In a report published by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament, MEPs said they “regret” not having more involvement in the campaign against Brexit ahead of the 2016 vote.
They said: “[The Committee] believes that it is the responsibility and role of the Union and its Member States to do more to preserve the European integration process, protect European values and principles, including the principle of sincere cooperation, and prevent the repetition of a withdrawal from the EU;
“Regrets, in this context, the restraint and limited engagement of the European Parliament and its committees in the run-up to the UK referendum, which left UK citizens, who were EU citizens at the time, without full access to information on the functioning of the EU and the implications of the withdrawal.”
The findings sparked fury among Express.co.uk readers who claimed more involvement by the EU in the anti-Brexit campaign would have resulted in a higher percentage of Leave voters.
Express.co.uk reader Figaro99 said: “EU lies never stop, if they had been honest and said the future for the UK was losing sterling and adopting the euro, plus unelected bureaucrats in Brussels setting our income tax rates, the vote to Leave would have been 80 percent.”
Reader Emma Grate added: “What they will regret is taking the p*** out of the UK when the EU crumbles around them very shortly.”
And reader MiniMiner argued: “No the mistake the EU made was to send Cameron back with nothing.
“The mistake the UK made was to have the NI Protocol courtesy of Remainers.”
To which reader Qarlo replied: “Spot on. They sent Cameron packing with a few crumbs and laughed about it.
“I bet they’re not laughing now? Former PM Treason May allowed the EU to weaponise Northern Ireland. That woman should be rotting in a jail cell, along with Olly Robbins and other Quisling types.”
Echoing their comments, Eu-defier said: “And, if they had got involved in the UK’s internal affairs, it would have sent more voters towards the Leave camp…
“Nobody wants a corrupt political experiment interfering in our business.”
In the findings, the Committee, led by Danuta Maria Hubner for the assessment of Article 50, said UK citizens were left “without full access to information” on the ins and outs of the EU ahead of the Brexit referendum.
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The debate came as the EU is still locking horns with the UK on post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.
The UK and EU have reiterated their determination to find “durable solutions” to the Northern Ireland Protocol after a meeting on the contentious trading arrangements ended without a breakthrough.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic issued a joint statement after taking stock of progress in negotiations to reduce red tape associated with the disputed Irish Sea trade rules.
Talks between the two sides will now continue, but it is anticipated engagement will be more low key in the coming weeks and months, with London and Brussels keen to avoid raising tensions amid the forthcoming Assembly election campaign in Northern Ireland.
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On Monday, Ms Truss and Mr Sefcovic jointly chaired an EU/UK committee on the implementation of the protocol.
Afterwards, Ms Truss said unilaterally suspending elements of the protocol – by triggering Article 16 mechanism – remained an option for the UK Government, but she said her focus was on finding a negotiated solution with the EU.
She said: “Article 16 is in the protocol as a safeguard if things aren’t working as they should.
“But what I want to do is achieve through constructive negotiations the solutions in place to benefit both communities in Northern Ireland.”
Mr Sefcovic said intensified negotiations over recent months to find an agreed settlement, discussions that involved more than 100 meetings, had so far resulted in “neither a breakthrough nor a breakdown”.
Mr Sefcovic, who described his relationship with Ms Truss as “positive” and “excellent”, said talks would continue with a “laser focus” on practical solutions.
