Theresa May has declared that she wants to begin the formal process of Brexit by February next year, according to one of Brussels’ leading figures.
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However, the European Union leaders will not hold formal talks in Bratislava on the Brexit negotiations as they are still impatiently waiting for Britain to trigger the two-year divorce process.
United Kingdom exit negotiations are expected to start in early 2017 and to last at least two years, with the United Kingdom retaining its full rights in the EU Council during that period.
Amid growing calls for more details on the Government’s Brexit strategy, Downing Street on Saturday poured cold water on claims Mrs May told one of Brussels’ most senior figures that she wanted to trigger the formal process to pull Britain out of the European Union early next year.
Germany and France have outlined plans to deepen European military cooperation, a document showed on Monday (12 September), as Britain’s exit from the European Union removes one of the biggest obstacles to stronger EU defence in tandem with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said this week that the bloc must do more in the defense field, starting with creation of an EU military headquarters and working toward a common military force.
No one said Brexit was going to be easy though.
“We have always been concerned about unnecessarily duplicating what we already have in Nato”, Sir Michael said.
Summit host Robert Fico, the Slovak prime minister, also underlined that he and other east European leaders whose citizens make up much of the EU immigrant population in Britain would not let those people become “second class citizens”.
But if Britain’s government does go ahead with a Brexit, former European Commission head Herman van Rompuy says significant EU exit talks are unlikely to begin until the end of next year after Germany’s September elections have been settled.
“Britain knows this is an issue for us where there’s no room for compromise”, he added.
Concerning economic and social development, EU leaders will adopt decision on the extension of the European Fund for Strategic Investment in light of evaluation and review progress on the different Single Market strategies including Digital Single Market, Capital Markets Union, Energy Union.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, addressing reporters as she arrived for the summit, said the bloc was in a “critical situation”.
The EU, he said, is ” determined to continue our cooperation with Turkey and the Western Balkans but also to establish migration pacts with African countries.to do everything possible to ensure internal security and fighting terrorism”.
Tusk said the other 27 European Union leaders, whose summit he chaired on Friday in Bratislava to plot a course ahead for the bloc after the shock of Britain’s June referendum to quit were being patient for now: “Our British colleagues need more time to prepare themselves for these negotiations”, he told reporters. “There are different views, different ideas”, he said.
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Essex Police accepted an offer by the Polish State Police earlier this month to send two officers to support their engagement work with Polish residents in the town.
