Historic EU Summit ends with leaders urging UK to invoke article 50

EU leaders to meet Wednesday in informal Summit, before September

The EU Summit on talks over the Brexit has come to end with leaders agreeing to renews their meeting in September, when official negotiations on the terms of separation between the UK and the EU are scheduled to commence. The EU leaders decided to give the UK time until the new PM takes office, after UK PM David Cameron stepped down following the results of the referendum on June 23. They added that they expect the political transition to move forward swiftly so that the new PM can invoke article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to expedite proceedings for the exit. After extending his condolences to Turkey over the terrorist attacks in Istanbul, European Council President Donald Tusk stated the Summit had come to and end and focused on the Brexit, common market issues, immigration and cooperation between NATO and the EU. Tusk dubbed the talks ‘frigid and calculating’, adding that time must be given to the UK to recover and prepare for the official separation talks.

European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker accused Cameron and Britain of stalling on invoking article 50 and thus exit procedures, stating there was no time ‘to medicate for months’ on the matter. Juncker also made reference to the positive results on the creation of new jobs in the EU, adding that EU partners supported the creation of a European coastguard in order to stop deaths in the sea.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte said the UK referendum vote was disappointing, but added that there should be collaboration to achieve results. He stressed the ‘ball was in Britain’s court’, calling for the UK to invoke article 50, while he said that the informal EU Summit in September would be productive in examining the EU’s future and the reasons for the rise of Euro scepticism across the continent.