Latest on Brexit: Tusk will have negotiating proposal on Friday

Latest on Brexit: Tusk will have negotiating proposal on Friday
European Union Council President Donald Tusk says he will have a proposal for a negotiating mandate ready for the member states by Friday, only two days after Britain triggered the negotiating mandate for divorce proceedings.
Tusk said that he would share guidelines for negotiations with the 27 member states when he is in Valletta, Malta, on Friday.
Once those are delivered, the 27 member states will have to come up with definitive guidelines at a summit on April 29 in Brussels.
Later, those guidelines will have to be poured into strict legal text and real negotiations could be expected to start in the second half of May. 1:20 p.
Germanys foreign minister says that the phrase Lets stay friends should be a motto for the divorce proceedings between Britain and the European Union.
But Sigmar Gabriel also made clear Wednesday that the EU negotiating team will have Berlins full support in asserting our common interests. Gabriel said in a statement that hard feelings may be understandable.
He added that for many, it is perhaps still hard to understand today how one can expect to be better off alone between worlds, particularly in these turbulent times, but that sentiment cant be the basis for future relations.
He added that we need each other. We should do everything to nurture good and friendly relations with London in the future.. 1:15 p.
The European Unions top official says that we already miss you, moments after he received the official letter from British Prime Minister Theresa May triggering Brexit talks.
But European Council President Donald Tusk says that the withdrawal also has made us, the community of 27, more determined and more united than before to make the difficult negotiations ahead a success.
Tusk said that there is nothing to win in this process. He added that: our goal is clear: to minimize the cost for the EU citizens, businesses and member states. He said we have all the tools to achieve this.
1:05 p. British Prime Minister Theresa May offered a polite and conciliatory statement in the letter to the European Union triggering Brexit talks.
May said in the letter that we should engage with one another constructively and respectfully, in a spirit of sincere co-operation.
May says it is in the best interests of both the United Kingdom and the European Union that we should use the forthcoming process to deliver these objectives in a fair and orderly manner, and with as little disruption as possible on each side.
The British leader offered a wish that Europe remain strong and prosperous, and capable of defending itself from security threats. 1 p.
Denmarks prime minister says Britains goodbye to the European Union is incredibly sad, adding he expects many bumps on the road. Lars Loekke Rasmussen said in a statement that he hopes the divorce will take place in an orderly fashion.
He said that Britains decision to leave the EU and the inner Market will have consequences. The Danish government leader said rights and responsibilities go hand in hand in the European Union. You cannot have one without the other..
12:55 p. The head of the European Parliaments biggest political bloc says Britains decision to leave the European Union is a mistake that will damage the U.K. and the EU.
European Peoples Party chairman Manfred Weber said Wednesday that history will show that Brexit is a tremendous mistake. It will create a lot of damage for both sides..
But he said the parliament will respect the choice of British voters to leave and that the negotiations should follow two steps: first we need to agree on the divorce settlement, then we will talk about the new relationship. 12:50 p.
Britains prime minister is offering a broad outline of her plans for the process of leaving the European Union, saying she hopes for a deal for Brexit in two years.
Theresa May says that while she aims for a deal in two years, she aims for a phased process of implementation.
The British leader offered her plans after a letter triggering Article 50 of the European Union treaty was handed to the EUs top official, Donald Tus. 12:40 p.
Britains prime minister says that the U.K. has triggered the process of leaving the European Union.
Theresa May told the House of Commons on Wednesday that Britain has triggered the EU divorce process that acts on the democratic will of the British people.
She made the comments after a letter triggering Article 50 of the EUs Lisbon Treaty was handed to the EUs top official, Donald Tusk. 12:30 p.
The European Unions top official says he has received the letter from Britain, formally triggering two years of Brexit talks.
European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that after nine months the UK has delivered, referring to the time since the outcome of Britains June 23 referendum to leave the EU.
He later posted a photo of him receiving the letter from Britains EU envoy Tim Barrow. The photo shows Tusk accepting the letter, which was signed by British Prime Minister Theresa May, with two hands at the European Councils headquarters.
12:10 p. British Prime Minister Theresa May is speaking to the House of Commons as anticipation builds before a key decision on leaving the European Union.
May says that the moment is upon us when the country is set to start the process of leaving the European Union. The decision follows a June 23 referendum.
May says that today we do give effect to the democratic decision of the people of the United Kingdom who voted for us to leave the European Union. 12 p.
Spains Foreign Ministry has opened a special desk at its embassy in London to resolve doubts concerning the effects of Brexit on Spaniards living in Britain and Northern Ireland.
A ministry statement Wednesday said the desk will provide information on issues such as residence permits, health care, pensions, education and grants. There are some 132,000 Spaniards registered as living in Britain and Northern Ireland, and 2 million visited in 2015.
