European Union Leaders Meet Without Britain for First Time
29 Junho 2016 - 07:30AM
Dow Jones News
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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