U.K.'s David Cameron to face fellow EU leaders at potentially awkward Brexit summit
On Monday, British Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament that the U.K. is in no hurry to invoke Article 50, triggering the process of withdrawing Britain from the European Union, while EU lawmakers and the leaders of Germany, Italy, and France said Britain should invoke Article 50 as soon as possible. Cameron and his EU counterparts will be able to discuss the timing and other Brexit details at a two-day summit starting Tuesday; Cameron will meet with EU leaders up through a working dinner on Tuesday, but not attend the second day with the 27 other leaders of the 28-member European Union.
Germany's Angela Merkel said Tuesday that Britain may want "close relations" with Europe, but "whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep privileges." Some Britons are hoping to remain in the EU tariff-free union but not have to abide by other EU rules like open borders, but Merkel ruled that out: "We will ensure that the negotiations are not carried out with the principle of cherry picking." At an emergency session of the European Parliament, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker made clear that nobody in the EU will start negotiations on Britain's exit until the U.K. starts the clock. "No notification, no negotiation," he said. "I want the U.K. to clarify its position. Not today, not tomorrow at 9 a.m., but soon. We cannot allow ourselves to remain in a prolonged period of uncertainty."
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