The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, travelled to London on Thursday 8 September for a meeting with the prime minister, Theresa May, reminding her that the EU wanted the Brexit talks to begin as soon as possible.
In London, Tusk tweeted that his objective was to restore the closest possible relations between the EU and the United Kingdom, adding that it was in everyone’s interests to start as soon as possible. He said the ball was now in the UK’s court. Tusk has started a tour of the EU to prepare for the EU27 summit in Bratislava on 16 September. Press agencies report that to this end, Tusk explains that Europe’s leaders will discuss in Bratislava the political impact of Brexit, but that did not mean that they would be talking about their future relations with the UK because for that, and above all for the start of the Brexit negotiations, they needed formal notification - in other words, activation of Article 50.
May said she wanted Brexit to be smooth.
The atmosphere at the talks, which lasted just over an hour, was described as warm and friendly by a Downing Street spokesperson, downplaying the fact that Tusk had come to London to put pressure on May.
On Wednesday 7 September, the future chief Brexit negotiator for the European Commission, French national Michel Barnier, made his first public statement. Without revealing how the talks would proceed, the politician, who takes up office on 1 October, said it was in the EU’s interest to keep good relations with the United Kingdom and he was prepared to start the talks the very next day. Barnier said that agreement would be reached with the UK that would not damage the other 27 member states.
Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s negotiator. On Thursday 8 September, European Parliament president Martin Schulz suggested in a press conference that Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the ALDE Group at the European Parliament, should be appointed as the Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, alongside French national Michel Barnier for the Commission and Belgian national Didier Seeuws for the Council. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)