A senior Eurocrat took a potshot at Brexit Britain claiming the European project will be better off without the UK as a member. 

European Commission vice-president Jyrki Katainen told CNBC he was optimistic about on-going Brexit negotiations, claiming the EU project will prosper when the UK leaves. 

The UK’s separation from the EU has run into troubled waters as the negotiators wrangle over a deal for EU citizens. This is the first hurdle in talks over Britain’s exit and future trading arrangements.   

Katainen claimed the loss of the second biggest economy in the bloc would lead to a revitalised EU.

‘The EU will be a much better market, a more prosperous market than it has been so far.

Getty/CNBC

He said that the commission was undertaking audits of its trading arrangements and after these; “the EU will be more integrated, easier to understand, and better market for EU companies but also third country companies.”

These statements come after concerns of damage to the economy, not only for the UK, but also for many European countries that depend on trade with Britain.

The tension between the UK and the bloc is rising as stumbling blocks emerge early on in the negotiations. 

Many believe that Brexit may be dangerous to the EU, as it’s success could encourage other countries to leave, weakening the bloc.

But Katainen’s was strident in his view that the EU would prosper despite other threat of Brexit. 

He added: “I’m very glad that there’s been a sincere counter reaction from citizen’s side, from the government’s side to all those negative phenomena that we have seen.”

In the same interview, he also said: “It’s difficult to estimate anything at this stage, but the faster we can settle the financial issues, people’s rights issues, important issues, the faster we can begin to negotiate our future relationship.”

Brexiteers have dubbed the EU’s demands as irrational with the Brexit divorce bill raising hackles in among some in Westminster. 

The second round of negotiations proved to be an intense one with no sign of compromise over citizens rights, which many consider to be the easiest of the negotiation points. 

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