The vice president of the Group of the European People's Party (PPE) in the European Parliament, Esteban González Pons, said today that "we still have time to prevent Brexit from becoming a crisis of very serious consequences, especially for the United Kingdom but also for the countries of the European Union (EU) and for citizens of both sides."
"Time is running against us because we are less than two months from the date of departure on October 31, so we must intensify efforts to avoid a Brexit without agreement," said González Pons during a meeting in Helsinki with representatives of the civil society of Finland, in which it has represented the PPE group, the largest in the European Parliament.
"The EU has done its job to deal with Brexit in the best conditions and signed with the former British Prime Minister, Theresa May, a reasonable exit agreement, but now the ball is on the roof of the British political class," he explained in reference to the last decisions of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the British Parliament on Brexit.
"At this time we do not even know if the United Kingdom will effectively leave the EU on October 31, we do not even know if on that date Boris Johnson will continue to lead the British government," said González Pons.
"Brexit is already bad news, but the worst option would be to continue with this uncertainty and arrive at the end of October with an uncontrolled situation, because this would have direct negative consequences for citizens," insisted the Vice President of the PPE Group .
Today's meeting with representatives of the civil society of Finland has taken place in the context of the visit that the Conference of Presidents of the political groups of the European Parliament – and in which González Pons represents the PPE Group – makes today and tomorrow to Helsinki on the occasion of the rotating EU presidency that Finland semesters this semester.