On Thursday 9 May, British Prime Minister Theresa May reaffirmed in Brussels her intention to trigger Article 50 of the Treaty "by the end of March" in order to initiate the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union.
It is time to leave the EU, May said at a press conference at the end of the first day of the European summit. She nevertheless repeated that her country was leaving the EU but not Europe, and that the UK's objective was to remain the EU's ally and strong friend.
Questioned about the future free trade agreement that London wants to negotiate with its partners, May said she was optimistic and confident that the future relationship with the EU would be determined in the two-year window that is open for the divorce negotiations.
The Treaty, she said, stipulates that this divorce must be negotiated taking account of the future relationship between the UK and the EU. She therefore thinks it is possible to negotiate this future free trade agreement in the time allotted – the agreement is, moreover, as much in the EU's interest as in the UK's.
As a member of the EU, London shared its views on migration and called for efforts to be stepped up against the smugglers and human traffickers. Speaking of her concerns about the situation in the western Balkans, May also announced that the UK would host an international summit on the western Balkans in 2018. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)