EU leaders meet to decide another Brexit delay

AFP, 10th APRIL, 2019- European leaders gathered in Brussels on Wednesday to decide how long a Brexit delay to grant British Prime Minister Theresa May -- and under what conditions.  

Without a postponement, Britain is due to crash out of the European Union at midnight on Friday under a “no-deal” Brexit that could trigger economic chaos.  
May has embarked on a last-ditch battle to postpone Brexit from April 12 to June 30 to arrange an orderly departure -- but European leaders are expected to offer her a longer delay of up to a year.  

 “There are times when you need to give time,” EU Council President Donald Tusk tweeted, as he issued summit invitations.  

Summit host Tusk said the evidence of recent months gave EU leaders “little reason to believe” that British lawmakers will ratify the Brexit withdrawal treaty before May’s preferred June 30 departure.  

 “In reality, granting such an extension would increase the risk of a rolling series of short extensions and emergency summits, creating new cliff-edge dates,” he said, reflecting concern in EU capitals.  

 “One possibility would be a flexible extension, which would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year,” he said.  

According to a draft copy of the summit conclusions that EU leaders were to receive and debate later in the day, they will agree to an extension to allow May time to ratify the withdrawal agreement.  

 “Such an extension should last only as long as necessary and, in any event, no longer than [XX.XX.XXXX],” the draft reads.  

The other 27 EU leaders will thrash out what date to fill in the blanks on Wednesday.  

 “If the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified by both parties before this date, the withdrawal will take place on the first day of the following month,” the draft, seen by AFP says.