British prime minister Theresa May has warned her government will not be rushed into applying to leave the EU because London – and other European capitals – need time to prepare for Britain’s “sensible and orderly” departure.
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The UK wants to skip its upcoming turn at the Council of the European Union’s rotating presidency, the office of British Prime Minister Theresa May says.
Mrs May has already spoken to both Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande on the phone but their first face-to-face meetings over the next two days are seen as highly important in setting the tone for the long and hard negotiations over European Union exit that lie ahead.
Britain wants to concentrate instead on the negotiations to leave the EU.
True to her refusal to enter negotiations, the German leader stuck to her tone of conciliatory impatience, calling for a deal with Britain that “created respect, built on the principle of friendship” – but one that hinged on Britain offering a “certain timeline” over its exit.
“We are listening to the United Kingdom, we are listening to Britain what it actually wants and then we will give the right response”, she said.
But Merkel said that while the general issue of the impending Brexit would be broached, neither formal nor informal negotiations on the subject could begin until Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – which officially kicks off the exit process and opens a two-year window for exit negotiations – was triggered.
May and Merkel give a joint press conference in Berlin.
May said before the trip that she wanted to send a message to Britain’s European allies that “these relationships have been vital in the past and they will be vital in the future”.
“But I think it is important to provide clarity on that now”.
Observers in both Britain and Germany have drawn comparisons between Merkel and May: both pastors’ daughters with supportive husbands, happy to stay out of the limelight, who rose to become leaders of centre-right parties.
May, on her first foreign trip since taking office in the wake of Britain’s seismic Brexit referendum, stressed that Britain would not ask to leave the European Union before the end of 2016 in order to plan a “sensible and orderly departure”.
Earlier in the day, May made her debut at Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament, fielding questions from lawmakers.
May is understood to be returning to London before a meeting in Paris on Thursday with François Hollande, the French president.
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Merkel has warned that Britain can not have continued access to the single market while restricting the freedom of movement – an emotive issue in the June 23 referendum.
