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[Published: Monday July 11 2016]
EU accuses Britain of taking Europe ‘hostage’ 
BRUSSELS, 11 Jul (ANA) - JEAN-CLAUDE Juncker and Martin Schulz have accused Britain and British politicians of taking the content hostage because of Brexit. In an interview published today in Germany's Spiegel magazine, the two Eurocrats also criticise David Cameron for allowing the British people to have a democratic say in their future. Mr Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, said: "Primary responsibility for Brexit lies with British Conservatives, who took an entire continent hostage. First, David Cameron initiated the referendum in order to secure his post. Now, fellow Conservatives want to delay the start of exit negotiations until they've held a party conference. "And regarding detractors: I'm proud of the fact that Miss Le Pen in France insults me and Mr Wilders in the Netherlands calls me his opponent. The way I see it is, if these people weren't attacking me, I would be doing something wrong." Mr Juncker added; "In the end, the British didn't vote to leave because of the euro. They're not even members of the currency union. Even the refugee crisis hardly affected the country. I have another explanation: in its 43 years of EU membership, Britain has never been able to decide whether it wants to fully or only partially belong to the EU."  But both men blamed bureaucracy in the EU for disenchanting voters across the continent. Mr Schulz said; "For many people, politics in Brussels and Strasbourg might as well be happening on another planet. "Just come to Brussels after a Council meeting. Do you know what happens? Every head of government holds his or her own press conference. They all say the same thing, in 24 languages: I was able to push through my agenda. "And if the result is anything other than what they desired, the message is: Brussels is to blame. It has been this way for over 20 years. These messages stick with people, and that's deadly for Europe." Mr Juncker added: "On top of that, there is a distorted perception of what goes on in Brussels. No one reports on the Commission taking a hundred initiatives from its predecessor off the table in order to shift competencies back to member state governments. "Stories are invented: Juncker wants to introduce the euro everywhere or immediately deepen the EU – although I publicly stated the opposite that same day. This doesn't just happen – it happens in order to weaken the European institutions. "I am not an advocate of the United States of Europe, nor am I an integration fanatic. You can't deepen the European Union against the wishes of the European countries." (ANA)
FA/ANA/11 July 2016------
 
 

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