID). – Madame la Présidente, peu de votes sont historiques au sein du Parlement européen, mais il y en a eu un le 29 janvier pour ratifier l’accord du Brexit, et je suis fier d’avoir voté en faveur de celui-ci.

Le Brexit devait être accepté parce qu’il fallait respecter la souveraineté du peuple britannique qui le voulait absolument. Admirable peuple britannique, qui a manifesté une nouvelle fois sa légendaire capacité de résistance à l’adversité. Il a dû voter pas moins de trois fois pour obtenir son Brexit: une première fois en 2016 par référendum, une deuxième fois en mai 2019 en élisant massivement au Parlement européen les candidats du Parti du Brexit, et une troisième fois en décembre 2019 en donnant à Boris Johnson la majorité parlementaire dont il avait besoin. À chaque fois, il a résisté avec détermination à la propagande européiste et a brisé les vaines tentatives d’obstruction des Juncker, Tusk et autres Verhofstadt. Bravo, chers amis britanniques, et bonne chance pour cette nouvelle étape de votre histoire nationale!

  Leszek Miller (S&D). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Głosowałem za umową, ponieważ odsuwa ona zagrożenie chaosu prawnego, do jakiego by doszło wskutek twardego brexitu. Gwarantuje ponadto dotychczasowe prawa obywatelom Unii przebywającym w Wielkiej Brytanii, w tym moim rodakom z Polski, którzy stanowią na Wyspach największą mniejszość narodową. Wyjście Wielkiej Brytanii to niewątpliwie bardzo smutna chwila dla wszystkich zwolenników integracji. Czasem jednak trzeba zrobić jeden krok w tył, żeby znowu pójść naprzód.

Głosowałem za umową, ponieważ zapewnia ona w okresie jej obowiązywania stosowanie w Wielkiej Brytanii pierwszeństwa prawa Unii Europejskiej, w tym orzeczeń Trybunału Sprawiedliwości. Jest to moim zdaniem czytelny przekaz, jak w poszanowaniu zaciągniętych zobowiązań traktatowych oraz obowiązku lojalnej współpracy powinny zachowywać się wszystkie państwa członkowskie, nie tylko państwo opuszczające, lecz tym bardziej te kraje, które cały czas Unię Europejską tworzą.

  Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D). – (start of speech off mic) […] voted the Brexit deal and we had our final say. ‘Is it the final curtain, not yet written? How did it happen? How did we come to this?’ we heard in so many languages. The fact is that many of us S&D members would have gladly voted against – no – along with our beloved Labour friends.

But this is not the end. There is still a negotiation ahead and it touches upon many issues of the committee I chair – fundamental rights, citizens’ rights, data protection, border management, asylum, security matters, judicial cooperation. But in order to do that, there are two lessons to be learned. First, we’ve got to stay together to deal with that negotiation – that’s a fact – but also we’ve got to strike back. We’ve got to fight fake news and disinformation better to keep our Union together.

We won’t be missing the noisy Brexiteers but we will certainly be missing so much our beloved dear European British friends. Thank you for having been here. Thank you for your will to come back.

  Irena Joveva (Renew). – Gospa predsedujoča! Najlepša hvala. Po treh letih in pol, po dolgi sagi, neprestani politični drami, gre zdaj zares.

Seveda sem za obstanek Združenega kraljestva v Uniji, vendar sem morala glasovati za, ker sem naklonjena urejenemu izstopu, ne pa kaotičnemu no deal izstopu, ki bi sledil, če ne bi potrdili tega dokumenta.

Ampak z odhodom Združenega kraljestva se saga na žalost še ne zaključuje. Prehodno obdobje bo še bolj zahtevno in ključno za prihodnje odnose.

Jutri bomo pa izgubili pomembnega člana naše evropske družine, to je dejstvo. In dejstvo je, da bomo pogrešali naše partnerje, nekatere, ne čisto vseh.

Dogajanje, ki je vodilo do brexita, moramo vzeti vendarle kot nek jasen signal, razumeti ga moramo v luči sedanjega časa in stanja naših demokracij in poiskati rešitve, ki bodo preprečevale podobne dogodke v prihodnosti.

Upam, da smo se iz vsega kaj naučili, in upam, da se bomo zavedali tudi potrebnih reform Unije, poleg vsega, da bi jo približali državljanom ter zaustavili širjenje dezinformacij in političnih manipulacij v njej.

