Eurocities represents around 130 major cities and European capitals, whereas Core Cities brings together 10 major British cities. On Monday 19 February, the two organisations met the chief negotiator of the working group on negotiations with the United Kingdom as part of Article 50, Michel Barnier, and the European Parliament coordinator for the Brexit negotiations, Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE, Belgium).
The meeting focused on the question of the future relations between European and British cities after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. The challenge is particularly crucial for British cities, according to a press release from Core Cities, which points out that pro-Bremain cities account for around 20 million people and 25% of GDP.
During the meeting, Michel Barnier said that he was aware of the role played by the cities in the European and British economies and highlighted the human and territorial dimensions of future cooperation between the EU and the United Kingdom. He encouraged the cities to put forward their demands to their respective national governments. This is the real challenge for British cities, which are experiencing huge difficulties in getting a hearing from the British government, according to one of our sources.
Verhofstadt proposed organising a public hearing at the European Parliament to highlight the role played by British cities in the future relationship between the EU and the United Kingdom after 30 March 2019. The Belgian MEP added that the contribution the cities could make would also be to help the British government set out a stable course in the negotiations.
Core Cities brings together the cities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield. Its aim is to promote the role of the cities in the British economy and society.
As former European Commissioner for Regional Policy (1999-2004), Barnier has the ear of the regions, cities and municipalities, according to several different sources. In this regard, he recently held meetings with members of the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions (CPMR) to discuss the impact of Brexit on the Atlantic Arc regions and the shared management of fishing waters (see EUROPE 11950). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)