The heads of state or government of the EU member states are to convene at a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the outcome of last week's referendum on the UK's membership to the EU in which 51.9 % of British voters supported Brexit. The political consequences of the decision made by the majority of British voters for their country to leave the EU will dominate the agenda of the summit. Among the other topics to be discussed at the summit are measures to address the migration crisis, deepening of the single market and enhancing the security of the EU through closer cooperation with NATO.
On Tuesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron, who announced his resignation last week, will discuss the situation in the UK after the referendum, which will be followed by a first exchange of views. On Wednesday, the leaders of the 27 member states will hold informal meeting to discuss the political and practical implications of the referendum results. They will review the so-called “divorce process” as stipulated in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and will also begin a debate on the future of the EU made up of 27 member states.
As regards migration, the EU leaders will pay particular attention to the situation in the Central Mediterranean and cooperation with third countries of origin and transit. They will also assess the state of the implementation of the agreement between the EU and Turkey on the return of migrants and the closure of the Western Balkans migratory route. The participants in the summit will also call for deepening of the single market, with special focus on digital agenda. The leaders will also endorse the country-specific recommendations under the 2016 European Semester and assess the first results of the European Fund for Strategic Investments. They will also discuss the cooperation between the EU and NATO in view of the forthcoming NATO summit in Warsaw in July.
A joint statement issued by the leaders of the main EU institutions on Friday, called on the UK to activate Article 50 as soon as possible and to avoid any delay of its withdrawal which would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty. Also in Brussels on Tuesday, the European Parliament will hold an extraordinary plenary session to discuss the outcome of the referendum and assess its consequences for the EU.
