Speaking in the Bundestag a day after Prime Minister Theresa May requested a three-month delay to Britain’s departure from the bloc, Angela Merkel said it is “unfortunate” that there is still no way forward on Brexit. With just eight days to go before the UK leaves the EU, Mrs Merkel admitted she still does not have “definite answers” She said: “One question, which has kept us all busy in the last days and weeks – how will the exit of Great Britain from the EU happen?
“And unfortunately I have to tell you today that eight days before the official exit of Great Britain we still don’t have a definite answer to that.”
With just eight days before the UK is due to leave the EU, the Prime Minister will make the case for extending the Article 50 withdrawal process to June 30 at a Brussels summit today.
Mrs Merkel warned the short delay would only be honoured by the EU if MPs back Mrs May’s deal in a vote.
She said the Brexit delay would be discussed “positively” today, but added that member states would have to be “mindful” ahead of the European elections in May.
Mrs Merkel said: “We, the EU27, will discuss this today. We can fulfil this wish in principle if there will be a positive vote about the exit deal next week in the British Parliament.
“However, regarding the concrete date we have to be mindful that we have the European elections in May, which means the future and the legality of the European elections need to be preserved. But we can surely talk positively about a short delay.”
Ahead of the meeting, European Council president Donald Tusk said a “short” delay should be possible – but only if MPs finally back her deal before the deadline day on March 29.
With fears in Brussels growing that the UK is heading for a no-deal break, he said he would not hesitate to call an emergency summit next week if that proved necessary.
Mrs May formally made the request for an extension to the end of June in a letter to Mr Tusk on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister had previously indicated she would seek a longer delay after her deal went down to a 149-vote defeat in last week’s second “meaningful vote”.
However, she reportedly backed down after the threat of Cabinet resignations by Brexiteer ministers, who feared it could spell the end of their hopes of leaving the EU.
In Brussels on Wednesday, Mr Tusk said the question of how long an extension the remaining EU 27 were prepared to grant “remains open”.
Additional reporting by Monika Pallenberg