European Union officials on Monday congratulated liberal economist Javier Milei on his Sunday windfall election as Argentina's president, with European Council president Charles Michel describing Buenos Aires as a “close partner” and hoping the EU/Mercosur trade deal will be finally ratified.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández Monday said at the European Council headquarters before the plenum of the EU-Celac Summit in Brussels that “Our regions must promote fair and equitable trade based on mutual respect.” He also underlined the importance of working together. It is the first meeting between the two blocs since 2015.
European Council President Donald Tusk is proposing to offer the UK a 12-month flexible extension to its Brexit date, according to a senior EU source. His plan would allow the UK to leave sooner if Parliament ratifies a deal, but it would need to be agreed by EU leaders at a summit next week.
The petition calling on the UK Government to halt the Brexit process has passed six million signatures. The Revoke Article 50 petition, due to be debated by MPs this Monday, is the best-supported proposal in the history of the House of Commons and Government’s e-petitions website.
Members of Parliament have rejected Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement on the day the UK was due to leave the EU. The government lost by 344 votes to 286, a margin of 58. It means the UK has missed an EU deadline to delay Brexit to 22 May and leave with a deal.
European Council President Donald Tusk has said he will appeal to EU leaders “to be open to a long extension” of the Brexit deadline, if the UK needs to rethink its strategy and get consensus. His intervention came as UK MPs voted to seek a delay of the 29 March deadline to leave the EU. EU leaders meet in Brussels on 21 March and they would have the final say.
The European Union opened the door on Monday to Britain postponing its exit from the bloc beyond the March 29 deadline, as the main opposition Labour Party said it could eventually support a second referendum.
European Council President Donald Tusk has spoken of a “special place in hell” for “those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it out safely”. He was speaking after talks with Irish leader Leo Varadkar in Brussels.Brexit-backing MPs reacted with anger to the comments, accusing Mr Tusk of “arrogance”.
In its proposal for post-Brexit, ‘visa-free travel’ the European Council on Friday has described Gibraltar as a “colony of the British Crown.” HM Government of Gibraltar is grateful to the Prime Minister for her comment that such a description is “completely unacceptable.”
Theresa May will meet European leaders and EU officials later for talks aimed at rescuing her Brexit deal. She will hold talks with Dutch PM Mark Rutte and Germany's Angela Merkel after postponing MPs' final vote on the deal. The UK PM has said she needs further assurances about the Northern Ireland border plan to get Commons backing.