The European Union (EU) ministers have said on Tuesday that the bloc was prepared to grant Britain a second Brexit extension, but British Prime Minister Theresa May has to come up with a crystal clear plan over how to ratify the long-stalled divorce agreement.
According to Reuters news reports, EU ministers were scheduled to meet in Luxembourg, a day before 27-leaders of the EU will decide on whether to offer Britain a Brexit extension in an attempt to break an impasse over Brexit in London.
Without another Brexit delay, Britain is due to leave the bloc on Friday, without any agreement with the EU to stabilize the economic shock.
Luxembourg, Dutch and German ministers have made it clear in comments that no-Brexit deal must get avoided. Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told reporters, “Everybody this week are open to an extension but they certainly want to see a plan attached to that extension.”
Coveney’s Dutch colleague Stef Blok echoed: “It’s in the Dutch interest to avoid hard Brexit and if more time is needed to avoid no-deal Brexit, we should provide more time.”
“I really hope the UK will find a solution to avoid this no-deal Brexit. We are hoping for a specific plan from the UK side on how to avoid this no-deal Brexit.”
Jean Asselborn of Luxembourg said the bloc would do “everything we can” in order to avoid no-deal Brexit.
But Michael Roth, the German minister, has said May must come up with a clear plan for an agreement with the EU on Wednesday. He said, “I must, unfortunately, note that the conditions set … have not been met.”
“We are of course thinking about an appropriate extension of the deadline and also about a longer extension. They must, however, come with very strict conditions,” Roth said.