Europe has a message for Great Britain following this week’s stunning Brexit vote: If this is what you want, let’s get this started now.
Al Jazeera reports that the European Union is calling on the UK to begin their exit negotiations right away. The push comes as Britain attempts to navigate a number of difficult issues in the Brexit fallout, including a severely wounded pound and the prospect of Scotland (who voted to remain in the EU) once again looking at an independence vote. PM David Cameron‘s resignation announcement has also added another wrinkle to the UK’s post-Brexit status.
Earlier today, a crisis meeting was held by foreign ministers from Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg to discuss the Britain’s exit. “Negotiations have to go quickly in the common interest,” noted France’s foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. The push will be strong for Britain to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty in short order. It’s a swift reality facing Britons, in particular those that voted to leave but didn’t actually expect the Brexit to happen.
The EU may be nudging the UK into getting to work on their official exit, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed that she’d like to see the process not be rushed too hastily. “Quite honestly, it should not take ages, that is true, but I would not fight now for a short time frame,” offered Merkel at a news conference. Seeing as the Brexit is a new beast in terms of modern European relations, it’s difficult to say what the ideal time window is for Britain making their departure from the EU. What we do know is that the Brexit will continue to have significant ramifications once it’s put into action.
(via Al Jazeera & Reuters)