Brexit: Key quotes from non-UK figures

Key quotes from high-profile European and other figures on Britain's EU referendum, as compiled by BBC Monitoring between 1-7 December.

European Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier: "Time is short"

European Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier

"Time will be short... All in all, there will be less than 18 months to negotiate... Should the UK notify the council by the end of March 2017 as Prime Minister Theresa May said she would, it is safe to say that negotiations could start a few weeks later and an Article 50 agreement [could be] reached by October 2018... As we don't know what the UK wants and is waiting for, it's difficult to imagine a transitional period." (AFP report of Brussels news conference, 6 December)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel "will not allow cherry picking"

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

"We will not allow any cherry picking. The four basic freedoms must be safeguarded - the freedom of movement for people, goods, services and financial market products. Only then can there be access to the single market." (The Independent, Christian Democratic Union meeting in Essen, 6 December)

EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove: "No Brexit impact on intelligence"

European Union's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove

"Intelligence sharing is developing outside the EU framework so... Brexit will not have any impact." (Reuters, 2 December)

Italian Secretary of State for European Affairs Sandro Gozi: "Need to relaunch Europe"

Italian Secretary of State for European Affairs Sandro Gozi

"I think that the beginning of European disintegration has started with Brexit. It is up to the other 27 governments to relaunch Europe. That was our policy, that was our goal as the Renzi government. It is clear that now Europe loses a major political actor to its relaunch." (BBC Radio 4 interview, 5 December)

Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem: "Single market access means accepting its rules"

Eurogroup finance ministers chairman, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem

"It can be smooth, it can be orderly, but that requires a different attitude from the British government. What I have been hearing so far is incompatible with smooth and orderly. If the UK wants to have full access to the single market, they have to accept rules and regulations that go with it." (EU Observer, 6 December)