Brexit in Brussels: Juncker’s Mic Drop and Political Brexploitation
The three presidents—Juncker along with Donald Tusk, who heads the European Council, and Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament—said they “expect the United Kingdom government to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be.”
They also warned against any stalling: “Any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty. We have rules to deal with this in an orderly way. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union sets out the procedure to be followed if a member state decides to leave. We stand ready to launch negotiations swiftly with the United Kingdom regarding the terms and conditions of its withdrawal from the EU.” In other words: get the hell out of here, UK.
Tusk was keen to stop the rot spreading to other countries: “Today, on behalf of the twenty seven leaders I can say that we are determined to keep our unity as twenty seven.”
The European Parliament will hold an extraordinary plenary session next Tuesday, when MEPs will vote on a resolution analysing the outcome and ways forward.
Chairman of the European People’s Party, the largest political group in the EP, Manfred Weber, said he will focus on exit negotiations which should be concluded within the two-year deadline. He added that there cannot be any special treatment for the United Kingdom: “The British people have expressed their wish to leave the EU. Leave means leave.”
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