British authorities say 11,000 Spanish students are studying in universities there. Tens of thousands more Spaniards are understood to live in Britain there but are not registered.
The offices opening was timed to coincide with Britains formal notification, expected soon, that it was beginning its exit from the European Union. 11:50 a.
Germanys Foreign Ministry says Britain will remain a close partner and friend despite the decision to leave the European Union, but that being a close friend is not the same as being part of the family.
The ministry said Wednesday that EU negotiations with Britain will initially be about exiting the bloc, and then, on this basis the new relationship between Britain and the EU can be discussed.
The ministry said that it was daring for Britain to decide to leave amid uncertainty and restlessness in the world.
It says the primary objective of negotiations with Britain will to be to minimize uncertainties for citizens, the economy and the EU. 11:40 a.
Croatias prime minister says that his country will be the least affected by the British exit from the European Union because it was the last to join in 2013.
Andrej Plenkovic says that both our analysis and the analysis by the European Commission have confirmed that.
The Hina news agency also quoted Plenkovic as saying that Brexit was a big, huge mistake whose negative consequences will be felt primarily in Britain.
He added that no one can tell at this moment when negotiations between the EU and Britain will end, and what kind of an agreement they will produce.
Plenkovic said that its a scenario unseen so far. He also said the EU should remain inclusive to not discourage future candidates striving to join the bloc. 11:05 a.
The European Union presidency says it is imperative that Britain must be left with a worse option than membership once Brexit negotiations are over.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of Malta, which holds the EU presidency, said that negotiations must be transparent and honest.
He said: Negotiations should be fair for both sides, but it is imperative that EU membership emerges as the superior option. EU will not be 27 different opinions on Brexit but one common vision..
Muscat spoke as he met with the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, in Valletta, Malta.
Barnier said: Today is the first day in a very long and difficult road. The EU will look to establish a fair agreement for the long term future of union members.. 10:45 a.
A powerful European Union commissioner says that the British letter to trigger two years of Brexit proceedings is a negative message for Europe as a whole, for the U.K. especially..
Guenther Oettinger, a German who is EU commissioner for budget and human resources, said he expected many difficult negotiations in the next weeks and months.
A letter signed by British Prime Minister Theresa May that formally triggers Brexit will be handed over to European Council President Donald Tusk in less than an hour. 8:50 a.
The British pound is facing some selling pressure before the formal triggering of the countrys two-year process to leave the European Union.
With just hours to go before the start of the Brexit process, the pound was 0.4 per cent lower at $1.2398.
Since the country voted to leave the EU in a referendum last June, the currency has suffered a steep decline, losing around 20 per cent of its value as traders fret over the potential economic impact of the decision to leave the worlds largest trading bloc.
Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA, thinks the pound is likely to remain quite volatile throughout Wednesdays trading session.
However, he says that following some weakness in the run-up to the triggering of the Article 50 process that it is worth being prepared for a possible case of traders selling the news and buying the fact today.. 8:35 a.
The EU official who will receive the letter from Britain that formally triggers Brexit says the handover will take place at 1:20 p.m. Brussels time (1120 GMT; 7:20 a.m. EDT).
European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted: At 13. 20 today, UK. Brexit notification letter (article 50) will be handed to me by Ambassador Tim Barrow.
The original timing was given as around 1130 GMT (7:30 a.m. EDT). A reason for the slight change in timing hasnt been given. Barrow, who is Britains EU envoy, is taking part in a routine meeting of ambassadors on Wednesday morning.
He will take a break from the meeting and hand-deliver the letter signed by Prime Minister Theresa May that will formally trigger Brexit. 8 a.
Britains European Union envoy has arrived at his office in Brussels for a meeting, hours ahead of triggering Brexit. Tim Barrow is taking part in a routine meeting of ambassadors on Wednesday morning.
Barrow will later take a break from the meeting and hand-deliver a letter signed by Prime Minister Theresa May at around 1130 GMT (7:30 a.m. EDT) to EU Council President Donald Tusk. The letter will formally trigger Brexit. 7 a.
Britain is set to formally file for divorce from the European Union, ending a 44-year relationship following the decision made by U.K. voters in a referendum nine months ago.
Prime Minister Theresa May is due to announce in the House of Commons Wednesday afternoon that she has invoked Article 50 of the EUs key treaty, triggering a two-year countdown to Britains exit.
At the same time, Britains EU envoy, Tim Barrow, will hand-deliver a letter from May to EU Council President Donald Tusk.
Mays office says she will tell lawmakers that the U.K. is embarking on a momentous journey and should unite to forge a global Britain..
Britain and the EU have two years to unpick a tapestry of rules, regulations and agreements stitched over more than four decades.

Latest on Brexit: Tusk will have negotiating proposal on Friday

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