The EU leaders who met in Brussles this week accepted a delay in the UK’s scheduled withdrawal from the community bloc
The UK leaving the EU was scheduled for March 29, but British Prime Minister Theresa May has called for postponement for June 30. After nearly seven hours of talks, the heads of state and government from EU member states decided to give the UK not one, but two deadlines for Brexit, neither of which is slated for the end of June.
According to the first scenario, if the withdrawal agreement negotiated with the EU is approved next week, despite being rejected twice already, the European Council has agreed to postponing Brexit for May 22.
In the second scenario, if the agreement falls through, the Council proposes a postponement for April 12, by which date Great Britain must make a decision. In other words, all options are on the table by April 12: the British Government can organize elections for the European Parliament and then ask for a new delay of Brexit, Britain can withdraw without an agreement or option number three, it can move to revoke Article 50 and cancel Brexit altogether. From Romania's perspective, a no-deal Brexit is a lose-lose scenario.
President Klaus Iohannis: "The agreement is good, we all contributed to its elaboration, it was negotiated by our team and it's the best possible version. A so-called 'hard Brexit' poses many problems, first to Great Britain and then to us, because we want to build for the future and it's best we start on the right foot".
In the event Parliament rejects the agreement a third time, Brussels has contingency measures set in place to protect its citizens and the interests of the EU, says European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
A number of 19 legislative proposals have been adopted aimed at dealing with the effects of a no-deal Brexit, concerning citizens' rights, air and road transport and fishing sector.
As regards Prime Minister Theresa May, she claims delaying Brexit is an opportunity for the British Parliament to finally accept the withdrawal agreement and thus put an end to uncertainty once and for all. A source of political turmoil at home, Brexit has also had a powerful emotional impact on the British population.
Four in ten British adults said they have been left angry, powerless or worried by Brexit in the past year, according to a recent poll. Only 9% of respondents said Brexit made them feel hopeful. As for European citizens, they never cease to wonder if the effort is worth the hassle.
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