V4 countries want all EU member states to discuss Brexit
PR dla Zagranicy
Alicja Baczyńska
27.06.2016 13:27
An EU-wide discussion on a post-Brexit Europe is needed, the foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group and their German and French counterparts said after meeting in Prague on Monday.
Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski (centre), French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault (left) and Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak (right). Photo: EPA/STRINGER
The ministers discussed what formal exit procedure Britain would pursue after last week’s referendum, alongside the future of the European bloc in the wake of a Brexit.
The so-called Visegrad Group (V4) brings together Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said it is crucial for the entire European Union to be involved in the discussion. “The debate on the future of the European Union should be pursued with 27 member states taking part,” Zaoralek said at a press conference following the talks.
“We are certain that EU leaders, the countries themselves and the European Council are key to the debate.”
Monday's gathering in Prague came after six founding member states of the EU met for talks in Berlin on Saturday, to the chagrin of Warsaw and other non-founding member states, who were left out of the debate on the post-Brexit future of the bloc.
Poland invited EU foreign ministers to Warsaw for a round of talks, which were underway on Monday in the Polish capital.
Rafał Sobczak, the head of the Polish foreign ministry’s press office, told the PAP news agency the Polish authorities wanted Monday’s meeting in Warsaw “to be attended by as many ministers as possible.”
In the run-up to the UK referendum, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski warned that if Britons decided to leave the EU, Poland could end up sidelined in a bloc dominated by euro zone countries. He added that a "two-speed Europe" could appear. (aba/pk)
Source: IAR