28 October 2019

POLITICO: EU agrees to January 31 Brexit extension

The official decision must be taken by EU leaders but that will be done by so-called "written procedure," which is now a formality and is expected to be launched Tuesday and take around 24 hours.

Although Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU leaders earlier this month agreed a draft deal setting out the terms of the U.K.'s exit from the EU, that deal has not yet been approved by lawmakers. Monday's decision means the U.K. cannot now exit the European Union with no agreement legally in place on October 31 — the deadline set by the previous extension — something the EU27 and many in the U.K. were keen to avoid.

Ambassadors took the decision in just 15 minutes on Monday morning after France signaled overnight it was removing its objection to an extension. The change in position happened over the weekend after French President Emmanuel Macron had a phone conversation with Johnson on Sunday afternoon and after further conversations between the EU27 and the U.K., according to an official close to the French president.

All the legal documents setting out the terms of the extension were approved without amendment by the ambassadors. They state that the extension is conditional on the U.K. not acting to “jeopardize” the EU’s objectives and decision-making process. It also states that the extension cannot be used for further negotiations on the Brexit deal — although the terms of a previous extension contained an identical "no renegotiation" clause yet the EU allowed the Withdrawal Agreement to be reopened and substantial changes were made.

During the extension period, the U.K. will have to appoint a European commissioner as it "will remain a member state until the new withdrawal date, with full rights and obligations," the text states, according to a copy seen by POLITICO. [...]

Full article on POLITICO

European Council adopts decision to extend the period under Article 50

Related article on Financial Times: Prime Minister agrees to Brexit ‘flextension’ until January 31

Related article on Financial Times: Business groups warn against fresh Brexit delays

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