EU: Europe reacts as UK triggers Brexit

“After nine months the UK has delivered,” declared EU Council President Donald Tusk in a portentous tweet on receipt of the letter triggering Brexit from Prime Minister Theresa May. The tone of his speech in Brussels was full of regret. There was “no reason to pretend that this is a happy day” in Brussels or […]

“After nine months the UK has delivered,” declared EU Council President Donald Tusk in a portentous tweet on receipt of the letter triggering Brexit from Prime Minister Theresa May.
The tone of his speech in Brussels was full of regret. There was “no reason to pretend that this is a happy day” in Brussels or London, he added. “We already miss you.”
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, speaking in Malta, called it a “day of sadness”.
French President Francois Hollande, meanwhile, said that while Brexit was “sentimentally painful” for Europe it would be “economically painful” for Britain,
In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck a pragmatic tone. She said Germany and other EU states “certainly didn’t want this day to come, because we’re losing a strong and important member state.
Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders was clear that Britain would not get a better deal outside the EU than inside the bloc.