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Juncker with Theresa May at a meeting in October. Xinhua SIPA USA/PA Images

Juncker calls Brexit 'a tragedy' as he says UK's final bill will be around €58 billion

The EU Commission President said that Article 50 negotiations with the UK will be “frank and fair”.

EU COMMISSION PRESIDENT Jean-Claude Juncker has said that there is no desire to “punish” Britain during the upcoming Brexit negotiations, calling the country’s decision to leave the EU “a failure and a tragedy”.

In an interview with the BBC broadcast today, Juncker indicated that Britain’s bill of what it needs to pay when it leaves the EU would be around €58 billion.

The interview itself got off to an inauspicious start, when reporter Katya Adler asked Juncker if he thought that Theresa May’s absence at an upcoming meeting of EU leaders would be the “elephant in the room”.

Juncker answered: “She is not an elephant”.

While the EU would be going into the negotiations with its eyes open, it would look to treat Britain fairly, according to Juncker.

When asked how he would feel when Article 50 is triggered on Wednesday, Juncker said: “I will be sad, as I was sad when the referendum took place.

I’m in everything but a hostile mood when it comes to Britain. We’ll negotiate in a frank and fair way. We are not naive.

On how much Britain would have to pay when it leaves the EU, Juncker said it would not exceed sums already agreed upon with the UK:

It will be a bill reflecting former commitments from the British government. There will be no sanctions, no punishment, nothing of that kind.

He added that an aim of the EU was to ensure that the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, and British citizens living in the EU, were protected.

This is not about bargaining. It is about respect in human dignity.

Theresa May is due to trigger Article 50, signalling the start of the Brexit negotiations, on Wednesday 29 March.

It will begin a long, complicated process for the UK to cut its ties as a member of the European Union.

“We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation,” said Brexit minister David Davis earlier this week.

Read: ‘As the UK withdraws economic opportunities will arise. Ireland must aggressively pursue them’

Read: Theresa May will trigger Article 50 next Wednesday

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    Mute Paddy Reid
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    Feb 16th 2018, 1:29 PM

    That’s so sad. He must have been so confused. RIP.

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    Mute Dizzy
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    Feb 16th 2018, 1:57 PM

    Gosh I’m so sorry for that man and his relatives and friends.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Feb 16th 2018, 2:00 PM

    Heart wrenching. I hope he didn’t suffer. RIP.

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    Mute Daniel Carson
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    Feb 18th 2018, 5:26 PM

    @Deborah Behan: oh god what a fairy you are

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    Mute Daniel Carson
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    Feb 18th 2018, 5:27 PM

    @Daniel Carson: that comment was not meant for you. I apologize

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    Mute Henry Matthews
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    Feb 16th 2018, 4:34 PM

    Could you not have wrote Mr Burke.?…why can’t journalists have basic respect….

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    Mute Charles Alexander
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    Feb 16th 2018, 4:59 PM

    @Henry Matthews:
    I agree. Quite often see victims referred to by their surname on online news forums.
    It lacks compassion although I would say it is more through laziness and poor editing.

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    Mute Henry Matthews
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    Feb 16th 2018, 5:17 PM

    @Charles Alexander: i contacted the journal about this before….I was told they follow best European journalistic standards..

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    Mute Brendan Hughes
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    Feb 16th 2018, 6:45 PM

    @Henry Matthews: It’s a generational thing. More and more the younger the person the less respect is given. Bar a few whose parents raised them right.

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    Mute Smiley
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    Feb 16th 2018, 9:24 PM

    @Henry Matthews: Bullocks to “best standards”. Are the journalists sheep?

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    Mute Bill O'Brien
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    Feb 16th 2018, 2:19 PM

    RIP

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    Mute Gordon Fitzpatrick
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    Feb 16th 2018, 5:44 PM

    “Best European journalistic standards”
    Well then we need to go back to best Irish journalistic standards. Again more
    Bull hsit from the journal and its ahem, “journalists”.

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    Mute Owen Flynn
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    Feb 16th 2018, 5:43 PM

    So sad. R.i.p. Mr Burke.

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    Mute Leo Bissett
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    Feb 16th 2018, 8:47 PM

    Deepest condolences to the family of Mr Burke. May he rest in peace.

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    Mute miked
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    Feb 16th 2018, 9:22 PM

    The only consolation is that his body was found rip Mr Burke

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    Mute Ray Farrell
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    Feb 17th 2018, 12:56 AM

    Tragic, the poor man and his family , RIP.

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    Mute Grasshopper
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    Feb 18th 2018, 9:34 AM

    Reading some of the comments i think people are rambling on with nothing to do with this article.
    R.I.P

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    Mute JJ
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    Feb 17th 2018, 12:25 AM

    So a body washed up in Wales in November and the pigs didn’t think to share this info with each other and try and establish a link. FFS Sherlock Holmes me bollix.

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