:00:00. > :00:49.Hello, and welcome to Politics Europe. On today's programme.
:00:50. > :00:54.Theresa May spells out her Brexit plant, confirming the UK will leave
:00:55. > :00:59.the single market, warning EU leaders that no deal is better than
:01:00. > :01:03.a bad deal. We will look at reaction across Europe and examine the likely
:01:04. > :01:11.negotiating strategy of the of the EU. We report from Strasbourg where
:01:12. > :01:15.MEPs have voted for this man, Antonio, as the new president of the
:01:16. > :01:20.European Parliament. And as Donald Trump enters the White House, how
:01:21. > :01:27.are the residents of Melania Trump's hometown in Slovenia celebrating the
:01:28. > :01:34.success of their most famous ex-resident. I put white chocolate
:01:35. > :01:44.because of the White House, she is always dressed in white. So I put
:01:45. > :01:48.white chocolate. So, all that to come and more in the next half-hour.
:01:49. > :01:57.First, though, here is our guide to the latest from Europe in just 60
:01:58. > :02:01.seconds. After much anticipation, on Tuesday, Prime Minister Theresa May
:02:02. > :02:05.delivered her speech on Brexit. She said the UK would lay the single
:02:06. > :02:10.market, and had a strong message to European neighbours. No deal is
:02:11. > :02:14.better than a bad deal. There were mixed reactions from European
:02:15. > :02:20.leaders, some accusing her of cherry picking from the EU. Others were
:02:21. > :02:23.more kind. We want a fair deal with Britain and for Britain. Also on
:02:24. > :02:32.Tuesday, the European Parliament elected its new president, Antonio,
:02:33. > :02:36.from the centre-right EPP. On Thursday, MEPs called for emergency
:02:37. > :02:41.aid for refugees again, specifically to help them with freezing
:02:42. > :02:45.temperatures and snow across Europe. And also this week, a report from
:02:46. > :02:51.top officials calls for the EU to raise its own taxes. Standby for a
:02:52. > :02:59.European VAT, a bank levy, or corporate tax. Actually, don't hold
:03:00. > :03:08.your breath. With me for the next few minutes is the right and left
:03:09. > :03:13.MEPs. And also we are joined from Brussels by our political chief
:03:14. > :03:21.correspondent, David. Let me come to you first. When will we get the
:03:22. > :03:30.combined or collective European negotiating position Theresa May has
:03:31. > :03:34.outlined with her speech this week what Britain wants. Will we get
:03:35. > :03:40.something similar from the European Union side? Certainly not before the
:03:41. > :03:45.formal triggering of Article 50. The EU has been very clear about this.
:03:46. > :03:51.It is not their job to help the EU a long. So you know the steps we need
:03:52. > :03:54.to take. We are still waiting for a court decision for Parliament to
:03:55. > :03:59.act. Once that happens in the formal notification is received from
:04:00. > :04:04.Brussels, we will see Michel Barnier kicked into action with a more
:04:05. > :04:13.cohesive message coming out of Russells at that point. -- Brussels.
:04:14. > :04:17.In London, how much hostility is there to Britain building up to
:04:18. > :04:21.these negotiations? There is resignation and disappointment with
:04:22. > :04:26.the way we are going. I would also say there is almost a feeling of
:04:27. > :04:32.abdication of political leadership in terms of we keep talking about
:04:33. > :04:36.immigration and only immigration and not discussing important issues like
:04:37. > :04:39.the economy and jobs. And what that means... And the speech hasn't
:04:40. > :04:44.really, other than clarifying we will not be in the single market,
:04:45. > :04:47.which I am personally really devastated by, because I do think it
:04:48. > :04:52.is important for our economy and jobs, and for our income, to
:04:53. > :04:56.safeguard NHS, education, and services, but I think the main
:04:57. > :05:00.concern is that we seem to have thrown in the towel before we have
:05:01. > :05:07.actually started negotiations. What do you say to that? I disagree. I
:05:08. > :05:11.happen to be in the more detailed discussions that are happening
:05:12. > :05:17.between the Parliament's it is. What I have noticed is a change of tone
:05:18. > :05:21.over the Christmas period. -- committees. As the committees looked
:05:22. > :05:26.after the more detailed negotiations. We had a long
:05:27. > :05:32.interview with Michel Barnier. One of the people heading up the
:05:33. > :05:36.negotiations. He is a detailed person, talking about the need for a
:05:37. > :05:42.new partnership and relationship, one that recognises the close
:05:43. > :05:48.economic ties between Europe... I... What I have noticed. Sorry. As they
:05:49. > :05:52.look at the details, the more practical and pragmatic approach,
:05:53. > :05:57.not wanting to damage the economy on either side of the Channel, I am
:05:58. > :06:01.just beginning to feel that, in that negotiation... I would say that in
:06:02. > :06:06.response to Theresa May's speech this week, it has undone some of
:06:07. > :06:11.that work. I have said this... No, my colleagues are also involved in
:06:12. > :06:17.those negotiations with Michel Barnier. And there is a plan to move
:06:18. > :06:21.these things forward, he said. But the speech, the way things have gone
:06:22. > :06:25.down now, people are saying, well, you are not really interested in
:06:26. > :06:32.closing a deal. You have stated you want out. Let me go back to...
