General election 2017: EU officials welcome Theresa May's Brexit announcement
GETTY Michel Barnier will lead the EU's Brexit negotiations
Officials in Brussels have privately reacted with relief after the prime minister finally decided to go to the public and are viewing the upcoming contest as a positive development. There is a feeling within the EU that the definitive result produced by an election will help dispel some of the chaos and vitriolic rhetoric currently engulfing the Brexit debate.
And senior negotiators believe the talks will run more smoothly and productively if they are faced with a confident UK Government backed by a concrete mandate from the public. EU officials are not taking sides in the election and are not supporting Mrs May’s campaign, insisting that it is a domestic matter for the UK to resolve.
GETTY Theresa May announced a snap General Election today
However, sources with knowledge of the negotiations have told express.co.uk that if a “strong” leader emerges from the June 8 contest it will aid both sides in the upcoming talks. Realistically the PM is the only candidate in with a realistic chance of securing an overall majority, with the alternative scenario presenting a coalition Government made up of Labour, the Lib Dems and the SNP. But Mrs May is not currently in a strong political position, encircled by europhile forces in parliament and vulnerable to the whims of pro-EU Tory rebels on the back benches. The EU, led by chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, is prepared to be constructive in the talks but feels that the PM’s predicament is causing tension and uncertainty.
A decisive victory for the Conservative Party will provide clarity for both sides in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations Tory MEP Syed Kamall
Today officials also insisted that the bloc’s plans for the negotiations will not be affected by the upcoming British election, insisting that it fits into their timetable. Mrs May said she was calling the contest for June 8 so that it would be resolved before the EU27 formally adopt their negotiating guidelines, which will be handed to Frenchman Mr Barnier. The leaders of the remaining member states are set to meet in Brussels on April 29 for a special meeting of the European Council, which will be the first to be held without Britain being present. There they will discuss and fine tune the bloc’s position on Brexit, which initially sparked controversy in the UK by accommodating Spanish demands over Gibraltar.
Politicians react as Theresa May calls snap general election on June 8 Tue, April 18, 2017 UK Prime Minister Theresa May has announced her intention to hold an early general election on June 8 Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 5 Theresa May has called for a snap general election