  Henrik Overgaard Nielsen (NI). – Madam President, the vote which took place yesterday on the Withdrawal Agreement was not an easy choice for me.

The Withdrawal Agreement as it stands, although improved from the original draft, is far from the Brexit which I had envisioned. Issues of the Northern Ireland border, the redaction of the Lord Dubs amendment on child refugees and the 39 billion all made me less than jubilant to vote in favour of the Agreement.

However I stood for election in May of last year on the principle of democracy and the return of sovereignty to the British Parliament. Boris Johnson won that mandate in December of last year. Therefore, it’s not the role for me or any other MEP to overturn the democratic decision of the British people: both the referendum in 2016 and the support given to Boris’s Brexit deal.

This is not to say that I have succumbed to the charms and promising words of the Prime Minister. Far from it. I remain sceptical of the promises which Boris has given to Brexiteers and his ability to ensure that the Brexit he delivers reflects the concerns of those across the whole country, and not just the Tory shires. I hope Boris won’t disappoint the 17.4 million.

  Eugen Tomac (PPE). – Doamnă președintă, stimați colegi, este un moment trist astăzi. Eu vin dintr-o țară din est și îmi pare foarte rău că Uniunea noastră, care a fost puternică tocmai pentru că și Marea Britanie a fost parte din această construcție timp de aproape 47 de ani, o Uniune care, împreună cu Marea Britanie, a reușit să ne scape pe noi, cei din est, din iadul comunist. Noi, cei care am venit mai târziu, trăim altfel această despărțire care, sper eu, să fie de scurtă durată.

Le mulțumesc tuturor politicienilor și diplomaților britanici care au făcut Uniunea puternică și care ne-au ajutat pe noi să fim astăzi împreună în aceeași familie. Am votat pentru acest acord, nu am votat cu inima împăcată tocmai pentru că știu că sunt peste 3,5 milioane de europeni în Marea Britanie. Peste 450 000 dintre acești 3,5 milioane sunt cetățeni români. Sper ca, în acest Acord, Comisia să aibă toate instrumentele pentru a-i apăra pe toți europenii aflați în Marea Britanie.

  Radosław Sikorski (PPE). – Madam President, I wanted to explain why I voted against the Withdrawal Agreement and that’s not because I don’t appreciate the work of Michel Barnier and our team; I think it was the only shape of the Withdrawal Agreement that is possible. I voted against because I think Brexit is a bad idea and that was the only way to give witness to that for our successors. It’s a bad idea; a result of 30 years of hounding against the EU in the British press, of misrepresenting the European Union and the cowardice of British politicians.

And I just have one request to people who brought it about: that whatever now happens in Britain, or between Britain and the European Union, you brought it about, you voted for it, you own it. Don’t blame us for what’s about to happen.

  Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D). – Arvoisa puhemies, äänestin eilen toisin, kuin järkeni ja ymmärrykseni olisi antanut ymmärtää. Olen surullinen brittien puolesta, jotka haluaisivat pysyä osana yhteistyötä ja yhteisöämme. Ja olen surullinen äänestäjieni puolesta, jotka eivät olisi koskaan halunneet brexitin tapahtuvan.

Euroopan unioni perustettiin ja työskentelee joka päivä ihmisten puolesta, niin että meillä olisi parempi, turvallisempi elää ja eläisimme rauhassa. Erasmus on opiskelijoita varten, ilmastopolitiikka päästöjen oikeudenmukaista leikkaamista varten, roaming liikkumista varten, vanhempainvapaat lapsia ja perheitä varten, työntekijöiden oikeudet työntekijöiden arkea varten, kauppapolitiikka vaurautta ja työpaikkojen luomista varten ja oikeudenmukaisen maailman rakentamista varten.

Ihmisiä ei voida kuitenkaan erottaa. Kohtalomme ovat yhteen sidotut ja siksi toivon yhteistyötä ja tulen tekemään sitä aina. Toivotan Ison-Britannian takaisin, mutta teen aina hyvän yhteistyön eteen työtä.

  Mick Wallace (GUE/NGL). – Madam President, Ireland would have liked Britain to stay in the European Union, but I think it’s very important that the vote of the people of Britain in 2016 was respected. We voted ‘No’ to Nice, and we voted ‘No’ to Lisbon; it was deemed the wrong answer, and they made us vote again.

