Brexit shift: Johnson opponents can hope for EU Parliament

United Kingdom and Gibraltar European Union membership referendum

all articles

The EU Parliament is open to postponing the Brexit withdrawal date beyond 31 October. The parliament "would not reject an extension of the article 50" reads in the draft resolution, which the deputies want to decide in Strasbourg next week.

However, according to the European Parliament, the condition is "that the reasons are clear and credible" and that "the functioning of the EU institutions is not negatively affected". Already in the past, new elections or a second referendum had been mentioned as reasons for a postponement of the Brexit meeting.

The parliamentarians emphasize that an extension may become inevitable even if the British and EU negotiators agree on a "last-minute deal" shortly before the current exit date on 31 October. In such a case, the European Parliament may be lacking the time to "decide whether it approves or not". The European Parliament must approve the exit agreement between the EU and the UK.

EU Parliament takes a stand against forced leave

The eight-page draft resolution, which is available to SPIEGEL, repeats many of the well-known EU positions in the Brexit dispute. However, they are now reaffirmed for the first time by the new EU parliamentarians elected in the European elections.

It is also the first time that MEPs have commented on the British Prime Minister's compulsory break from their British parliamentary colleagues. The European Parliament "condemns the decision" to put the British Parliament in compulsory retirement until 14 October, the paper says. This deprives British MEPs of the opportunity to "discuss the Brexit process at a time when the United Kingdom is confronted with fundamental decisions of historical scope".

The British Parliament last passed a bill to prevent Brexit without agreements and, if necessary, to force the British government to postpone the Brexit deadline in Brussels if there is no agreement on the Brexit Treaty at the EU summit in mid-October should.

Nevertheless, Johnson wants to make another attempt on Monday to enforce the new election he sought. British Sunday newspapers also said Johnson was determined to ignore the no-deal law in case of emergency. Preparing to 'put the chainsaw on everything', which hinders Johnson's hard Brexit course, sources say at Johnson's office at 10, Downing Street.

What if Boris Johnson does not ask for a reprieve?

In the EU, civil servants are therefore already seriously concerned with what to do if the UK legislation does impose a postponement, but Johnson in Brussels does not ask for it. On the EU side, all remaining members must agree to an extension. In the past postponement of the Brexit meeting in early April, there had been significant differences between French President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel. Macron had pleaded for a short extension, Merkel for a particularly long, the October date came out as a compromise.

In the meantime, negotiations between the British and the EU are making almost no progress in Brussels. The reason for this is that the British have so far been unable or unwilling to present legally binding alternatives to the so-called backstop, the emergency regime for the Irish border. The idea of ​​EU negotiators restoring the backstop to the original planned level, ie Northern Ireland, was of no interest to British negotiators. An exit agreement without backstop, on the other hand, is considered unacceptable by the EU.

How close will economic relations be in the future?

Last week, when Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier informed EU diplomats from the remaining 27 EU countries, there was concern that the British, after a Brexit, could move further and further away from the EU in political and regulatory terms. For the first time, British negotiators also hinted that future defense cooperation could not be as close as previously planned. For a real threat, as some newspapers reported, were the hints to the information of the SPIEGEL but too vague.

The EU is currently more worried that the British seem to be seeking a normal free trade agreement for their future relationship, without seeking, for example, an approximation of the EU's environmental or labor standards. This is unacceptable for a partner who transacts a significant part of their trade with the EU, according to many EU countries. "This calls into question how close the future economic relations between the UK and the EU will be," says the parliamentary resolution.

In its resolution, the EU Parliament also makes it clear that Prime Minister Johnson can not expect concessions other than his predecessor Theresa May. Negotiations on future relations, such as a free trade agreement, can only begin if the British comply with the obligations under the exit agreement, ie Above all, to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK and - against all threats - pay the open final bill.