Daily Management Review

France Puts Conditions On May’s Brexit Delay


04/10/2019


A draft shows that the bloc may sanction a second Brexit delay with certain conditions on the U.K.



Source: flickr.com; (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Source: flickr.com; (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
The leaders of EU are going to allow the U.K. PM to avail a second Brexit delay, although they might push the latter into accepting “a much longer extension” as France is pushing to put forth conditions to curb the ability of Britain “ to undermine the bloc”.
 
On Wednesday, 10 April 2019, an evening meeting is scheduled to be held between EU diplomats and the Prime Minister of Britain, while the former informed that there is a possibility of a “flextension” which might prolong till this year end or till March 2020, while there is also a possibility of the U.K. quitting the bloc sooner in case, the “warring political tribes can find a majority”.
 
Brexit crisis that is going on over three years as “sapped British power”, as an indicative to this May rushed to “Berlin and Paris” to ask for an extension of Brexit till April 12. However, it is not fully clear if Macron and Merkel, “two most powerful leaders” in Europe have agreed to May’s request, an “advance draft” for the “emergency EU summit” stated that another delay might be granted to Britain “on certain conditions”. Reuters reported that the draft stated:
“The United Kingdom shall facilitate the achievement of the Union’s tasks and refrain from any measure which could jeopardise the attainment of the Union’s objectives”.
 
In theory, since Britain is a “full member state of the EU”, the country could veto on “any major policy decision”. May requested for Brexit extension to June 30, 2019, while the draft doesn’t mention the “end-date” as the decision will jointly be made by “the other 27 national leaders on Wednesday evening in Brussels”.
 
At present, it is already a week late than the originally decided Brexit date, while May fears that “Brexit might never happen as she battles to get a divorce deal ratified by a divided parliament”, reported Reuters. According to one European Union diplomat:
“People are tired and fed up (with Britain’s indecision) - but what to do? We won’t be the ones pushing the UK off the cliff edge.”
 
In fact, yet another EU official informed that “no European power” was in favour of the chaos and was afraid of no exit deal for Brexit to seep into “financial markets” as well as “the EU 27’s $16 trillion economy”. In the official’s words:
“Nobody wants to pull the plug by 13th April. But for how long - I don’t know. And France will ask a lot of questions in Brussels.”
 
However, just before May’s arrival in Paris, one of Macron’s officials stated that “in the scenario of an extended delay, one year would seem too long for us”. While he also added that is Britain takes its time with the delaying process, it should not either join the “EU budget talks” or exercise its power to choose the “next president of the EU’s executive commission”.
 
While, the Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar said:
“He (Macron) certainly wants to know about conditionality, particularly the issue of the United Kingdom being involved in future (EU) decision-making”.
 
During May and Merkel’s meet at the “riverside Chancellery”, wherein both the leaders discussed Brexit, one of the “opposition liberal FDP party” of Germany drove past the Chancellery with a slogan:
“Dear Theresa May. Just do it. Stop Brexit. Make the most of Europe’s opportunities.”
 
Many EU diplomats are of the opinion that the yearlong Brexit extension may not take shape, whereby agreeing with France with the fear of “a protracted distraction from other pressing EU business”. While Reuters further stated that:
“According to the draft conclusions, if Britain did not take part in EU parliamentary elections properly, it would have to leave on June 1, 2019”.
 
 
 
References:
reuters.com