Meeting without their British counterpart in Luxembourg on Thursday 27 April, the European ministers for European affairs approved the draft guidelines to steer negotiations on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, to be adopted by the 27 European leaders at a special Brexit summit on Saturday 29 April.
These guidelines, which are considerably tougher than those presented by the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, on 31 March (see EUROPE 11759), received very broad support on Thursday morning, reports the Maltese Minister, Louis Grech.
This was the first meeting of 27 for this configuration of the ‘General Affairs’ Council, the Minister explained, stressing that the 27 ministers had sent out an unprecedented signal of confidence, consensus and unity. The ministers reiterated their aim of achieving a fair and balanced agreement for all and maintaining confidence between the Twenty-Seven, he added.
The ministerial meeting was an opportunity to reiterate the guiding principles the member states wish to hold sway in negotiations with London: - preserving the integrity of the single market; - maintaining a single package and single communication channel; - no sectorial negotiations and proceeding in stages (divorce terms first, then negotiating the future relationship between the EU and the UK), to ensure greater legal certainty.
On the content of the negotiations, Grech said that the main concerns will relate to citizens’ rights, the bill for the UK leaving before the end of the multi-annual financial framework 2014-2020 and the question of borders (Northern Ireland in particular).
This position of unity and rigour between the EU27 certainly seems to reflect reality. According to one source, there is indeed consensus between the states and the guidelines on the table are satisfactory and balanced for everyone.
At the two meetings of the 'sherpas' – the advisers to the European leaders – on 11 and 24 April, the draft guidelines were tweaked slightly, as the EU27 wished to emphasise citizens’ rights. A notable inclusion was the obligation to grant permanent resident status to Europeans arriving in the United Kingdom before Brexit takes effect and staying in effect for at least five years.
Other changes concern obligations related to the EU budget. Reuters reports that the guidelines stipulate that London must honour its share of the new payments to the EU budget for two years after it leaves. On financial services, a reference was introduced to clarify that there will be no guarantee that the future free-trade agreement between the EU and London will give the British financial services industry access to the single market.
The First Vice-President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, who was in Luxembourg, explained that the result of the general election in the UK on 8 June, after which the Brexit talks proper will begin, will not change the position of the Twenty-Seven. "Whether Ms May has a strong majority or not will change nothing", he said upon his arrival.
Agreement on future relationship unlikely before October 2018
On Wednesday evening, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, was in London with his team of negotiators, including Michel Barnier, to discuss the process with the British Prime Minister, Theresa May.
According to the details of the dinner that were published on Thursday, Juncker told May that it was unrealistic to hope to conclude an agreement on the future relationship between the EU and the UK in the time earmarked for the negotiations, in other words by October 2018, as Barnier ventured in December (see EUROPE 11683).
Barnier was also in Luxembourg on Thursday to brief the ministers on the meeting. However, Grech said, the Frenchman did not go into detail and also declined to speak to the press on Thursday. He simply stated upon his arrival that the Twenty-Seven were united and ready to negotiate.
On Wednesday 3 May, the Commission will adopt its draft negotiating mandate for Barnier, made up of several negotiating directives. The mandate will be approved by the EU27 on 22 May at a further meeting of the ‘General Affairs’ Council.
Germany stands firm
On Thursday, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, also stood firm. In a debate at the Bundestag, she warned the British that they could not aspire to the same rights as an EU member state following Brexit, criticising certain illusions to that effect. A third country will not have the same rights, or more advantageous rights, than a member state of the EU, she stressed. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)