First Minister meets with Barnier to make the case for Wales

First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, met Michel Barnier, the European Chief Negotiator for the UK leaving the EU, in Brussels on the 13 July 2017.

The meeting was an opportunity to build a direct relationship between the Welsh Government and the EU Brexit team, based on goodwill and respect, and set out the Welsh position on the negotiations.

The First Minister presented Mr Barnier with the Welsh Government’s white paper, Securing Wales’ Future, which offered a pragmatic starting point for negotiations that balanced concerns over immigration with the economic reality that made participation in the single market central to the UK’s future prosperity.

The meeting was also an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the EU’s negotiating position and made clear that Wales wanted to maintain close ties with its European neighbours after the UK left the EU.

The First Minister also stressed the need for smooth transitional arrangements to give space for the negotiations to deliver a long-term relationship that worked for the whole of Europe.

• Primary Source

Wales: Government / Scotland: Government: Press Release, 13.07.17: Government Joint statement from First Ministers of Wales and Scotland in reaction to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, 13 July 2017 http://www.europeansources.info/record/joint-statement-from-first-ministers-of-wales-and-scotland-in-reaction-to-the-eu-withdrawal-bill/

ESO: Find more information on Wales and the EU Referendum, 23 June 2016 http://www.europeansources.info/advSearchLink?keyword=brexit%20wales%20&searchOption=all

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

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