As EU Leaders Plan Brexit Negotiations, Theresa May Left Out in the Cold

By: IANS | London | Published:December 16 2016 9:46 am British Prime Minister Theresa May. (File Photo) British Prime Minister Theresa May wants an early deal on Britons living in the European Union countries the media reported on Friday. She said as much while https://www.icann.org/profiles/overclock-gpus updating her fellow leaders while attending the European Council summit meeting in Brussels on Thursday BBC reported. May left the meeting without answering any questions on Britain s break with the EU. However Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny revealed what May told them. Watch What Else Is Making News Kenny said: She would like to have the question of British citizens living in Europe and European citizens living in the UK dealt with in the early part of discussions that takes place. Kenny said Ireland would not sign a bilateral deal with Britain unless it agreed on its future relationship with the EU first. There was concern in other countries about the status of their nationals in Britain after Brexit. Meanwhile EU leaders said negotiations over Britain s exit would be approached in a spirit of trust and unity . After May s departure the 27 other EU leaders met informally for 20 minutes to discuss their approach to Brexit negotiations. They agreed that European Commission official Michel Barnier would lead talks for the EU although MEPs want a greater say. European Council President Donald Tusk said: Short informal meeting had reconfirmed our principles meaning the indivisibility of the four freedoms the balance of rights and obligations and the rule no negotiations without notification . European Parliament President Martin Schulz warned the negotiations could be vetoed if MEPs are not fully involved. Downing Street had played down suggestions that a Brexit trade deal could take 10 years to complete after Britain s ambassador to the EU Sir Ivan Rogers suggested that others in the Europe believed this could be the case. It was described as Brexit in a single shot. Theresa May stood awkwardly in the middle of the room while EU leaders chattered and embraced apparently oblivious to her presence. Amid the roar of voices the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini greeted the prime minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel with air kisses and a friendly pat on the back. Standing alone the British prime minister fiddled with her cuffs. May of course was not ignored by leaders as they arrived in Brussels for a summit on Thursday. Although May walked in alone another clip showed her smiling and talking to other people in http://www.cyprus.com/user/collate-printing-6226.html?section=member_info the room. But the snapshot happens to be a telling image of what the leaders of the other 27 member states want to convey. That while Britain heads for the EU exit door uncertain of what it is doing the EU s remaining 27 stand strong and together united as the EU motto goes in diversity. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Theresa May with Angela Merkel and Martin Schulz the European parliament president. Photograph: Licoppe/Belg/Rex/Shutterstock Even seasoned Brussels diplomats have been surprised by how well EU unity has held together since Britain s vote to leave. Over a silver service dinner this evening EU leaders will once again seek to assert that unity when they repeat their well-worn lines that the UK cannot cherrypick the best bits of the EU. But in truth the EU 27 have little room for complacency. Brexit may be the one thing that truly unites them. During the rest of the summit painful divisions were on display as leaders confronted the other existential problems facing the bloc from migration and dealing with Russia to the eurozone. Countries are deadlocked over how to share the cost of record numbers of migrants and refugees arriving on Europe s shores. Germany Italy Greece the countries coping with the largest number of arrivals are pressing for the rest of the EU to do more. But the idea of fining countries for not taking in refugees has stalled following bitter opposition from Hungary and Poland. Meanwhile fewer than one in 20 refugees have been found homes under an EU relocation plan. Fissures remain deep too over Russia. The EU will almost certainly on Thursday rubber-stamp a decision to continue economic sanctions on Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. But this was a foregone conclusion and the bloc is split over how to deal with its large eastern neighbour. Germany and France backed by a Brexit-distracted UK have pressed for sanctions on Russia in protest over its bombing campaign in Syria. But Italy remains firmly opposed a stance unchanged under its new prime minister Paolo Gentiloni. EU diplomats have been forced to watch powerlessly as the humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo has unfolded. The French president François Hollande arrived at the summit insisting that Europe must make its voice heard. But while the EU is drawing https://www.pentaxuser.com/user/linkbuildspck-141459 up reconstruction plans and has agreed terse resolutions and despairing statements it has not had any influence on the ground. EU leaders are likely to declare they are considering all options almost word-for-word the conclusion reached in October. During weeks of immense suffering in Aleppo the EU has been debating abstruse plans to develop defence capability a discussion that continues at Thursday s summit. Eurosceptics like to say Brussels is building an EU army but the reality is closer to a paper tiger. The EU can draw on rapid-reaction forces of 1 500 soldiers to stabilise crises but has never done so. It has mechanisms to allow EU armies to work together but these have never been tried. EU negotiators outrank UK ministers in Brexit power list Read more Meanwhile the eurozone crisis is lapping at the door. On Wednesday officials froze short-term debt relief measures for Greece after the prime minister Alexis Tsipras decided to give a Christmas bonus to pensioners in defiance of Greece s bailout terms. Brussels insiders say there never was a golden age of unity even when only 12 or 15 members were in the club. But the stakes they point out have changed. A lot of people say it used to be easier in the old days one senior diplomat told the Guardian recently. I was there in the old days; it just isn t true. In the 80s we would have had vetoes because of the price of milk. Now we are way beyond that; we have vetoes because of migration. The process of integration has deepened so far we are now at very