Liberal leaders meet to discuss Brexit ahead of European Council - Main contents

On Tuesday 28 June, ahead of the European Council, Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Parliament, together with ALDE Party President Hans van Baalen MEP and Charles Michel, Prime Minister of Belgium, met with more than 60 Liberal Prime Ministers, party leaders and European Commissioners of the ALDE family at the Egmont Palace in Brussels.

The core topic of discussion was the outcome of last week's EU referendum in the United Kingdom.

Commenting on the meeting, ALDE Party President Hans van Baalen MEP said: "It feels unreal that we are now talking of the EU without Great Britain, but you never know what can happen given that many Brits are now asking for a time to rethink. We cannot rethink forever, but we have to give some time to the Brits to see what develops."

"The Liberal Democrats in the ALDE Party will be active and play a key role in the current process in the UK."

ALDE Group leader Guy Verhofstadt said: “We cannot afford to be stuck in limbo. The British must not hold the EU to ransom. Triggering Article 50 is necessary, if we are to respect the democratic choice of the British people."

"We should use this momentum to make the EU work again, which means an effective European government for the Eurozone, a European Border and Coast Guard to safeguard free movement, a European capacity to fight terrorism and a Defence Community. The result of this referendum is a wake-up call which we should use to move forward. We will only be able to turn the tide by working more efficiently together.”

Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron said: "I am a democrat, I accept the outcome of elections if you lose, you must respect the people and what they say. It doesn't change the fact that I am utterly heart-broken."

"The Liberal Democrats in the Britain will not give up, we will stand up at the next elections alone if need to be, as the only part in Britain who will say that Britain's place is in the European Union."

More on ALDE Pary

Photo: Albert Rivera, Party Leader, Javier Nart, MEP (both Ciudadanos) an President of the ALDE Party Hans van Baalen (MEP, VVD)

Watch on Periscope: Press point after the Pre-summit of Liberals & Democrats in Brussels

List of participants:

Bulgaria

Mustafa Karadaya, Party Leader (Movement for Rights and Freedoms)

Filiz Hyusmenova, Member European Parliament (Movement for Rights and Freedoms)

Belgium

Charles Michel, Prime Minister (Mouvement Réformateur)

Gwendolyn Rutten, Party Leader (Open Vld)

Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the ALDE Group in the European Parliament (Open Vld)

Czech Republic

Andrej Babiš, Minister of Economics, Minister of Finance, Party Leader (ANO)

Pavel Telička, Member European Parliament (ANO)

Denmark

Morten Østergaard, Party Leader (Radikale Venstre)

Morten Helveg Petersen, Member European Parliament (Radikale Venstre)

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister (Venstre)

Morten Løkkegaard, Member European Parliament (Venstre)

Germany

Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Member European Parliament (FDP)

Ulrike Müller, Member European Parliament (Freie Wähler)

Estonia

Taavi Rõivas, Prime Minister (Reform Party)

Kaja Kallas, Member European Parliament (Reform Party)

Yana Toom, Member European Parliament (Centre Party)

Spain

Albert Rivera, Party Leader (Ciudadanos)

Javier Nart, Member European Parliament (Ciudadanos)

Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Member European Parliament (Partido Nationalista Vasco)

France

François Bayrou, Party Leader (Mouvement Démocrate)

Marielle de Sarnez, Member European Parliament (Mouvement Démocrate)

Jean-Christophe Lagarde, Party Leader (Union des démocrates et indépendents)

Croatia

Ivan Vrdoljak, Party Leader (HNS)

Boris Miletić, Party Leader (IDS)

Ivan Jakovčić, Member European Parliament (IDS)

Ireland

Micheál Martin, Party Leader (Fianna Fáil)

Italy

Enrico Zanetti, Vice Minister of Economics and Finance, Party Leader (Scelta Civica per l'Italia)

Francesco Rutelli (Alleanza per l'Italia)

Lithuania

Valentinas Mazuronis, Member European Parliament (Darbo)

Petras Auštrevičius, Member European Parliament (Liberalai)

Luxembourg

Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister (Demokratesch Partei)

Charles Goerens, Member European Parliament (Demokratesch Partei)

Netherlands

Mark Rutte, Minister President (VVD)

Hans van Baalen, President of ALDE Party and Member European Parliament (VVD)

Alexander Pechtold, Party Leader (D66)

Sophie in 't Veld, Member European Parliament (D66)

Austria

Matthias Strolz, Party Leader (NEOS)

Angelika Mlinar, Member European Parliament (NEOS)

Poland

Ryszard Petru, Party leader (Nowoczesna)

Portugal

António Marinho e Pinto, Member European Parliament (Partido Democrático Republicano)

José Inacio Faria, Party Leader and Member European Parliament (Partido da Terra)

Romania

Norica Nicolai, Member European Parliament (independent)

Slovenia

Miro Cerar, Prime Minister (SMC)

Ivo Vajgl, Member European Parliament (DeSUS)

Finland

Juha Sipilä, Prime Minister (Keskusta)

Hannu Takkula, Member European Parliament (Keskusta)

Anna-Maja Henriksson, Party Leader (SFP)

Nils Torvalds, Member European Parliament (SFP)

Sweden

Annie Lööf, Party leader (Centerpartiet)

Fredrick Federley, Member European Parliament (Centerpartiet)

Jan Björklund, Party leader (Liberalerna)

Cecilia Wikström, Member European Parliament (Liberalerna)

UK

Tim Farron, Party Leader (Liberal Democrats)

Catherine Bearder, Member European Parliament (Liberal Democrats)

Georgia

David Usupashvili, Party Leader (Republican Party)

Liberal International

Juli Minoves-Triquell, President

European Investment Bank

Werner Hoyer, President

European Commission

Vice-President Andrus Ansip

Commissioner Věra Jourová

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager