The upcoming snap election in Britain will bring more clarity to current Brexit negotiations and will lead to a "strong" leadership in Westminster, European officials have shown indicated that they desire
EU officials do not foresee any impact on the U.K.'s process to leave the European Union even though U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s call for an early election on June 8 left capitals across Europe surprised with the announcement.
May's announcement "does not change things", reported CNBC quoting one EU official, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the Brexit process. "This is a domestic matter for the UK. But we have some hope that this will lead to a strong leader in London that can negotiate with us with strong backing by the electorate," the official said.
Independently of the British vote, the EU’s timetable points to sit-down talks in June due to the several steps in EU lawmaking even though it is "ready" to discuss the details.
"The U.K. elections do no change our EU27 (remaining members of the EU) plans. We expect to have the Brexit guidelines adopted by the European Council on April 29 and following that the Brexit negotiating directives ready on May 22. This will allow the EU27 to start negotiations," a spokesperson for the European Council said Tuesday.
The election is an "opportunity for the U.K. citizens to express themselves on how they see the future relationship between their country and the EU,” Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament representative in the Brexit talks, said on Facebook.
"As the European Parliament Brexit negotiator, I will work with a new government for the best common future possible," he added.
However, a little more mysterious with his approach was President of the European Council Donald Tusk, who chairs European summits.
"It was (Alfred) Hitchcock, who directed Brexit: first an earthquake and the tension rises," he said on Twitter, hinting that the momentum is building in the Brexit process.
Not having a detailed plan for Brexit is what May has often been criticized in Brussels for. "Hopefully, the new election announced today by Prime Minister May can lead to more clarity and predictability in the negotiations with the European Union," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told the German press.
Numerous newspapers across Europe on Wednesday morning had May on their cover pages. The most focused on the issue was undoubtedly the Spanish press. The sovereignty of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory on the southern tip of the Spanish coast, was the reason for the first war of words in the Brexit process that happened a couple of weeks ago between the U.K. and Spain.
Spain will need to approve any new agreement with the U.K. that applies to Gibraltar, the EU stated in draft guidelines. For centuries, a subject of controversy between Spain and U.K. has been the sovereignty of Gibraltar. The U.K. decided on issues related to foreign policy and defense for the territory while it is self-governed in all matters.
On Wednesday, the Spanish press said May's announcement was a move to protect herself ahead of "tough" Brexit talks.
(Source:www.cnbc.com)
EU officials do not foresee any impact on the U.K.'s process to leave the European Union even though U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s call for an early election on June 8 left capitals across Europe surprised with the announcement.
May's announcement "does not change things", reported CNBC quoting one EU official, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the Brexit process. "This is a domestic matter for the UK. But we have some hope that this will lead to a strong leader in London that can negotiate with us with strong backing by the electorate," the official said.
Independently of the British vote, the EU’s timetable points to sit-down talks in June due to the several steps in EU lawmaking even though it is "ready" to discuss the details.
"The U.K. elections do no change our EU27 (remaining members of the EU) plans. We expect to have the Brexit guidelines adopted by the European Council on April 29 and following that the Brexit negotiating directives ready on May 22. This will allow the EU27 to start negotiations," a spokesperson for the European Council said Tuesday.
The election is an "opportunity for the U.K. citizens to express themselves on how they see the future relationship between their country and the EU,” Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament representative in the Brexit talks, said on Facebook.
"As the European Parliament Brexit negotiator, I will work with a new government for the best common future possible," he added.
However, a little more mysterious with his approach was President of the European Council Donald Tusk, who chairs European summits.
"It was (Alfred) Hitchcock, who directed Brexit: first an earthquake and the tension rises," he said on Twitter, hinting that the momentum is building in the Brexit process.
Not having a detailed plan for Brexit is what May has often been criticized in Brussels for. "Hopefully, the new election announced today by Prime Minister May can lead to more clarity and predictability in the negotiations with the European Union," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told the German press.
Numerous newspapers across Europe on Wednesday morning had May on their cover pages. The most focused on the issue was undoubtedly the Spanish press. The sovereignty of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory on the southern tip of the Spanish coast, was the reason for the first war of words in the Brexit process that happened a couple of weeks ago between the U.K. and Spain.
Spain will need to approve any new agreement with the U.K. that applies to Gibraltar, the EU stated in draft guidelines. For centuries, a subject of controversy between Spain and U.K. has been the sovereignty of Gibraltar. The U.K. decided on issues related to foreign policy and defense for the territory while it is self-governed in all matters.
On Wednesday, the Spanish press said May's announcement was a move to protect herself ahead of "tough" Brexit talks.
(Source:www.cnbc.com)
