May offers some hope for EU citizens amid Brexit, wins praise

BRUSSELS — British Prime Minister Theresa May promised Thursday that EU citizens will not be immediately kicked out of Britain when it leaves the union and says their fate will be a top priority in Brexit negotiations — prompting guarded praise from other EU leaders at a tense time for the continent.

Ms. May’s proposals at an EU summit were a carefully timed gesture days after talks began on Britain’s departure. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called them “a good start.”

Ms. May laid out benchmarks for the rights of 3 million EU citizens living legally in Britain and how they should be shielded from excessive harm. She made it clear that Britain wants reciprocal measures for the 1.5 million British citizens living in the EU. The issue of citizens’ rights is especially sensitive in the Brexit talks.

Under Ms. May’s proposal, EU citizens with legal residence in the UK will not be asked to leave and will be offered a chance to regularize their situation after Brexit, a senior British official said. Ms. May also promised to cut the burdensome bureaucracy such paperwork can involve, the official said.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged at his first EU summit as head of state to breathe new life into a European Union stung by Britain’s departure and deeply divided over the best way to accommodate refugees.

On the same day that his government proposed a significant expansion of authorities’ powers to fight terrorism, Mr. Macron also pushed at the summit for joint European defense, a joint budget for countries using the euro and a tougher stance against the U.S. and China on trade.

On the opening day of the two-day summit, the EU announced agreements on extending sanctions against Russia and fighting climate change.

The EU leaders also agreed to join efforts seeking to curb online extremism and crack down on Europeans who go abroad to fight radical jihad.