Concerning the decision of the British people to leave the EU, the President of the ECR Group in the Committee of the Regions, Rob Jonkman (NL) underlined the importance of the task ahead. 

Rob Jonkman said: "UK citizens have decided to leave the European Union. While I would have hoped that it would have not come to this, it is a decision that we must respect.

The type of relationship that the UK will have with the EU will be discussed and defined in the years to come. Local and regional government will have an interest in this process. Our work will continue as the ECR Group in the Committee of the Regions and I look forward to our continued work with our British colleagues.

The task ahead of us is an important one. We must continue our collective work to push for a better functioning EU. We need greater European localism and euro-realism. We cannot have perpetual centralisation of powers in Brussels but rather we need a system that respects the powers of our local, regional and national levels of government. Decisions should be taken at the level closest to our citizens and should only be taken at the EU when a clear added-value can be demonstrated.

The ECR family, currently the fastest growing political family in Europe, will continue to grow. We will continue our work to achieve a better functioning EU for the benefit of all its citizens and partners."