fundamental issues. And it is perfectly legitimate for those discussions to be long and difficult. Little wonder then that the EU 27 will be keen to maintain their united front on Brexit when on Thursday night they sit down for a dinner to discuss it without the presence of the UK prime minister. But as the bloc flounders on other vital themes it is less and less obvious that the EU s machinery for building compromise is working. Once negotiations get real even the unity on Brexit could begin to fray. Japanese banks have told Philip Hammond they will begin moving operations to the EU within six months unless the Government can provide clarity on the UK s access to the single market. Banks including Nomura and Daiwa Capital Markets which employ thousands of people in Britain reportedly held a frank meeting with the Chancellor on 1 December. According to the Financial Times one senior Japanese finance executive said it would be better for our EU-based customers to have an alternative hub . Read more Lloyd s of London to establish EU base in 2017 The Chancellor met with top bank bosses in Tokyo again on Thursday when they reiterated fears about the potential negative impact of Brexit on their UK businesses and urged clarity from the Government about its plans. Mr Hammond said: It s fairly binary for them: they either have access to their markets or they don t have access. If they have full access to the markets from London they can continue operating as now. If they don t they will have to restructure the way their operations address the European market. I ve been seeking to cement the UK-Japanese bilateral relationship Hammond told reporters. Japan is Britain s second-most-important foreign direct investor after the United States. Japanese banks employ 5 000 people mostly in London with insurers and other financial groups employing many thousands more. Brexit has already prompted Japan s largest banking group Mitsubishi to begin the move. It has beefed up its Amsterdam operation and begun moving staff from London since the June vote. Brexit Concerns 22 show all Brexit Concerns 1/22 British Prime Minister Theresa May Getty 2/22 Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty 3/22 Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK s first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire 4/22 SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK s first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire 5/22 Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the Jungle migrant camp as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty 6/22 Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty 7/22 The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week potentially linked the the Calais jungle camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA 8/22 Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley Britain Reuters 9/22 Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty 10/22 Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA 11/22 The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty 12/22 Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009 33 100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty 13/22 A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty 14/22 Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty 15/22 A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty 16/22 Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster to protest against the United Kingdom s decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty 17/22 Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty 18/22 NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery produce farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming post Brexit Getty 19/22 The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live to work and to access pensions healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty 20/22 A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the Brexpats in Spain group about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens at the town hall in Benalmadena Spain Reuters 21/22 The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums hotels and other important tourist attractions Getty 22/22 The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty Japanese firms like their US counterparts have demanded confirmation that passporting would be maintained after the split an assurance that Mr Hammond simply cannot give at present. Passporting allows EU firms to sell their services across the EU s 31 nations while only being subject to one set of regulations. Without confirmation the exodus will reportedly begin in mid-2017. Philip Hammond is hoping to secure a transitional deal which will ensure a smooth and orderly Brexit rather than a cliff edge in 2019 when the two-year negotiation period will end. Without such a deal firms face a mountain of rule changes and regulatory uncertainty. In September the Japanese government issued an unprecedented warning that the country s firms would move their headquarters out of Britain if EU laws cease to be applicable . Japanese firms employ around 140 000 people in the UK with Nomura bank Hitachi and carmakers Honda Nissan and Toyota all having major bases in the country. On Wednesday it was revealed that 40 per cent of US firms with UK bases said they are considering moving to the EU because of uncertainty over Brexit. More about: Brexit Japan nomura Mitsubishi UK Economy Reuse content Ukip could be handed a decisive role in the outcome of Brexit unless the European Parliament is involved in negotiations its outgoing President has warned. Martin Schulz set out the consequences of moves to make the European Commission the lead negotiator suggesting the votes of Nigel Farage s MEPs could suddenly become crucial if opposition to a deal grew in the parliament. He spoke out at a press conference in Brussels after it was revealed that the Commission planned to shut MEPs out of the talks and key preparatory meetings. Read more May warned of complexities and difficulties of Brexit at EU summit EU leaders fight among themselves over Brexit talks and how to proceed Nigel Farage says EU authorities acting like the Soviet inquisitors Millions of Brits still feel European EU chief negotiator says Mr Schulz said all negotiated proposals must be ratified by MEPs adding: If you want to get a majority then it s meaningful to include the European Parliament. If at the end the European Parliament is split let s say 330 in favour and 330 against and Ukip is deciding about Brexit is that what you want? Therefore my advice is to include the European