Jean-Claude Juncker: focus on building a ‘better Europe’

Commission president ‘saddened’ by result but determined to push through a ‘clean divorce.’

The Brexit vote doesn’t mean the “beginning of the end” for the European Union, said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, promising a “clean divorce” with the United Kingdom.

In an interview published on Friday in Bild, Germany’s leading newspaper, Juncker said the referendum result had “deeply saddened” him, and that he would miss Britain’s “pragmatic approach,” “charm” and “legendary sense of humor” that led to numerous EU compromises and represented a strong pro-market voice within the bloc.

But he stressed that the decision to leave is irreversible — “Out means out” — and that “there would be no renegotiation.”

“Now it is firstly a matter of a clean divorce, because citizens and companies need legal certainty” that involves “a whole range of specific and very complex questions,” he said.

“What will be the future legal status of the millions of EU citizens in the U.K. and the millions of Britons on the continent? How will the exit affect thousands of British pensioners living in Portugal or Spain who will lose their access to the welfare and health systems?” he asked.

In an EU without Great Britain, Germany would continue to play a central, “perhaps even a more important” role, Juncker said.

Juncker also sought to reassure European countries by saying that the EU had experience in “overcoming crises” and would be stronger after the U.K.’s decision to leave.

“What is crucial now is that we focus very precisely on what Europe can do for people: stimulate investment, create jobs and together ensure the safety and security of our citizens,” he said.

It is not a matter of less or more integration, he said, but a “better Europe,” which sticks to issues where it is needed and leaves member states to deal with areas they are better placed to manage on their own. The European Council, he said, will hold an “open and honest discussion … on how we can address the concerns of people in Europe more effectively and join forces to counteract populist movements.”

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Who’s at fault?

Juncker refused to accept blame for the outcome of the referendum, pointing out that the idea to hold an in-out vote was not his but Prime Minister David Cameron’s.

“The referendum was called by the British prime minister and not by the European Parliament, the Commission or the European Council,” he said.

Despite Cameron’s push for concessions from the rest of the EU, which led to “countless days and nights” of negotiations in February, Juncker said he was surprised that the result of those talks played almost no role in the Remain camp’s campaign.

One problem was that Cameron had long posed as a Euroskeptic, which undercut his credibility when he tried to argue for staying in the EU.  “If someone complains about Europe from Monday to Saturday then nobody is going to believe him on Sunday when he says he is a convinced European,” Juncker said.

Juncker also said Brexit would not affect the thousand or so EU officials from the U.K. “since they work for Europe and not for the U.K.”

He was a little more cutting about the future of members of the European Parliament, who will retain their posts and their salaries until the U.K. leaves the EU.

“I note that many British MEPs belonging to the U.K. Independence Party have used all their time in Parliament to work against the institution of which they are members. I would not presume to advise them on what they should or should not do,” Juncker said.