That timeframe is highly unrealistic given the political turmoil in Britain. On Friday, Cameron announced he will resign in October and a new leader should be in place in the fall.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a statement about the referendum in Britain at the chancellery in Berlin, Friday, June 24, 2016.
Merkel has said there is “no reason to be nasty” in Britain’s exit negotiations. “Our children and grandchildren will continue to have a wonderful future as Europeans traveling to the continent, understanding the languages and cultures, that make up our common European civilization”, he said.
At home, more than 2.7 million Britons signed up to a rapidly-growing petition on an official government website pleading for a new vote.
London’s financial center will lose its prized “EU passport” if Britain fails to secure continued access to the bloc’s single market in its exit talks, ECB Governing Council member Francois Villeroy de Galhau warned on Saturday.
On Saturday, Britain’s representative on the EU’s executive Commission, Jonathan Hill, stepped down, saying he was disappointed by the referendum result but “what’s done can not be undone”.
“I would like to get started immediately”.
He insisted London still had a “responsibility” toward the EU.
Mr Corbyn has rejected calls for his resignation amid growing fury at his failure to galvanise the party’s traditional supporters to turn out for Remain as many Labour MPs express concern at the possibility of him leading the party into a snap autumn general election.
Steinmeier said he told European Union foreign ministers at a meeting in Luxembourg on Friday to focus on rebuilding a strong Europe, not hashing through differences with Britain.
Merkel also insisted that deterring other countries from leaving the European Union should not be a priority in the talks.
“But after the British decision we mustn’t lapse into depression and inactivity”, he told reporters.
“We have to give a new sense to Europe, otherwise populism will fill the gap”, he said, adding that the European Union could not wait for Cameron to depart in October before the exit process begins. The paper, Die Welt, called for keeping the United Kingdom an “associated partner country”. A majority of voters in more-populous England opted to leave.
Mr Steinmeier’s claim that the European Union would survive the UK’s departure contradicts a German government paper that outlines fears that France, Austria, Finland, Netherlands and Hungary may follow.
“There is a certain urgency … so that we don’t have a period of uncertainty, with financial consequences, political consequences”, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said.
The six countries attending the summit in Berlin – Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands – first joined forces in the 1950s and still form the core of the EU. They also spoke of the need for a speedy renegotiation.
Even now, with one of the EU’s heavyweights on the way out, Berlin isn’t likely to seek a sole leadership role, ever conscious of the historical burden of its Nazi past.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says negotiations on British exit should begin “as soon as possible” but adds that “intensive European discussions” are needed.
Juncker transferred Hill’s responsibility for overseeing financial services to Latvian commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis – costing Britain a key voice in a sector that is hugely important to London, whose status as Europe’s financial capital is threatened by Britain’s European Union exit.
“I am anxious, really sick for my children’s prospects”, said Lindsey Brett, a 57-year-old secretarial worker.
French President François Hollande met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday.
Once Article 50 is activated, Britain has two years to negotiate the terms of its withdrawal.
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The EU holds a two-day summit on Tuesday in Brussels to discuss the fallout from the British vote.