Well, as it turned out, the truth be told, the British people voted again as well in the election last month and if Jeremy Corbyn had stuck to his own principles – who has been very anti neo-liberal for a long time – if he had actually stuck to his guns and stood up to the Blairites in his own party, you know what, he wouldn’t have got the hammering he got, because the British people had already spoken. They had already made their choice. And they made it a second time.

Now, whether we like it or not, and I’d prefer it if they were here, we have a great relationship with the British people. We haven’t liked the whole lot of their governments, but we’re very fond of their people, and we will continue to be so.

And to be honest, I will actually miss; there have been some wonderful speakers from the Brexit group and I have great respect for a lot of the speakers that were in it and I will miss them.

  Antonio López-Istúriz White (PPE). – Señora presidenta, soy español, represento a España, un país que durante siglos ha tenido una relación muy problemática, si no de luchas constantes, con el Reino Unido. Ahora durante cuarenta años habíamos aprendido a convivir, a respetarnos mutuamente. Los españoles habíamos descubierto otro Reino Unido.

Lástima que, por la acción de unos cuantos, esto se acabe. Los mismos que ahora escribirán memorias —y cobrarán por ello— sobre cómo destrozaron la unidad de Europa —no de la Unión Europea, de Europa—, poniéndonos a todos en riesgo. Como han dicho compañeros míos, que asuman esa responsabilidad luego en el futuro. Que no se escapen como lo hizo, tras el referéndum, el señor Farage. Que den la cara cuando vuelvan los nacionalismos, cuando volvamos con nuestros odios, que ha provocado toda esta gente.

Nosotros seguiremos apoyando a nuestros amigos, a los verdaderos británicos, a los que tienen la lucha, el coraje en sus venas, lo que han demostrado durante siglos, incluso contra nosotros los españoles. Pero nosotros vamos a seguir trabajando juntos, porque os apreciamos y hemos descubierto vuestro verdadero ser dentro de la Unión Europea.

  Veronika Vrecionová (ECR). – Paní předsedající, já jsem včera dohodu s Velkou Británií o vystoupení stejně jako drtivá většina kolegů zde v sále podpořila. Odchod Británie mě sice mrzí, ale my bychom se všichni nyní měli snažit o to, aby naše budoucí vztahy byly co nejlepší. Ale brexit bychom měli také my, co zůstáváme v EU, brát jako varování. Stejná nespokojenost s vývojem EU, jako se projevila v Británii, se objevuje v řadě jiných členských zemí, i v České republice. Nedosahuje zatím takových rozměrů jako v Británii, ale my bychom si tuto nespokojenost měli uvědomit. A měli bychom ji brát v úvahu během jednání o budoucnosti EU, která se povedou v následujících letech. Měli bychom se zastavit a udělat revizi činností, které EU vykonává. Jistě najdeme řadu těch, které vykonávat nemusí a které by se měly vrátit na úroveň členských států.

  Catherine Rowett (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, it grieves me deeply that the EU negotiators and now the European Parliament have bowed to Boris Johnson’s threats and accepted a blank document on the false claim that it provides an orderly way out.

I voted against the so-called Withdrawal Agreement because it gives no basis for trust and contradicts the expressed wishes of our devolved assemblies. It sets an absurd timescale for achieving Brexit before 2021 and offers no safety net should that not be achieved.

Oh, Brexit, thou most wretched sad event!

Is this the taking back control they meant?

The vandals sought to smash the 28 ...

But soon they’ll find their Britain’s lost its ‘great’.

We came, we loved, we hoped, we fought, we lost.

There is no brighter dawn. We count the cost.

My parting gift is this small ring of verse.

We’ll meet again when things go well, not worse.

(Applause)

  Robert Rowland (NI). – Madam President, that was a wonderful ode to Brexit. A little bit depressing, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

(Laughter)

I voted for the Withdrawal Agreement for the simple reason I believe in democracy. We’ve been going through the charade for almost four years and finally, we had an election that has cleared it once and for all. Brexit has finally been delivered. It took us, the Brexit Party, our colleagues here, to be elected into a chamber we don’t want to belong to, in order to change the course of history, and we have done that.

The Brexit Party deserves all the credit for what we’re seeing this week. It was only through our courageous stance against the establishment, against the two-party system that has finally delivered what this country, our great country, voted for – to leave the EU.

