As negotiations begin today on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union Syed Kamall, Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, said:

“The start of negotiations today is important for both the UK and the EU. A calm, constructive, and cooperative approach to talks is what will bring about the most progress in the coming weeks and months.

"At the heart of these negotiations are people’s lives and livelihoods, and that is why a bad deal for one side will also be a bad deal for the other. We should aim for an arrangement that safeguards trade and allows continued co-operation in key areas of mutual interest for our security and economies. We may not be members of the same club once the UK leaves the EU, but we will remain neighbours and allies.

“Hopefully Brexit negotiations will benefit all of the EU, by allowing the EU to reflect upon its own future direction and relationships. The ECR Group will remain a leading voice in the bringing about this change and reform in Brussels.

“As Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group and a UK Conservative MEP I will do all I can to help secure a fair agreement, acting as a bridge between key individuals in Brussels and the UK Government, and I am confident of a future in which both the UK and the EU thrive as close friends."

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Contact: Jan Krelina, +32493214346, jan.krelina@europarl.europa.eu

The ECR was created to take the EU in a new direction, according to the principles of our founding Prague Declaration. It is the third largest group in the European Parliament with 74 MEPs from 18 EU states.

For more information on the ECR, watch our promotional video at http://youtu.be/F5syQt1JuQI or visit our website: www.ecrgroup.eu