British Prime Minister Theresa May and EU president Donald Tusk held their first formal bilateral meeting on the country’s exit from the bloc, on Thursday, with the UK leader reaffirming she will not launch Brexit talks this year.
During the meeting at Downing Street, May said the exit procedure following the 23 June referendum on EU membership would not begin before 2017.
She said the UK would take time to prepare for the negotiations, reiterating that Article 50 will not be triggered before the end of the year.Government Spokesperson
The timing of Britain’s EU departure – which will follow a two-year negotiation period sparked by Article 50 – has been a key point of tension between London and Brussels.
Speaking in the Latvian capital, Riga following the meeting with May, Tusk reasserted EU rules that formal negotiations on Britain leaving the EU cannot begin until the British government formally triggers procedures.
(With inputs from PTI)
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