So I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved, all the colleagues here, it’s a beautiful achievement. I know there’s been some crocodile tears from the other side but don’t worry, the future is fantastic for Great Britain, we always show Europe the way and we will do in the future. God bless you all.

  Jiří Pospíšil (PPE). – Paní předsedající, já jsem včera podpořil v hlasování dohodu o vystoupení Velké Británie z Evropské unie. A chci v tuto chvíli v rámci vysvětlení jasně sdělit, že osobně nesouhlasím s tím, že Velká Británie opouští EU, považuji to za velkou škodu, už to zde říkali i moji kolegové. Velmi toho lituji. Na druhou stranu ctím rozhodnutí britského lidu jako demokratické rozhodnutí, které britský lid udělal v referendu, a v tuto chvíli mně nezbývá nic jiného než podpořit dohodu, která přináší nějaká pravidla tohoto rozvodu. A hlavně chrání občany EU, kteří žijí ve Velké Británii, proti případnému divokému rozchodu. Tedy toto řešení je v rámci reálné politiky dobrým řešením a já doufám, že do budoucna ošetříme i obchodní vztahy tak, abychom zůstali dobrými sousedy a vzájemně spolupracovali a podporovali se.

  Clare Daly (GUE/NGL). – Madam President, it doesn’t give me any pleasure to say that some of the speeches, and the singing and the tears, and the ‘we know best’ attitude of some of the UK Remainers show to me how disconnected you are from why you lost the general election and why we’re at the stage we are, where a major Member State has left the European Union.

And I listened to Guy Verhofstadt yesterday shrug his shoulders and say ‘Oh, how did it come to this’ and blame everybody else except the European Union itself. A Union which fails to recognise the problems that it has. A Union which allows fiscal rules to be broken for arms expenditure, but not for housing or to put roofs over the heads of people. A Union that talks about democracy everywhere else and stays silent when our Catalan colleagues lie in Spanish jails.

There are many reasons why this Union needs to look inside now. I voted for the Agreement. It’s the best of a bad lot. I don’t want a hard border on Ireland, but if there are problems after this, the Remainers and Europe can take a huge chunk of the blame for it.

  Frances Fitzgerald (PPE). – Madam President, we saw here this morning and yesterday, the depth of feeling amongst many other countries and Members at the loss of the United Kingdom from the European Union. That was genuine, and it was genuine because it brought to an end 47 years of membership, 47 years of peace-building, 47 years of cooperation and partnership, 47 years of breaking down borders and barriers. This was important, it was about building democracy and the UK played a very important part in that and I want to thank our UK colleagues for their contribution.

But let me say, it’s about the future now. Nobody knows the shape of the UK after Brexit, we await that – to see how the UK will fare.

But now is the time to build new relationships in that new context, and I hope that those negotiations will be approached in a way that will allow us to reach a deal, and that the UK will not diverge from the very standards that they played a key part in putting into place, whether it’s about food safety, the environment and so on.

But let’s put the interests of our citizens and communities and businesses first, who do want the closest, deepest and broadest possible relationship with the UK in the future.

  Jadwiga Wiśniewska (ECR). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Szanuję suwerenną decyzję Brytyjczyków, dlatego głosowałam za umową. Niech wyjście Brytyjczyków będzie kubłem zimnej wody na rozpalone głowy federalistów. Zwolennicy brexitu wielokrotnie powtarzali, że obecnie parlamenty narodowe poszczególnych państw członkowskich Unii nie mają zbyt wielkiej możliwości blokowania unijnego prawodawstwa. Czas wyciągnąć wnioski z brexitu – należy zatrzymać niekontrolowaną migrację, przejmowanie kompetencji państw członkowskich, przeregulowanie, dominację Trybunału Sprawiedliwości.

Unia Europejska bez Brytyjczyków już nie będzie taka sama. Wyciągnijmy z tego lekcję. Z całą pewnością należałoby się zastanowić i stanowczo pokazać czerwoną kartkę tym, którzy myślą i dążą do federalizacji Unii Europejskiej.

  Jacek Saryusz-Wolski (ECR). – Madam President, I voted against the Brexit Agreement not to oppose the agreement but to oppose Brexit, at least symbolically. Brexit is, to quote Talleyrand, ‘worse than a crime, it is a mistake’. Brexit is a failure and mistake and a European drama of historical and strategic dimension with long—term geopolitical consequences we do not yet understand and grasp.