:06:33. > :06:35.David, let me ask you this again, because, on this side of the
:06:36. > :06:42.Channel, we are still a little unclear. Assume Article 50 is
:06:43. > :06:49.triggered by the vote in Parliament and that is the way it has gone.
:06:50. > :06:55.What then? How does Europe come to its collective view? Does that have
:06:56. > :07:00.to be determined by the Council of Ministers by 27? Do they give it a
:07:01. > :07:09.bunny abroad negotiating mandate? -- Michel Barnier a broad. We get the
:07:10. > :07:14.idea that it is already taking shape, that mandate. Let me go back
:07:15. > :07:18.to the previous question. There is a lot of lip service being paid to the
:07:19. > :07:24.continued importance and relevance of British officials in Brussels and
:07:25. > :07:28.the EU. But what we are seeing is that it is quickly apparent they are
:07:29. > :07:32.being marginalised. Even in the Parliament they are saying everyone
:07:33. > :07:35.is a full member until Brexit happens. It is quite clear that
:07:36. > :07:40.relevance is disappearing very fast to be that is very important for the
:07:41. > :07:44.UK, which will be part of the EU for many years. In terms of the mandate
:07:45. > :07:47.that Michel Barnier has, there has been reaction to the Prime
:07:48. > :07:52.Minister's speech. Looking back to the very first bite simple things
:07:53. > :07:57.that Angela Merkel was seen after the referendum. -- Politics Europe
:07:58. > :08:03.the four fundamental freedoms of the EU are not up for negotiation. And
:08:04. > :08:06.in Paris and Berlin, the does not seem to be significant recognition
:08:07. > :08:13.of that in London. They have not got the message. These things are not
:08:14. > :08:21.negotiable. And... It is not like an American Express ad. Mentorship has
:08:22. > :08:25.its responsibilities. The Prime Minister recognised the importance
:08:26. > :08:29.of the four freedoms to the rest of the EU. She went back to talking
:08:30. > :08:34.about a close economic partnership. From the side of the EU we want to
:08:35. > :08:37.keep open as much of trade as possible. And put it back to the
:08:38. > :08:43.practical co-operation we have on economic issues like trade in goods,
:08:44. > :08:49.she mentioned cars and financial services as well. Practical
:08:50. > :08:56.cooperation. They want to keep... Can I ask you... And I ask you a
:08:57. > :09:00.question. No, we have not got time. If the government is now ruling out
:09:01. > :09:05.membership of the single market, why are the four freedoms relevant? They
:09:06. > :09:10.do not need to be up for negotiation. Because if we are not
:09:11. > :09:14.going to be a member of the single market then the four freedoms do not
:09:15. > :09:21.apply. They are not for us. I agree. No, I am asking here in London. I
:09:22. > :09:24.assume it is one of the reasons she has decided... That is my
:09:25. > :09:29.understanding as well. It clears these issues. I think it is wrong
:09:30. > :09:34.that we put immigration above jobs and the economy. And that is what I
:09:35. > :09:38.am hearing from manufacturers in the West Midlands. They need access to
:09:39. > :09:46.the single market... When you look at the referendum... Hang on, do you
:09:47. > :09:50.accept? Let me finish. You are talking about the referendum and I
:09:51. > :09:54.do not want to do that. Do you accept that if we are not part of
:09:55. > :09:59.the single market then the four freedoms that are part of the single
:10:00. > :10:02.market do not need to be part of the negotiations? We have had some
:10:03. > :10:05.statements from the Prime Minister saying we will have customs
:10:06. > :10:11.arrangements. We do not know the details of that? We do not know what
:10:12. > :10:15.that means. Let me go back to David. David, if we are going... If it is
:10:16. > :10:19.the government's position to go for a Free Trade Agreement, why are the
:10:20. > :10:24.four freedoms of the single market relevant? What I think is that to
:10:25. > :10:28.understand if there has been compromising on that side, if the UK
:10:29. > :10:32.is not willing to live up to those standards, then, in fact, there will
:10:33. > :10:39.be a cost to leaving membership of the EU. That any trade deal will not
:10:40. > :10:43.be as preferential, will not have as good an arrangement as the current
:10:44. > :10:48.arrangement. If they understand that it will not happen for some time. In
:10:49. > :10:53.any Free Trade Agreement, there is always a clause about movement or
