EU agreed to give UK flexible Brexit extension at the special European Council meeting on Wednesday. The extension should last “only as long as necessary and, in any event, no longer than October 31 2019”. If the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be ratified by then, Brexit will take place on November 1. During the extension, UK remains a EU remember with full right, and has a right to revoke Article 50 at any time.
In the statement, EU emphasized that “the extension cannot be allowed to undermine the regular functioning of the Union and its institutions.” UK must hold European Parliament elections if it’s still a EU member on May 23-26, or Brexit will happen on June 1. Also, EU reiterated there will be no renegotiations. And, the extension “cannot be used to start negotiations on the future relationship”. Though, EU is open to reconsider the Political Declaration.
In the post summit press conference, European Council President Donald Tusk said “this extension is as flexible as I expected, and a little bit shorter than I expected, but it’s still enough to find the best possible solution.” He urged UK “please don’t waste this time”.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: “We looked at the matter and decided to shift the date to October. We want an orderly exit of Great Britain and an orderly exit of Great Britain can be best ensured if we give it some time”. And, “the decisive point was when will the British parliament consent to the withdrawal agreement and we made it clear that that exit agreement applies and will not be changed”.
French President Emmanuel Macron said: “It’s true that the majority was more in favor of a very long extension. But it was not logical in my view, and above all, it was neither good for us, nor for the UK.” And, “I take responsibility for this position, I think it’s for the collective good.”
