The legal departments of the European Council and the European Commission have examined the many and varied options, should Brexit materialize, Le Monde reports. The UK would first have to leave the EU – activating article 50 of the EU treaty – and then negotiate a new trade and political relations with its EU partners within two years, as perarticle 50. This delay might be extended, provided there is unanimity at the European Council, Le Monde adds.

Analysing the factors that could delay the formal withdrawal of Britain from the EU in the event of a leave vote, the FT suggests that Jonathan Hill, European Commissioner for Financial Stability, could be removed from his role within months of a Brexit vote. British MPs, The Times reports, could however seek to keep Britain in the European single market even if the public voted in the referendum to leave the EU, in a move which anti-EU Tories said was “unacceptable” and would cause a “constitutional crisis.” 

Unnamed ministers have told the BBC that, in the event of a vote to leave, pro-EU MPs could block legislation by engaging in what one called a “reverse Maastricht” process – a reference to the long parliamentary campaign fought by Tory Eurosceptic MPs in the 1990s against legislation deepening EU integration, a story confirmed by The Daily Telegraph, which reports on suggestions that pro-EU MPs in the Commons could deploy tactics aimed at minimising the impact of a vote to leave the EU.

On France Info, Valeurs Actuelles’ François d’Orcival is in favour the British remaining in the Union,saying that they are right to renegotiate their membership. He criticises the European institutions, including Commission President Juncker, for their campaign which only helps the leave camp. EELV spokesman Julien Bayou believes, in the same debate on France Info, that José Manuel Barroso and Jean-Claude Juncker are responsible for the current situation and that they are “the European project’s gravediggers.” Whereas London had said that it would be better not to say anything because of the risk that Euro-sceptics and tabloids would twist their words, an increasing number of EU politicians are warning about the negative effects of a Brexit, NRC Next highlights.

EC President Juncker recently warned that the UK should not count on much clemency. “That is not a treat, but our relationship will not be the way it is now,” he said, while German Chancellor Merkel warned against a weaker negotiation position after a Brexit and Dutch PM Rutte responded to a British plan to tighten migration rules for EU citizens by saying that the EU should impose rules that are at least equally as strict. As for the ECB, it warned on Saturday that a Brexit could lead to financial instability. Politicians, fearing a domino effect after a successful Brexit, want to underline that an EU-exit for any member state has a high price, NRC Next adds.

According to the President of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, the chaos following a Brexit would benefit his campaign for an independent Catalonia, Verkkouutiset reports, stressing that, for the leaders of Europe, an independent Catalonia is as unappealing as a Brexit. Respondents from the entire European Union are afraid of Great Britain leaving, Rzeczpospolita notes.

 According to a survey for the French newspaper Le Figaro, Europeans are clearly in favour of the UK remaining in the EU, Austrian, Dutch and Cypriot media for instance report. Some other media – such as the British, Spanish, Luxembourgish, Czech, Romanian, Swedish, Slovenian, Lithuanian and Latvian media – for their part highlight that an increasing number of British people support the Brexit. 

The Guardian reports on the fluctuations in currency markets that took place yesterday in response to polls showing that the British public is increasingly likely to vote for the UK to leave the EU. The polls came as UK Prime Minister David Cameron warned that leaving the EU would trigger a “decade of uncertainty,” British sources report. At a campaign event on Monday, Mr Cameron said that leaving the EU would detonate a bomb under the British economy, Világgazdaság, Magyar Nemzet, Magyar Időkand Origo.hu report.

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