:10:54. > :10:58.free access with no visa. The Canadian free-trade deal which is
:10:59. > :11:04.the most recent one does not involve free movement. Let us be very
:11:05. > :11:08.clear... Can I come back in? What I have heard the chief negotiator for
:11:09. > :11:12.the European Commission say is not a special deal for the UK, but a deal
:11:13. > :11:16.that is very this effect, that recognises our economic links, that
:11:17. > :11:21.wants to form a new partnership, and that is what the Prime Minister has
:11:22. > :11:24.set out. She has set out her willingness to not put up new
:11:25. > :11:28.barriers to free trade and manage the economies on both sides to be we
:11:29. > :11:33.need to start working on the detail of that. That is the tone I have had
:11:34. > :11:37.out of Brussels. We need to work on that. Let me go back to David. How
:11:38. > :11:41.much concern is there from Brussels, or do they not think it is a
:11:42. > :11:45.concern, that the kind of antiestablishment insurgency we have
:11:46. > :11:49.seen with Brexit and then Donald Trump's election, could well
:11:50. > :11:52.dominate the important elections in Holland, in France, in Austria,
:11:53. > :11:57.perhaps in Italy, and almost certainly, elections are taking
:11:58. > :12:00.place in Germany this year. And that could be the backdrop with worrying
:12:01. > :12:05.about what is happening on the ground in Europe. There is no
:12:06. > :12:10.question these political forces, this anti- establishment forces, are
:12:11. > :12:14.concerned. But interestingly, Donald Trump may be a force that serves to
:12:15. > :12:17.unify the EU. That if the EU saw some reason to stay unified because
:12:18. > :12:22.of the upcoming Brexit negotiations, then Donald Trump seems to be giving
:12:23. > :12:29.even greater urgency or the EU 27 to stick together. I think people are
:12:30. > :12:33.feeling fairly confident. And so, in fact, I think there is confidence
:12:34. > :12:38.growing in Brussels that they will make it through these elections OK.
:12:39. > :12:42.And in a funny way, Donald Trump is creating a unifying force. All
:12:43. > :12:45.rights. Confidence in the Republican establishment was there that he
:12:46. > :12:50.would win the primary races as well. We will see whether the Brussels
:12:51. > :12:55.bureaucrats are better at predicting band the politicians on the other
:12:56. > :12:59.side of the Atlantic. Thank you for being without. We need to move on.
:13:00. > :13:04.There has an election in Europe. It was in Strasbourg this week. MEPs
:13:05. > :13:07.vote for the next president of the European Parliament, an important
:13:08. > :13:11.position, because he is the Parliament's top dog, which brings
:13:12. > :13:18.considerable influence behind the scenes. Here is our report. The
:13:19. > :13:23.moment when Antonio Tajani from the centre-right European people's party
:13:24. > :13:29.became the new man in charge. Congratulating him, his predecessor,
:13:30. > :13:33.Martin Schulz, the German Socialists, who is leaving after
:13:34. > :13:36.five years at the helm, even though his party's candidate, Gianni, was
:13:37. > :13:42.defeated, in what was a bruising contest. As Martin Schulz exited
:13:43. > :13:48.stage left, the changing of the guard at European Parliament is
:13:49. > :13:52.completed. This election was really a battle between two Italians, but
:13:53. > :13:59.it started off as a contest divided up between six candidates. After
:14:00. > :14:07.three rounds of voting, it was down to Gianni Patella on the left and
:14:08. > :14:12.Antonio Tajani on the right. In the end, Mr Antonio Tajani came out on
:14:13. > :14:21.top. This is a clean sweep for the centre-right on the EU. The
:14:22. > :14:32.commission is headed up by Juncker and Tusk, all in the EEP. We were
:14:33. > :14:41.not able to win. But we fought strongly in case the knobbly... And
:14:42. > :14:49.we will fight again and again and again. -- monopoly. Is Antonio
:14:50. > :14:54.Tajani? He is a familiar face. But he cut his teeth as a spokesman for
:14:55. > :15:00.the former Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi. He is a coalition
:15:01. > :15:07.builder. He is a very honest person. He keeps his word. You can feel it,
:15:08. > :15:10.all the different groupings in the European Parliament, if you ask
:15:11. > :15:14.them, in particular, members of Parliament, what they would say
:15:15. > :15:20.about him, it is that he is a man that keeps his word.
