(Château d’Elmau) Boris Johnson is interested in the French project for a European Political Community which would make it possible to “reengage” the United Kingdom in Europe after Brexit, the French presidency said on Sunday after an interview with the first British minister with Emmanuel Macron.
Posted at 11:04 a.m.
The French head of state sensed “a lot of enthusiasm” from Mr. Johnson when he spoke of the European Political Community, which would make it possible to “re-engage, set course with the British”, specified the presidency, after these discussions on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Bavaria.
Boris Johnson told Emmanuel Macron that he had “had the idea in 2016” and the latter replied that in this case he attributed “paternity” to him.
” It’s amazing. It will make it possible to have an intergovernmental approach where we reengage the British, the Western Balkans, ”noted the Elysee.
Boris Johnson “wants to have something where we discuss outside the European Union (EU)”, added the presidency, recalling that a first meeting of the CPE at the level of Heads of State and Government would take place in the second half of 2022 under the Czech EU Presidency.
“The president has spoken about it and of course we are ready to discuss it with the president and our EU colleagues if they provide us with more details”, reacted the spokesperson for Boris Johnson.
“We are studying all the ways to get closer to democracies and we will study that”, he added, specifying that there was “no suggestion” that this would lead to a return to freedom of movement in which Brexit ended.
The French president had surprised by presenting this project of a “new European organization” on May 9 before the European Parliament in full debate on the accession to the EU of Ukraine, at war against Russia.
This project is primarily aimed at countries wishing to join the European Union, primarily Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, but also those in the Western Balkans, which have been in the antechamber for many years, such as Serbia and Macedonia. North.
But the CPE would also aim to attract European countries which do not wish to join the EU, such as Switzerland and Norway, or even the United Kingdom, which left with Brexit.