Leaders hoped for a pledge of cooperation from Theresa May, but wondered if she will keep her job.
The Brexit deadline will be pushed back again. The U.K. will not leave the EU on April 12.
This much was certain as EU leaders swarmed into Brussels on Wednesday for their latest summit on the tortured Brexit process.
Beyond that, many details remain to be locked down — most importantly the length of the extension and any attenuating conditions, including an expected pledge of "sincere cooperation" by the U.K. during its prolonged membership.
EU diplomats said they believe it would be very important to the 27 leaders to hear U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May express such a commitment aloud, even as they realize that there is no legal mechanism to compel good behavior by Britain any more than any other potential rabble-rousing country.
"Legally speaking, you cannot constrain the rights and responsibilities an EU member state has," an EU diplomat said Wednesday.
But while there was general consensus about the desire for such a pledge of good faith, diplomats and officials said leaders are still of different minds about the length of an extension, with Council President Donald Tusk pushing for a longer delay of up to a year or more, and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz leading a push for a shorter postponement that would maintain pressure on the British government to resolve the uncertainty in London once and for all.
In a sign of the continuing uncertainty, diplomats gave up on the possibility of holding yet another preparatory session on Wednesday afternoon and decided instead simply to put their latest draft conclusions directly in front of the EU27 leaders to discuss during their dinner meeting.[...]
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