:15:21. > :15:26.It is this approach that won in the support of other conservative
:15:27. > :15:32.groups. I think it would be a better chairman for us in the Parliament.
:15:33. > :15:35.He has promised to be more of a speaker than a Prime Minister. We
:15:36. > :15:40.need a neutral conductor of business. And the other thing is
:15:41. > :15:45.that it is better to have someone from the centre-right in the chair
:15:46. > :15:53.than a leftist. For those reasons, we came to support Antonio Tajani's
:15:54. > :15:57.campaign. His in tray is full. Countering the rise of
:15:58. > :16:02.euroscepticism ahead of elections, coping with new waves of migrants
:16:03. > :16:04.and wrecks that, although he will not be the man leading the
:16:05. > :16:11.negotiations on behalf of Parliament. That will be done by a
:16:12. > :16:18.Liberal MP. How do you think Antonio Tajani will respond in terms of
:16:19. > :16:23.Brexit? He will say that they are opposed to Brexit and they will
:16:24. > :16:27.oppose it. They will punish us and expect to see us perform badly. That
:16:28. > :16:33.is what he will say. Actually, he is far more measured and pragmatic. So
:16:34. > :16:39.Antonio Tajani will be the man in post you in Parliament in just over
:16:40. > :16:46.two years time when the sun sets on the UK's negotiations with the EU
:16:47. > :16:49.over its exit. And Novo Mestos from the remaining states will have a
:16:50. > :17:02.vote to ratify any deal that has been agreed. So the president of the
:17:03. > :17:06.commission and another conservative president, Donald task, now a
:17:07. > :17:12.centre-right Italian MEP, president of the Parliament. Is the right to
:17:13. > :17:16.taking over the institutions of the EU? I am disappointed that our
:17:17. > :17:20.candidate, who put up a good fight and was not successful... I think it
:17:21. > :17:30.is wrong because it EU governments... And who were you
:17:31. > :17:36.supporting? Patella. It is of concern that all three institutions
:17:37. > :17:39.are on the centre-right. I do not think it bodes well but more
:17:40. > :17:46.importantly what concerns me, and I get along quite well with Antonio
:17:47. > :17:50.Tajani, but I think he is not really a strong candidate in terms of the
:17:51. > :17:56.challenges that the EU faces this year. Martin Shields has really
:17:57. > :18:02.increased Parliament role and visibility. Is there not an irony
:18:03. > :18:09.that a conservative government is taking us out of the EU institutions
:18:10. > :18:16.just as Conservatives are dominating European Union institutions? In
:18:17. > :18:20.response, the reason we have a centre-right politician now is
:18:21. > :18:26.because the centre-right have more votes because the centre-right got
:18:27. > :18:29.more votes from the public... You mean in Parliament? Yes. They won
:18:30. > :18:34.more votes in the European elections. That is why he won. I am
:18:35. > :18:38.pleased to see someone who has said they will be more of a speaker and
:18:39. > :18:44.list of a Prime Minister. We found Martin Shields very dictatorial. He
:18:45. > :18:51.overruled many decisions of the committees so the back benches...
:18:52. > :18:59.Will the new Minister be helpful or unhelpful on Brexit? I voted for him
:19:00. > :19:02.in the last round because he promised to listen to all of the
:19:03. > :19:09.Parliament, especially to the conservative performance group and
:19:10. > :19:18.he promised to play a neutral tone on Brexit, to allow the
:19:19. > :19:21.negotiation... Part of the deal is that riposte that stays as a chief
:19:22. > :19:29.negotiator and he has been strengthened. And what Capello was
:19:30. > :19:33.offering... He was saying that he would take a hostile offer
:19:34. > :19:39.negotiation. In terms of British interest it would have been better,
:19:40. > :19:45.given the cost to's position on the UK... That is the Belgian
:19:46. > :19:52.federalist? He is the leader of one of the groups. He has an agreement
:19:53. > :20:00.now with the centre-right grouping to change the direction of the EU.
