The EU is considering a "short extension" for Brexit and will not accept the June 30th deadline, as Theresa May claims

Eight days before Brexit, the European Union (EU) would be in favor of an extension of Brexit, but not before June 30, at the request of British Prime Minister Theresa May, "determined" to succeed in Brexit. approval of his divorce agreement. .

"A short extension is possible," said European Council President Donald Tusk., in response to the letter sent a few hours earlier by the British leader, in which he asked the EU to postpone Brexit until 30 June.

But the extension, that the 27 pairs of May must be agreed unanimously"will be conditioned to the House of Commons' positive vote on the divorce agreement," Tusk said of his proposal, which should be discussed by the leaders.

This is the objective that the British Prime Minister sets out in his letter and which, Wednesday evening, would be "determined" to carry out, although the deputies have already rejected it twice.

Before heading to Brussels for a two-day summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has not ruled out before the Bundestag a new meeting of leaders "next week", if Westminster does not vote again or reject the agreement.

Time is pressing more and more. The United Kingdom must become on March 29 the first country to leave the bloc in six decades of European project, as decided by the British at a referendum in June 2016.

In the last days, however, a new obstacle appeared. John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, said the "same proposal" for a divorce agreement could not be returned to a vote without "substantial" changes.

Europeans, in this context, expect May "guarantees" that a "democratic majority in the United Kingdom" supports the content of their letter, according to a European diplomat, before deciding on the extension and its possible duration .

France, one of the most demanding countries in London, warned that she would reject her request if the prime minister did not present "sufficient guarantees on the credibility of his strategy"., according to Chancellor Jean-Yves Le Drian.

In an apparent attempt to reconcile the positions of bloc countries, the President of the European Council said that he expected leaders to adopt a conditional plan at Brussels, which could be formalized. later by "writing".

"Although the hope of final success may seem fragile, even illusory, and the Brexit's fatigue is more and more visible and justified, we can not give up research – until the last moment – A positive solution, "said Tusk.

However, diplomatic sources consulted in Brussels exclude a clear "decision" at the summit, and speak rather "of indications on what the 27 are willing to accept in case of a positive vote," according to a European diplomat.

June 30th?
This "orientation", discussed at a meeting of ambbadadors Wednesday evening, is to "reject the date of June 30 and limit the extension, in case the exit agreement to May 22 would be approved", according to a diplomat.

"A majority said no to June 30", the goal being "not to create conflict with the European elections", said a diplomatic source. The decision, however, corresponds to European leaders.

TheThe European Commission, in an internal document, had recommended the day before that the short extension end on 23 May., at the beginning of the European elections, warning against "serious legal and political risks".
The Europeans want to avoid any uncertainty as to what would happen if the United Kingdom remained a member of the bloc on 2 July, when the next mandate will start in the European Parliament, and would not have chosen its deputies.

Although the legal services of the European Parliament consider that, in this scenario, its constitution and decisions would be "valid", The EU prefers to limit uncertainty, especially when the House of Commons has already rejected the agreement twice.

For him, The Commission is reducing the range of options to two: May 23 or a lengthy extension beyond June 30 and "at least until the end of 2019", which entails the convening of an appointment. European elections in the United Kingdom.

But the European negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, had already warned on Tuesday that a "long" extension should also be justified and should be linked to "a new event or political process" in the UK.

Barnier receives Thursday in Brussels the British opposition leader, the Labor Party Jeremy Corbyn, whose party defended the permanence of the United Kingdom in a customs union with the European Union, against the opinion curators of May.