France, Germany, Italy ask UK not to waste Time while Leaving the EU

nsnbc : The leaders of France, Germany and Italy urged Britain not to waste time in starting the procedures with leaving the European Union and warned against uncertainties caused by a protracted impasse.

Courtesy of Laurent Dubrule

Courtesy of Laurent Dubrule

There is uncertainty about when exactly the UK will formally invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to start the process of leaving the European Union (EU). The treaty affords a 2-year period for the process that can be either speeded up or prolonged if the parties agree.

British Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that he would task his successor with the process when he steps down in October. British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said on Monday that Britain would trigger the exit procedure only when there is a clear view about new relations between Britain and the EU. However, the UK’s foot-dragging prompted comments from the leaders of France, Germany and Italy who stress that the UK should not waste any time.

“We agreed that there will be no informal or formal discussions on the exit of Britain until the European Council has received an application for withdraw,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel after talks with French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Berlin on Monday. Merkel added that “as long as that has not happened, no further steps can be taken.

French President Francois Hollande, for his part, also stressed that “there is no time to loose”. Hollande urged the British government to submit a formal exit application as soon as possible in order to start negotiations. “Nothing is worse than uncertainty. Uncertainty often leads to irrational political behaviors, as well as irrational financial behaviors,” he added. Italian Prime Minister Matteeo Renzi  noted that “It is a good time for Europe to write new pages.  … I agree it must be done quickly, we must lose no time,” he added.

Hollande, Merkel and Renzi also issued a joint statement, saying that they will propose at a summit starting Tuesday in Brussels to “launch a process based on a concrete timetable and precise commitments to find solutions to the challenges that arose from the result of the referendum in the United Kingdom, and to develop concrete solutions for a better future for the EU and its citizens”. They suggested that the remaining 27 member states of the EU should launch joint actions in securing external borders, strengthening the economy, and creating jobs for young people.

It is noteworthy that the Brexit as well as the joint French, German and Italian position about the UK’s exit from the EU comes against the backdrop of a growing continental European consensus that opposes a US/UK dominated foreign policy directed against Russia.

CH/L – nsnbc 29.06.2016

Source Article from http://nsnbc.me/2016/06/29/france-germany-italy-ask-uk-not-to-waste-time-while-leaving-the-eu/

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