The ECR Group in the European Parliament has been consistent in its calls for pragmatism to prevail. Therefore, level-headed discussions must triumph over hysteria and the desire for political retribution. ECR trade spokesperson Geert Bourgeois MEP firmly believes that any distortion of the markets in terms of competition policy, state aid and social dumping should be avoided, whilst resisting any attempts to follow a narrow, protectionist pathway.
Bourgeois stated: “We need to strike an appropriate balance between ensuring a level-playing field and dynamic alignment on the one hand, and guaranteeing UK sovereignty on the other. We should, however, absolutely avoid a ‘Singapore-on-the-North Sea’. Both parties must maintain high standards for this level-playing field and in so doing we must therefore ensure that it does indeed become a deep and comprehensive future agreement with zero-tariffs and zero-quotas.”
Bourgeois continued: “The European Parliament should take extreme care so as not to patronize the British government. The UK is a highly developed country with high standards. Therefore, a high level of confidence and flexibility during the negotiations is in order.â€
