Political reporter(wp/es):
The European Union could collapse if more countries decide to follow Britain and leave, the president of the European Commission warned today.
As the Government prepares to formally trigger Article 50 next Wednesday, Jean-Claude Juncker said other nations quitting the bloc would spark “the end”.
He stated that the upcoming talks would be “friendly and firm” but added “we are not naive”. He continued: “Britain is part of Europe so I am everything but in a hostile mood when it comes to Britain.
“But I don’t want others to take the same avenue because just suppose for one second that others would leave … two, three, four, five ... that would be the end.”
Expectations that Mr Juncker will adopt a tough stance towards Britain to deter others from leaving were dismissed. However, he confirmed the UK would be slapped with a £50 billion “divorce bill” .
In an interview with the BBC, he said: “There will be no sanctions, no punishment, nothing of that kind but Britain has to go and I suppose that the Government does know it. They have to honour the commitments and former commitments.”
Britain’s eventual payment would be calculated “scientifically” but it would be “around” £50 billion, he suggested. “It will be a bill reflecting former commitments by the British Government and by the British Parliament.”
The payment covers liabilities for projects the UK previously agreed to help fund, as well as pensions for EU officials who served during the period of its membership.
No 10 has described the letter Mrs May will send to start Britain’s two-year process of leaving the EU as one of the most important documents in recent history.
Mr Juncker, the former prime minister of Luxembourg, said that he would feel sad when it arrives. Asked by the BBC if he felt it signalled a failure, he agreed, adding: “It’s a failure and a tragedy”.
He also set out that one of his key negotiating priorities will be protecting the rights of the three million EU citizens currently living in Britain. This comes after the Tories voted down plans to include protections for EU citizens in their Brexit Bill.
“It’s for me a priority,” he said. “It’s about people. I am strongly committed to preserve the rights of Europeans living in Britain and the British people living on the European continent. This is not about bargaining. This is about respecting human dignity.”
Tomorrow leaders of the 27 other EU members will meet in Italy to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which created the European Economic Community, the precursor of the EU.
Signed by Italy, France, Belgium the Netherlands, West Germany and Luxembourg, the treaty was a major stepping stone towards European integration.
There will also be “March for Europe” rallies in Rome and London. Organisers say they want to use the anniversary to “relaunch and complete Europe’s economic and political unity”.
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