Brexit - Qué nos espera?

La primera ministra británica ofreció seguir contribuyendo sustancialmente a las arcas de la UE durante un periodo de transición de dos años, una vez consumado el Brexit. Su discurso de este viernes por la tarde en Florencia, que había generado alta expectación en Londres y en Europa, deparó tímidos avances en los términos del divorcio. Trataba May de desbloquear las negociaciones con Bruselas y poder avanzar en las discusiones sobre la relación futura. Pero una líder debilitada, con el campo de maniobra minado por la guerra latente en su Gobierno, ni mucho menos despejó la gran incógnita sobre cómo ve esos futuros lazos entre Reino Unido y el continente. A los Veintisiete les corresponderá valorar si el discurso de Theresa May en Florencia -acaso el más importante que ha pronunciado sobre el tema hasta la fecha, al menos en términos del momento en que se produce y de la escenificación- supone el “progreso suficiente” en los términos del divorcio que demandan para empezar a habla...

Theresa May’s big Brexit speech had been talked up for weeks . It even overshadowed, and eventually led to the cancellation of September’s round of talks in Brussels. The mere prospect of it spurred Boris Johnson to rebel, leading to days of intrigue at the United Nations before the prime minister and her top diplomat patched things up on the way home. After all that, what did the prime minister deliver in Florence?   She proposed for the first time that the U.K. would seek a transitional arrangement to smooth the path after the date of Brexit (March 29, 2019, in case it slipped your mind). That period could last “about two years,” May said. She also pledged that the U.K. would honor its existing commitments to the European Union budget. “I do not want our partners to fear that they will need to pay more or receive less over the remainder of the current budget plan as a result of our decision to leave,” May said in the Tuscan capital. “The U.K. will honor commit...

Theresa May will have multiple audiences in mind today when she stands up at around 3:15 p.m. (2:15 p.m. BST) in the medieval cloister of a one-time monastery in Florence to reboot her Brexit strategy . First off she will seek to persuade Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator, that she’s got what it takes to break the impasse in the divorce talks. Barnier was clear on Thursday that he wants to hear May give ground on issues preventing the EU from shifting the talks to trade. Those sticking points are money, citizens’ rights and the Irish border. “If we want a deal, time is of the essence,” he said. “To make progress, we are waiting for clear commitments from the U.K.” As Tim Ross reported on Wednesday, May has been considering using the speech to offer not just to pay for the transitional period she wants but also to be more constructive  towards the larger Brexit bill. Now the Financial Times reports she will also vow to strengthen legal prote...