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British Prime Minister Theresa May, July 18, 2018 / AFP
Brussels on Thursday called on the countries of the European Union to " intensify "their preparation for all possible scenarios for the Brexit, including that of a" brutal break "with London, more and more feared by the incessant political turmoil undermining the British government.
London and Brussels are supposed to reach an agreement by October to organize their divorce and lay the groundwork for their future relationship. But Europeans are worried about stalled negotiations and constant questioning in the UK of Prime Minister Theresa May's strategy.
Whatever the outcome of the negotiations, Brexit "will have repercussions. citizens, businesses and administrations, both in the UK and in the EU ", warned the European Commission in a document published on Thursday.
It therefore invites" Member States and private actors to step up their by anticipating all possible scenarios, including the so-called "sudden rupture", that is to say without a withdrawal agreement ratified by 30 March 2019, the planned date of departure from the United Kingdom.
In this case, the preparations are all the more necessary as "there will be no transition period" to mitigate the effects of Brexit, says the Commission. While a withdrawal agreement would allow a transition until the end of 2020, with less immediate repercussions.
– Contestation –
The British government is also preparing for all scenarios, responded a spokesman for Theresa May.
"We have always said that as a responsible government, it is desirable to prepare for a + no deal + and that is what we do," she said.
"We have always said that it is not something we want or hope for, and the progress of the talks so far suggests that this is not where we are going to end," she added. 19659004] But in Brussels and among the 27, the anxiety grows up against the prospect of a lack of agreement.
The negotiations have made decisive progress on the question of the rights of expatriate citizens or on the "regulation financial "of the divorce, but it still stumbles on the fate of the border that goes separating Ireland, between the North, a province that belongs to the United Kingdom, and the South, which will remain in the EU.
The fear of failure is accentuated by the relentless contestation in the United Kingdom of Theresa May's strategy, which escaped Tuesday's defeat in Parliament, with the narrow rejection of an amendment contrary to its objectives for the future relationship with the EU, recently formalized in a "White Paper".
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs foreigners, Boris Johnson, in the House of Commons in London on July 18, 2018 – Photo taken from a video shot by the Parliamentary Services (PRU) / PRU / AFP
Ms. May also had to deal with recent resignations of his foreign ministers, Boris Johnson, and Brexit David Davis, whose successor, Dominic Raab, is expected in Brussels Thursday to meet the Brexit chief negotiator for the EU, the French Michel Barnier.
– Situation "very volatile" –
Boris Johnson , seen as a possible candidate to succeed May, still blamed him Wednesday for having deviated to a "Brexit who has only the name" and asked him to "change tactics" for a sharper break with The situation in London is very volatile, judged a European official Thursday, saying that it was necessary to be "cautious" European side and "not to throw oil on the fire". But the questioning of the strategy of Ms. May "is an element of complication" undeniable for negotiations, he admitted.
"In any case, we will prepare ourselves so that there no collapse "if there is no agreement," he added.
"Will there be visas to go from Brussels to London?" How will planes continue to fly between the EU and the UK if the current rules no longer apply in one go? all that, "he argued.
In the document published on Thursday, the European Commission cites in particular the need to anticipate the consequences of Brexit for EU border controls, for trade, the recognition of professional qualifications on both sides or the exchange of data between the two entities.
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