U.K., EU clinch divorce terms
BRUSSELS — More than four decades after Britain tied itself to its Continental neighbors, Prime Minister Theresa May obtained the approval of the other 27 European Union members on a formal divorce pact from the bloc, a consequential step intended to take the country on a new, if unclear, path.
The journey has been long and tortuous for both sides, and the drama is hardly over. May must still get approval for the deal — a dense, legally binding divorce settlement and a set of political promises for Britain’s future relationship with the bloc — from an outspokenly unhappy British Parliament.
Since Britons voted in 2016 to leave the European Union, May has struggled to define how closely they should remain tied to Continental Europe, ultimately choosing a kind of middle way that has left many dissatisfied.
With her own Conservative Party deeply divided and the opposition Labour Party promising to vote the deal down, May faces what most consider to be an almost impossible task.
But she is dogged, and, with Britain scheduled to leave the European Union on March 29, she appears to be relying on giving legislators a stark choice: her deal or a chaotic exit without any deal.
If she fails, what happens next would be anyone’s guess. May could face a leadership challenge or be left to put her deal to a second vote in the British Parliament. There could be a push for a softer Brexit, new elections or a second referendum. Or Britain could lurch toward a no-deal Brexit, an outcome no one wants on either side of the Channel.
In an open letter to the nation, May said she would campaign “heart and soul” to get the deal approved. Speaking in Brussels on Sunday, she added that “the British people don’t want to spend any more time arguing about Brexit,” and that her agreement would allow Britons “to come together again as a country.
Though several European leaders expressed regret that Brexit was taking place, May pointedly did not when asked at a news conference whether she was sad about the rupture.
“No,” she replied. “But I recognize that some European leaders are sad and some others at home in the U.K. are sad at this moment.”
Even as the 27 other leaders of the European Union put their imprimatur on the agreement, they were eager to do nothing to make May’s task any harder. They, like much of the British public, are heartily sick of Brexit, and Europe has other challenges to deal with, including migration and populism, Russian aggression and the Italian budget threat to the euro.
Several European leaders warned on Sunday that negotiations could not be reopened should the British Parliament reject the deal, echoing May’s message that this was the “only deal possible,” and that Britain’s lawmakers had nothing to gain by voting against it.
“This is the deal,” said Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm. “It’s the best deal possible. The European Union will not change its fundamental position.”
But Juncker, too, said to the media, “It’s not a moment for jubilation nor celebration; it’s a sad and tragic moment.”
Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands, whose country is one of Britain’s closest trading partners, also expressed confidence that May would succeed in persuading Parliament to pass the deal. But asked if the bloc might make more concessions, he warned: “This is the maximum we can all do.”
Britain’s break with Europe was never going to be easy. Even if Britain ratifies the deal, the end of March will see the beginning of many months, possibly years, of negotiations on its future relationship — from trade and travel to security and intelligence.