UK renounces EU rotating presidency: May's office
The United Kingdom will no longer take on the rotating presidency of the European Union as planned for 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May's office says.
The announcement on Wednesday that Britain is relinquishing its EU presidency role came in the wake of the Brexit vote on June 23 in which some 52 percent of Britons voted to leave the EU after 43 years of membership, while roughly 48 percent voted to stay in the block.
“The prime minister suggested that the UK should relinquish the rotating presidency of the Council, currently scheduled for the second half of 2017, noting that we would be prioritizing the negotiations to leave the European Union,” a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
On Tuesday, May notified European Council president Donald Tusk of her decision during a phone conversation, which was their first since she succeeded David Cameron last week.
“Donald Tusk welcomed the prime minister's swift decision on this issue which would allow the council to put alternative arrangements in place,” the spokeswoman said.
The presidency of the EU with national ministers rotates among members every six months.
EU ambassadors will attend a meeting later on Wednesday to decide who will replace Britain which was due to take the role from July 1 until December 31, 2017.
Currently, Slovenia has the presidency which lasts until December 31, followed by Malta.
The spokeswoman said that May told Tusk that she would approach negotiations on Brexit “in a constructive and pragmatic spirit,” but will need time to prepare.
“Donald Tusk reassured the prime minister that he will help to make this process happen as smoothly as possible.”
“They concluded by looking forward to a strong working relationship and agreed that they should meet soon in Brussels or London,” she added.
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