Parliament the constructive elements of the parliament in all the relevant steps. Mr Schulz also laid bare his emotions about Brexit as he argued both Britain and the rest of the EU would be losers from the decision to leave the bloc. Theresa May refuses to comment on suggestions Brexit deal will take 10 years Pointing out the EU was losing its second largest economy one with a permanent seat on the UN security council he said: This is weakening the EU without any doubt . However Mr Schulz said the UK s economic strength was drawn from its single market membership adding: This is not a win-win situation for both sides. The origin was emotion on the one side and emotion on the other side and I am emotional when I think about that. But emotions will not lead to the solutions we need. Let s try to be rational and to make the best out of it. The comments came after awkward footage showed Theresa May standing isolated and alone at an EU summit in Brussels today while other leaders greeted each other warmly. Later the other 27 leaders of EU countries will meet for an informal discussion without Ms May to discuss their approach to the talks but with she said her blessing. As she arrived in Brussels the Prime Minister pointedly refused to answer repeated questions about private warnings to the Government from Britain s EU ambassador Sir Ivan Rogers that a post-Brexit trade deal could take a decade to finalise. David Davis does not rule out a transitional Brexit in hearing Sir Ivan also said that any deal could even then fail to be ratified by member states but No 10 said Sir Ivan was passing on the views of other EU nations. Ivan is there to report the views of others he is doing the job of an ambassador a source said. He was representing what others are saying to him. Downing Street insists it will be possible to complete both the divorce deal and a new trade agreement within the two-year time frame set out under the Article 50 exit clause. No 10 also said the Prime Minister had been told to prepare for complexities and difficulties in the Brexit negotiation process. Brexit Concerns 22 show all Brexit Concerns 1/22 British Prime Minister Theresa May Getty 2/22 Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty 3/22 Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK s first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire 4/22 SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK s first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire 5/22 Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the Jungle migrant camp as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty 6/22 Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty 7/22 The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week potentially linked the the Calais jungle camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA 8/22 Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley Britain Reuters 9/22 Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty 10/22 Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA 11/22 The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty 12/22 Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009 33 100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty 13/22 A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty 14/22 Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty 15/22 A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty 16/22 Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster to protest against the United Kingdom s decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty 17/22 Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty 18/22 NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery produce farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming post Brexit Getty 19/22 The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live to work and to access pensions healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty 20/22 A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the Brexpats in Spain group about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens at the town hall in Benalmadena Spain Reuters 21/22 The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums hotels and other important tourist attractions Getty 22/22 The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty Ms May met both Mr Schulz and the parliament s lead Brexit negotiator former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt for a 20 minute meeting. A No 10 source said they both wanted a constructive process but added: We recognise there may be complexities and difficulties at times because that is the nature of any negotiation. Ms May also met Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. The Lithuanian leader raised the status of her citizens living in the UK after Brexit. Ms May has said she wants to guarantee the rights of EU citizens but is refusing to act unilaterally. More about: Brexit UKIP European Parliament Martin Schulz Reuse content The European Commission chief Brexit negotiator is working on basis that Britain would have to pay a 50 billion settlement for outstanding liabilities according to reports. A bill worth tens of billions of euros will be one of the first things coming up in the Brexit negotiation after Theresa May triggers Article 50 an EU government minister told Sky News. Commission chief negotiator Michel Barnier has mentioned this figure to EU leaders in his tour of EU capitals. Read more May warned of complexities and difficulties of Brexit at EU summit The same figure was mentioned to Brussels based diplomats from the EU-27 in a meeting last month. The http://backlinksearches.total-blog.com/backlinks-adsense-pagerank-the-the-answer-to-the-success-of-google-web-search-1698804 news was communicated by Mr Barnier but has not been circulated as a working paper yet. Another analysis of the same liabilities by two EU finance ministries calculate a smaller but still large bill at around 40 billion euros according to reports heard by Sky. The calculation is believed to include the obligation for the UK to pay into the EU Budget until the end of 2020 having signed up to the Multiannual financial framework already as well as the UK s share of outstanding pensions liabilities and other payments associated with loan guarantees. The Czech Republic s Europe minister Tomas Prouza reportedly said the huge sums were only things the UK has already committed itself to paying . When asked if British people should expect a bill worth tens of billions of pounds Mr Prouza responded: Definitely. This is what the UK has already committed to pay and we would expect that the UK