Brussels is concerned over Brexit negotiations and urges London to be ready

Despite the results of last week legislative elections in the UK, Theresa May is still Prime Minister and London will start the negotiations on the Brexit with the European Union as of 19 June. But there is also a growing concern in Brussels that there may be further delay in the negotiations after Theresa May failed to reach a majority. In the meantime, some hope that the situation will force Prime Minister May to take a “softer” approach.

Les Echos reports that the UK is harshly confused and is now at the mercy of political instability, while writes the Europeans institutions welcomed the results of the British elections with disappointment, concerns, and fear that Brexit talks may remain at a standstill. The EU needs a British government “able to act”, otherwise “negotiations could become useless for both parts”, said Commissioner Günther Oettinger. Both Politiken and Jyllands-Posten report that the British election could slow down and complicate the Brexit negotiations as the results have triggered new uncertainty. Politiken further quotes Commissioner Oettinger as saying, that there is a risk that this will end negatively for both the EU and the UK. President of the European Council Donald Tusk also warned Theresa May that there is “no time to lose”. According to the Cyprus Mail, Donald Tusk said it was their “urgent task” to get on with the negotiations in “the best possible spirit”. In a letter to the Prime Minister congratulating her on her reappointment, he said the two-year time frame set out under Article 50 of the EU treaties, left no room for delay. “Our shared responsibility and urgent task now is to conduct the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union in the best possible spirit, securing the least disruptive outcome for our citizens, businesses and countries after March 2019,” he said.

Finally, discussing about the Brexit negotiations on Friday, European Commission President Juncker said that “we are fully prepared and are impatiently awaiting”, Les Echos reports. President Juncker told Süddeutsche Zeitung that the EU is ready to begin negotiations. He further notes that the UK has only one option, which is to negotiate a fair deal. President Juncker said the bloc had been ready “for months” to negotiate but suggested talks could be held up while Britain figures out its new top team. He is also quoted as saying, that his Commission and its chief negotiator Michel Barnier would be “ready in the morning at half past nine” in any case, according to “Die Presse”, “Der Standard”, “Kurier”, ORF, Ö1 and Ö3.

The European Commission, European Council and European Parliament thus agree that despite its weakening the British government would not get any more time for the Brexit negotiations. “Before we talk about delaying the negotiations they have to begin in the first place”, according to Mr Juncker. In the meantime, The Guardian reports that the Department for Exiting the European Union sent a note to the Commission on Friday evening to signal, that the government was operational and that pre-negotiation talks about logistics should begin this week as planned. Postimees and Politiken also report that British Prime Minister Theresa May told German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a phone call on Saturday, that the Brexit negotiations will begin at the agreed-upon time.

Reporting on Theresa May’s position after the election, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna notes that a coalition may still allow her to remain prime minister, but her position in the negotiations will be much weaker than President Juncker’s. This is also Eric Heyer’s point of view. The French economist told Europe 1 that since Prime Minister May has not obtained the absolute majority, she will have to form a coalition with people who clearly have a much more flexible idea of Brexit. Such a move will weaken her position and should result in a Brexit with more negotiation, he explained. The situation is becoming even more difficult, as the pressure on Prime Minister May to resign is getting stronger, the Polish daily adds. Not only does the opposition support this idea, but also some conservatives and 48-49% of the British general public. However, such a change now would make it virtually impossible to finish the negotiations by March.