EU-27 agrees to forge ahead with current priorities - Hoofdinhoud

Together with the Presidents of the European Council and of the European Commission, EU leaders met for the first time today without the United Kingdom at the table. They expressed their regret for the referendum result but showed determination to forge ahead with current priorities.

The 27 Heads of State or Government and the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council met to discuss the political and practical implications of the UK vote to leave the EU and the future of the European Union with 27 Member States.

Speaking at the press conference following this informal meeting, European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker i, said that everyone around the table had firmly agreed there would be "no negotiation without notification" of the UK's intention to leave the EU.

Regarding the future relationship between the EU and the UK, the President made it clear that all agreed there would be "no Internal Market à la carte, so those who want to have free access to our Internal Market have to implement all four freedoms without exception, without nuance."

President Juncker recalled that Heads of State or Government had given their full backing to the current political priorities pursued by the Commission and called for speeding up their delivery. Change in the right direction has been happening and needs to be pursued and accelerated. There was a consensus that neither Treaty change nor any Conventions for deepening the EU would be the right way forward at the moment. "It's about implementation, not innovation," said President Juncker.

Leaders will meet again on 16 September in Bratislava to continue discussions on the future of the European Union.