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Responding in a brief statement to U.K. Prime Minister's request to extend until June 30 the deadline for the U.K.'s departure, Tusk said such an extension could win approval in Brussels but only upon ratification of the withdrawal deal, which the House of Commons has rejected twice with huge majorities against it in January and March.
"Today I received a letter from Prime Minister May in which she addresses the European Council with two requests, to approve the so-called Strasbourg agreement between the U.K. and the European Commission and to extend the Article 50 period until 30th of June, 2019," Tusk said.
"Just now I had a phone call with Prime Minister May about these proposals. In light of the consultations I have conducted over the past days, I believe that a short extension will be possible, but it will be conditional on a positive vote on the Withdrawal Agreement in the House of Commons."
In her letter, May said she hopes to bring the treaty back for another vote but that she could not say when, and even expected it could not happen before the existing Brexit deadline of March 29. [...]
Statement by President Donald Tusk on Brexit
Related: Invitation letter by President Donald Tusk to the members of the European Council ahead of their meetings on 21 and 22 March 2019
In the light of the consultations that I have been conducting over the past days, I believe that we could consider a short extension conditional on a positive vote on the Withdrawal Agreement in the House of Commons. The question remains open as to the duration of such an extension. Prime Minister May's proposal, of the 30th of June, which has its merits, creates a series of questions of a legal and political nature. We will discuss it in detail tomorrow. When it comes to the approval of the Strasbourg agreement, I believe that this is possible, and in my view it does not create risks. Especially if it were to help the ratification process in the UK.
At this time I do not foresee an extraordinary European Council. If you were to approve my recommendations, and if there were a positive vote in the House of Commons next week, we could finalise and formalise the decision on the extension using a written procedure.
Even if the hope for a final success may seem frail, even illusory, and although Brexit fatigue is increasingly visible and justified, we cannot give up seeking – until the very last moment – a positive solution, of course without opening up the Withdrawal Agreement. We have reacted with patience and goodwill to numerous turns of events, and I am confident that, also now, we will not lack the same patience and goodwill, at this most critical point in this process. [...]
Related article on Bloomberg: France Says It Won’t Agree to Brexit Extension Without ‘Guarantees’
BusinessEurope statement on Brexit ahead of the European Council meeting on 21-22 March 2019