France, Spain Welcome Idea of UK Rejoining EU

During a visit to Spain, French President Emmanuel Macron said it would be “good news” if the UK moved toward the European Union, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also embracing the idea. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has not ruled out rejoining the bloc, Wesley Dockery reported for Deutsche Welle.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez welcome renewed discussion about the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the European Union.

During a visit to Madrid while meeting with Sánchez, Macron reacted to the idea of the UK rejoining the EU with two words in English: “Welcome back.”

Macron added: “If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news both for his country and for Europeans.”

At the same time, Macron said the UK cannot take an “a la carte” approach to its relationship with the EU while remaining outside the bloc.

“You cannot choose between the freedoms of the union and decide to take what suits us and not the rest,” he said.

Sánchez said the UK’s decision to leave the EU as a result of the 2016 referendum was “a huge loss, both for the British population and for the whole European project.”

The Spanish prime minister said that if the UK did try to rejoin the EU, Spain would welcome it and “open its arms” to the country. Agence France-Presse (AFP) also reported on the remarks.