would honour its commitments. It will be one of the first issues coming up on the table. Brexit Concerns 22 show all Brexit Concerns 1/22 British Prime Minister Theresa May Getty 2/22 Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty 3/22 Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK s first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire 4/22 SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK s first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire 5/22 Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the Jungle migrant camp as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty 6/22 Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty 7/22 The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week potentially linked the the Calais jungle camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA 8/22 Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley Britain Reuters 9/22 Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty 10/22 Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA 11/22 The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty 12/22 Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009 33 100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty 13/22 A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty 14/22 Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty 15/22 A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty 16/22 Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster to protest against the United Kingdom s decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty 17/22 Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty 18/22 NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery produce farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming post Brexit Getty 19/22 The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live to work and to access pensions healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty 20/22 A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the Brexpats in Spain group about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens at the town hall in Benalmadena Spain Reuters 21/22 The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums hotels and other important tourist attractions Getty 22/22 The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty Downing Street said the UK would meet its obligations while it remained a member of the EU - but any financial settlement after that would be a matter for negotiation. Decisions on how UK taxpayers money is spent will be decisions for the UK to take moving forward a No.10 source said. There s a whole range of complex issues that will need to be resolved in the negotiations. More about: European Union Brexit Reuse content A transitional deal with the EU after the article 50 process concludes is completely inevitable to avoid losing access to vital European intelligence databases Nick Clegg has said. The former deputy prime minister said it had been a misjudgment for the government to make a transitional deal into a political issue. It is a measure of how contorted and constipated the debate is that it has become a headline issue he said. It s an obvious inevitability unless you are deluded enough to believe you can wrap everything in 18 months. Clegg said Theresa May should have made it clear from the outset that a completely new relationship with the EU could not be finalised before the next general election. In a rational world there would be no politics about this at all he said. This is a self-inflicted controversy and the government could have taken all the heat out of this and said yes of course there will be a transition. Pork pies and stilton under Brexit threat says Nick Clegg Read more May s promise to cut ties with the European court of justice (ECJ) could be a serious stumbling block in the UK s leverage in EU negotiations on intelligence and defence co-operation Clegg said. Downing Street and David Davis s Brexit department are understood to see Britain s intelligence expertise as a key asset in negotiations with the bloc. Davis has said the UK hopes to maintain or even strengthen our cooperation on security and defence though May said in her Conservative party conference speech that we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European court of justice . However the UK will have to agree to EU rules on data sharing subject to ECJ jurisdiction in order to maintain access to crime databases such as the Schengen information system which allows police forces to share real-time alerts on suspects vehicles and firearms. In many ways the government could use our co-operation on home affairs as an asset and say: We know you didn t vote to make us less safe we don t want to lower our guard so this is going to take a while Clegg said. In a briefing paper on justice and home affairs the latest in a series prepared by Clegg on the challenges of the Brexit negotiations Clegg said the UK needed to agree an unprecedented deal on security co-operation. A raft of new arrangements will need to be agreed to maintain current levels of co-operation including the continued use of the European arrest warrant to return suspects to the UK who have fled to Europe. Courts could also lose access to the European criminal records information system which allows courts to request information on previous convictions of EU nationals. The government has previously indicated it hopes to remain a member of Europol which co-ordinates law enforcement for cross-border crime in Europe though non-EU partners are not allowed to have influence over the body s strategic direction and access to some intelligence sharing is limited. Clegg said the government needs to think about what compromises they are prepared to make in return for an unprecedented deal that allows us to at the very least maintain the successful security measures we have in place now . The European commission has already signalled its reluctance to allow countries such as Denmark where voters rejected adopting closer EU ties on cross-border policing in a referendum last year to have similar access to data and intelligence sharing without opting in to full co-operation. On Thursday the European commission issued a pointed statement about the Danish referendum saying co-operation on cross-border serious and organised crime and international terrorism must not in any way equal full membership of Europol . Intelligence-sharing would be conditioned on Denmark s continued membership of the European Union and on Denmark s agreement to the application of the jurisdiction of the court of justice of the EU the statement said.