Both sides are to blame. I regret that there is no sign of reflection on the EU side as to why we lost the UK and why we betrayed the EU whole and free. The EU will be weaker and not complete without the UK. It will be weaker politically and it will be weaker economically – because the economy of the UK is equivalent to 19 economies of the small and medium—sized Member States – and will be weaker in terms of defence and military. A weaker EU will have to face ever—growing threats from the outside and inside. We should really go into reflection as to why all that happened.

  Jackie Jones (S&D). – Madam President, I want to thank the people of Wales, who gave me the opportunity to represent their views to remain in the European Union in this European Parliament. It has been the best of times and the worst of times; the best of times, ensuring that the rights, the values and the solidarity of the many are represented and the majority of people voting to remain in the European Parliament elections in Wales. All of the rights, including the measures on equal pay and the pensions gap, have been a real pleasure to be able to vote for. Looking to the future, Johnson must own the negative outcomes of Brexit now. Wales will take its place within the UK, Europe and the world and it will grow – because we have common values, rights and solidarity with the peoples across the European Union and the world. Finally, I’d like to say thank you to my colleagues, the staff in both my office and in the European Parliament and finally my son, for whom I did this in the first place and the next generation.

  Bogdan Rzońca (ECR). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Wczoraj głosowałem zgodnie z wolą obywateli Zjednoczonego Królestwa. My w Polsce dobrze wiemy, co to jest suwerenność, i dlatego szanujemy suwerenną decyzję obywateli Zjednoczonego Królestwa. Pamiętamy też w Polsce dobrze o tym, że to właśnie w Anglii powstał jeden z kluczowych dokumentów mówiących o wolnościach obywatelskich, czyli Wielka Karta Swobód. To było 805 lat temu, ale jutro też jest dzień. Jutro też rozpoczyna się okres przejściowy i bardzo wiele w tym Parlamencie możemy dobrego zrobić dla bardzo dobrych relacji między Unią Europejską a Parlamentem Europejskim. Będę namawiał polskich parlamentarzystów (bo będą takie okoliczności, że parlamenty krajowe będą regulowały relacje między Wielką Brytanią a parlamentami krajowymi), aby relacje te były jak najlepsze. A Wam, Państwu przedstawicielom Brytyjczyków, życzę wszystkiego najlepszego i miejcie w opiece również tych Polaków, którzy współtworzą gospodarkę Wielkiej Brytanii.

  Ангел Джамбазки (ECR). – Г-жо Председател, уважаеми колеги, гласувах в подкрепа на това предложение, защото това беше суверенната воля на британския народ, така решиха британските граждани. А те решиха така не защото някой друг им внуши невярно решение, а защото бяха принудени от многогодишната фалшива кампания на брюкселските бюрократи, които се опитваха да изземват все повече и повече национален суверенитет, които се опитваха да подменят националното самосъзнание, националната принадлежност, националните знамена.

Между другото, днешният дебат е много показателен. Това, с което започнахме – забраната на председателя да се излагат националните знамена. Тази недомислица е една от причините хората в Обединеното кралство да гласуват, за да излязат от него, защото не можеш да забраняваш някому да се чувства британец или поляк, или чех, или българин. Когато го правиш, ти притискаш хората. Когато притискаш хората, те решават да напуснат мястото, на което не са добре дошли. Защото можеш да им забраниш да си слагат знаменцата по трибуните, но не може да ги извадиш от сърцата им. Всеки носи знамето си, самосъзнанието си, името си вътре в сърцето си и го пази и това не научиха брюкселските бюрократи. Това трябва да научат, ако искат да има такъв Съюз.

  Brian Monteith (NI). – Madam President, you’ve got to get in to get out. That’s why I and my colleagues came here. The Withdrawal Agreement undoubtedly stinks, but I held my nose and voted for it because Nigel Farage won a personal commitment from Boris Johnson that there would be no extension of the transition after 31 December, because the UK would abandon the anti-competitive delusion of regulatory alignment.

Now by adopting these positions the UK has retrieved key bargaining power, leverage. We can walk away from a bad deal, we can protect our fisheries, our defences, make our own laws and hold our politicians to account. So Narcissus has been turned to a flower, a flower but with a sweeter perfume than at first bloom. That’s why I voted for it.