Britain is scheduled to formally secede from the European Union on March 29. However, the UK's "Brexit" process has stalled, intensifying speculation about the delay of Brexit.
In an interview with the media, Jean Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said that he could not rule out the possibility that Britain could participate in the European Parliament election because of the delay of Brexit, which would be a "joke".
["Hard to imagine"]
The election of the European Parliament, scheduled to be held from May 23 to 26, is one of the most important events in Europe this year.
Germany's Stuttgart Daily reported on the 19th, citing Juncker, that whether to ask for an extension of "Brexit" is a question that Britain needs to decide. However, with the European Parliament election looming, it would be "unimaginable" for Britain to postpone "Brexit" and participate in the election.
Juncker said that this situation would become a "historical joke of delay".
Juncker is scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on the 20th to further discuss the "Brexit" issue.
The British government and the European Union reached an agreement on "Brexit" in November last year. However, this agreement was rejected in the first vote of the House of Commons of the British Parliament on January 15. Teresa May said that she would continue to strive to modify the "backup arrangements" contained in the "Brexit" agreement, but Juncker repeatedly stressed that the EU would not renegotiate with the UK.
The "backup arrangement" is intended to avoid the restoration of the "hard boundary" between the UK Northern Ireland and the EU member Ireland, that is, the re establishment of physical customs and border inspection facilities. There is no clear deadline for this arrangement, and the UK cannot withdraw unilaterally, which has become the biggest obstacle to the approval of the Brexit Agreement by the House of Commons of the British Parliament.
[Practical considerations]
Jos é Manuel Barroso, Juncker's predecessor and former president of the European Commission, is not optimistic about Britain's "Brexit" as scheduled.
Barroso said in an interview with the British Sky News TV channel that, in the current situation, "Brexit" needs more preparation.
"Even if a positive agreement has been reached now, from a pragmatic point of view, everything is clearly not ready," Barroso said, "I think the correct approach is to extend it for a certain period of time. If the UK requests an extension of the time limit set by Article 50 (Lisbon Treaty), EU member states will naturally accept this request."
Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty stipulates that EU member states must consult with the EU on the specific process of "Brexit" and the framework for interaction between the two sides after "Brexit" and reach an agreement within two years from the date of declaration of "Brexit". The extension of the period established by Article 50 shall be subject to the consent of all EU Member States.
The EU has previously stated that if the UK gives sufficient reasons, the EU can consider postponing the "Brexit Day", but the postponement does not mean restarting the "Brexit" negotiations. (Chen Lixi) (Special draft of Xinhua News Agency)