:20:01. > :20:06.They want a European coastguard. A European defence force... Hold on.
:20:07. > :20:10.Hold on. And also a European intelligence and investigation
:20:11. > :20:14.capacity. So if that is the way that these two big groups in the European
:20:15. > :20:17.Parliament are going, even labour could not support most of that. No.
:20:18. > :20:27.We were not supporting these candidates. But is that the
:20:28. > :20:30.direction of Europe now? The eye could not have supported the
:20:31. > :20:34.Socialist candidate. You have a choice of two, both of whom are
:20:35. > :20:42.fundamentally federalist. Patella was not federalist. The offer from
:20:43. > :20:47.Antonio Tajani was to be more of a neutral speaker to allow the
:20:48. > :20:58.parliament to move on with its post. Just on the role of Gaya, he is not
:20:59. > :21:08.in the negotiation. He is the chief negotiator and... The two of you are
:21:09. > :21:14.confusing me here. You say he is not an negotiation and you say he is the
:21:15. > :21:19.chief negotiator. You can't both be right. Negotiations are conducted in
:21:20. > :21:23.the European Council and it was the Bonnie is that team. They were
:21:24. > :21:31.negotiation Parliament. Parliament as a whole has a vote. I am still
:21:32. > :21:37.not clear but I have run out of time to clarify. We have the latest now
:21:38. > :21:55.in the series of ROMs profiling EU member states. We have travelled to
:21:56. > :22:03.fellow of any hour. Where people in -- are getting used to the idea that
:22:04. > :22:08.their most famous export is now the first Lady of the world. I was born
:22:09. > :22:17.in Slovenia, a small then Communist country in central Europe. And here
:22:18. > :22:20.it is. This town had a population of 4.5 thousand. And here you find the
:22:21. > :22:27.biggest manufacturer of pants in Slovenia. She left and found fame
:22:28. > :22:31.fortune and a husband in the United States in the mid-19 90s. Since then
:22:32. > :22:41.her home country has joined Nato, the EU and the euro. I am armed with
:22:42. > :22:49.a magazine with Melania on the front cover. What do you think about
:22:50. > :22:58.Melania? A great woman. For me it is not interesting. Nothing was Mike
:22:59. > :23:05.yeah. Can you imagine that Donald Trump industry visiting that house?
:23:06. > :23:09.Here they are offering a first Lady tour where you can see her old
:23:10. > :23:14.school, have famous local salami for lunch. 32 euros per person. At the
:23:15. > :23:20.bakery they are selling a Trump themed cake. We put white chocolate
:23:21. > :23:25.colours of the White House. She always wears white so we put white
:23:26. > :23:35.chocolate and we put gold on the top because it is luxury. Also other
:23:36. > :23:42.speciality ingredients. It is not exactly Melania mania. Possibly
:23:43. > :23:49.because her Slovenian lawyers have issued a reminder that her name is a
:23:50. > :23:54.trademark. The biggest thing that Mrs Trump has done for us is to get
:23:55. > :24:00.us recognised. So we are respectful about using her name, partly because
:24:01. > :24:06.her family still live here. And that will continue to be the case in the
:24:07. > :24:12.future. But surely it is great material for Slovenian comedians? Do
:24:13. > :24:15.you have a good joke? That she is a Slovenian designed robot who
:24:16. > :24:20.infiltrates the White House and now we are in charge. We are such a
:24:21. > :24:25.small country and this was our secret plan because the president of
:24:26. > :24:28.UEFA is also Slovenian so we are putting people into positions and
:24:29. > :24:35.waiting to see what happens. Thank you for giving us the heads up.
:24:36. > :24:40.Celebrations of the inauguration are low-key. The main event is the
:24:41. > :24:47.annual pruning of the vineyards. And eating Melania cake. Adam Fleming
:24:48. > :24:52.who is not a robot that you should see his air miles from these
:24:53. > :24:57.reports. That was from Slovenia. Thank you to our guests for being
:24:58. > :24:58.with us today and that is it for us now. Thank you for watching and
:24:59. > :25:08.goodbye to you. Well, the temperatures
:25:09. > :25:11.through the night have been It has been down to minus seven
:25:12. > :25:15.degrees, at least in one or two areas, and I think scenes like this
:25:16. > :25:20.for some of us on Sunday morning.