David O'Sullivan on Brexit at AEI: “Brexit after the United Kingdom election”

On 18 July in Washington DC leading experts gathered at AEI (American Enterprise Institute) to discuss the challenges and opportunities of Brexit after the United Kingdom elections.

David O'Sullivan, an Irish civil servant who serves as the Ambassador of the EU to the United States disagreed with some of the points made by John R. Bolton, senior fellow at AEI, what Bolton described as the EU’s “secular theology,” which argues that the EU has brought peace and prosperity to Europe. The former United States Ambassador to the United Nations had likened the Brexit vote to the US Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Ambassador O'Sullivan said:
“What we know is that on the 23rd of June that Britain held a consultative referendum about whether they wish to leave or remain in the European Union, by 52% to 48% they voted to leave, by the way they voted to leave a union which they had voluntarily joined, which I think is somewhat different from the situation of the Declaration of Independence.”

Ambassador O'Sullivan said that the EU had allowed peaceful resolution of conflicts. He highlighted that defining a post-Brexit relationship between the UK and the EU will take several years.

After the event he tweeted: “I told @AEI audience EU approach to #Brexit not punitive. But you do not carry on benefiting as a full member of the EU once you leave”

Watch the full event 'Brexit after the United Kingdom election' (2 hours) via American Enterprise Institute on Youtube    • Brexit after the United Kingdom elect...  

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Based on a work by AEI at    • Brexit after the United Kingdom elect...  .
Edited to 14m:11s with no alteration to continuity or audio.