BRUSSELS—European Union leaders were meeting without the U.K. for the first time in more than four decades Wednesday, as they work to reaffirm their union after Britain's decision to leave it.

The leaders have to decide what stance they want to take toward the first-ever member to depart the EU and how to stop growing discontent with Brussels to lead to similar rejections in one or more of the 27 remaining countries.

The debate is bound to be divisive. Leaders have widely different views on how to treat the U.K. during the exit talks, which are expected the last around two years, and the subsequent discussions on what kind of relationship London will maintain with the EU.

Some countries, which fear anti-EU uprisings in their own countries, want to take a tough path, in which the U.K. is made to feel what advantages it is foregoing by ditching the EU's single market and cooperation on everything from security to climate policies. Others, which rely on the U.K. as a major trading partner and geopolitical ally, have argued for a softer tack that leaves the EU closely bound to one of the world's largest economies and military forces.

The government in London has yet to formally initiate exit talks. After a summit with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron Tuesday, EU leaders appear to have resigned themselves that the task of triggering Article 50 of the EU Treaty, which sets out the exit process, will be left to a new government that won't take office until after the summer. That leaves the other 27 states in limbo over what kind of relationship the U.K. wants to have with the EU after its departure.

"We won't start to negotiate until we have Article 50," said Xavier Bettel, prime minister of Luxembourg.

There are also different views how the EU should move forward. While most leaders stressed the importance of the remaining 27 sticking mostly together, others see the rupture as an opportunity to proceed at two speeds—deeper integration for those who want it and looser ties for those who don't.

If "there's a group of countries that wants to go faster, it needs to be able to do so without being impeded by those that want to take more time to advance," said Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel. The need "to do everything at 27…creates a feeling, a perception of immobilization among the population," he said.

On the other side of the argument, Mr. Bettel said the 27 European leaders needed to provide a clear picture for the path going forward, adding that he "wasn't so thrilled" about the idea of making small clubs within the bloc.

"We need now, more than ever, a united Europe—compared to a Kingdom disunited," Mr. Bettel said.

Nicos Anastasiades, the president of Cyprus, also argued for unity. "The European Union continues with the 27 members, we are committed to working ... towards having a much more solid and much more Europe. This is the only way out," he said.

Some EU politicians also see the exit of the U.K. as a sign that the 18-country currency union needs to pull closer together, creating for instance a centralized budget and stricter enforcement of budget rules. Others argue that the growing alienation of citizens within the EU shows that Brussels' powers have already gone too far and that governments need to be given more space to improve growth and fight unemployment.

In contrast to Tuesday, when some EU leaders still voiced hopes that the U.K. may change its mind, late-night talks with U.K. Prime Minister appeared to have left a more somber mood.

"We all need to wake up and smell the coffee. And the coffee will be discussions about our future," Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė.

Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, will be in Brussels Wednesday afternoon. Ms. Sturgeon has raised the idea of Scotland leaving the U.K. and joining the EU. She will be meeting Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council and chairman of the EU summits, declined to meet Ms. Sturgeon, his spokesman said Tuesday.

Julian E. Barnes contributed to this article.

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 29, 2016 06:15 ET (10:15 GMT)

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