Speaking to the Belgian Federal Parliament, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned the UK of a “very hefty bill” when leaving the EU.
Juncker spoke of his sadness about the result of Britain’s EU referendum but went on to insist that the UK would not be able to negotiate a “cut-price or zero-cost” exit.
“We need to settle our affairs not with our hearts full of a feeling of hostility, but with the knowledge that the continent owes a lot to the UK,” he said. “Without [Winston] Churchill, we would not be here – we mustn’t forget that, but we mustn’t be naive.”
“Our British friends need to know – and they know it already – that it will not be cut-price or zero cost.
“So the bill will be, to put it a bit crudely, very hefty. It will be necessary for the British to respect commitments which they freely entered into.”
At a meeting held last week with the EU27 member states and the commission’s chief Brexit negotiator, it was suggested that the UK would have to pay an estimate of £48 billion over the next six years.
This amount should cover UK’s share of the cost of projects it was part of as a member, as well as cover the pensions for EU officials.
“This will be a difficult negotiation, which will take two years to reach agreement on the exit arrangements. To agree on the future architecture of the relations between the UK and EU, it will need years.” said Juncker.
“Those who want to benefit from the advantages of the single market must respect the four fundamental freedoms, including the one which relates to the movement of workers,” he added.
The UK government insists that talks regarding an exit fee can run in parallel after Prime Minister May triggers negotiations under article 50.