A few hours away from the United Kingdom officially leaving the European Union, former EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker shared his thoughts in an interview with FRANCE 24. He told our Europe Editor Catherine Nicholson why he believed Brexit was "a waste of time and energy"; why he was confident that no other member states would follow the UK's lead in quitting the bloc; and why he regretted not having intervened in the 2016 referendum campaign.

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"This is a sad day for the European Union, it’s a tragedy in history," former EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker told FRANCE 24. "But Britain is a great nation, British people have inspired so many positive undertakings in the world that I will never have disrespectful feelings for Britain."

>> Watch our interview with the British ambassador to France: 'We're not turning our back on Europe'



A programme presented by Catherine Nicholson

Produced by Isabelle Romero and Céline Schmitt

















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