Brussels, 13/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - Congratulating Theresa May on her appointment on 13 July as British prime minster, the Belgian prime minister, Charles Michel, asked her to activate Article 50 of the European treaty “as soon as possible” to pave the way for the United Kingdom to begin negotiating its exit from the European Union.
“We cannot afford a long period of uncertainty. Clarity is in the interest of both Europe and the United Kingdom. We expect the United Kingdom to activate article 50 of the European Union's Lisbon treaty in order to begin negotiations of the future relationship with the European Union. This should be done as quickly as possible,” said Michel in a press release, adding: “in the future, we hope to have the UK as a close partner of Belgium and the European Union.”
During her campaign for leadership of the British Conservative party, May had said that activating Article 50 would not be done until the UK had agreed on a clear negotiating strategy and certainly not before 2017. Her appointment two months earlier than initially planned (early September) could change matters. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)