EU leaders call for swift Brexit

The EU says a Brexit should be implemented "as soon as possible" to end the uncertainty with leaders drawing a hard line, adding there's no turning back.

Brexit

European Commission President Jean- Claude Juncker (C) prepares to speak during a news conference on the results of Britain's EU referendum. Source: AAP

Latest:

European Union leaders are reeling after Britain's shock vote to leave plunged the EU into deep uncertainty, not least over how to negotiate the unprecedented departure of a member state.

Top EU officials tried to put on a brave face as the European enterprise - already racked by economic woes, Greece's shaky future in the euro and Europe's inability to manage the refugee emergency - came face to face with yet another existential challenge.

As the British pound lost value and with markets jittery, EU leaders underlined that the UK must negotiate its exit quickly and warned that it would remain a member, with all the obligations that entails, until the talks are over. That could mean more than two years longer.
The heads of the EU's main institutions said in a statement on Friday that they want Britain to act on the vote "as soon as possible, however painful that process may be. Any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty."

The statement was signed by European Council president Donald Tusk, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, European Parliament president Martin Schulz and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

They added that under the bloc's treaties "EU law continues to apply to the full to and in the United Kingdom until it is no longer a member".

Tusk told reporters that Britain's 27 partners were "determined to keep our unity". But, he said, "there's no way of predicting all the political consequences of this event."

He said EU leaders will meet without British Prime Minister David Cameron next week on the sidelines of a summit in Brussels "to start a wider reflection on the future of our Union".

While he admitted that the past year has been one of the toughest in EU history, Tusk said: "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."

Schulz announced that the European Parliament would hold an emergency session on Tuesday morning, hours before a two-day summit of presidents and prime ministers, to debate the next steps.
As if Britain's departure wasn't bad enough, Cameron's resignation and decision to leave exit negotiations to his successor from October raised new worries about how long the process might drag on and possibly fuel the ambitions of others who might want to leave.

Once its intentions are officially notified, Britain would have two years to officially negotiate its departure, although London could be granted an extension if all 27 EU member states agree.

The head of the biggest bloc in the parliament fired an early warning shot, saying that Britain should expect no free ride as it negotiates its departure.

"There cannot be any special treatment for the United Kingdom. The British people have expressed their wish to leave the EU. Leave means leave. The times of cherry-picking are over," European Peoples Party leader Manfred Weber said.

He insisted that the exit negotiations "should be concluded within two years".

This insistence on a "hard exit" is aimed at discouraging other countries from wanting to leave the bloc in the belief that they might be able to negotiate a comfortable partnership from the outside.

Many European officials fear the UK vote will play into the hands of the far right and left and fuel calls for referendums in other countries.

The possibility to leave exists in the EU's rule book, but it's never been used before.

Share
4 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world