Brexit plans unaffected by election: European Union

Brussels: The EU said on Tuesday it did not expect negotiating guidelines for Britain’s exit from the bloc to be affected by the British government’s call for an early general election.

British Prime Minister Theresa May called on Tuesday for snap polls in a surprise announcement as Britain prepares for delicate Brexit negotiations. “The UK elections do not change our EU27 plans,” said Preben Aamann, spokesman for Donald Tusk, president of the European Council of the remaining 27 member states.

“We expect to have the Brexit guidelines adopted by the European Council on 29 April and, following that, the Brexit negotiating directives ready on 22 May,” Mr Aamann said. “This will allow the EU27 to start negotiations,” he added.

Mr Tusk issued a set of draft guidelines late last month rejecting Ms May’s call for talks on the terms of the divorce bill and on a future trade deal in parallel during the two years of negotiations ahead of Britain’s exit in March 2019.

The remaining 27 EU countries are set to rubber-stamp Mr Tusk’s guidelines at a summit on April 29, paving the way for chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier to begin formal negotiations with Britain at the end of May.

Meanwhile, European Union negotiators hope Ms May’s snap election can produce a strong Prime Minister with a clear popular mandate to hammer out the terms of Britain’s withdrawal from the bloc, an EU official said onTuesday.

“This is a domestic matter for the UK,” the official said. “But we have some hope that this will lead to a strong leader in London that can negotiate with us with strong backing by theelectorate.”