State secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry František Ružička. (source: TASR)
The negotiations over the Brexit deal have started to resemble the Lord of the Rings saga, said František Ružička, state secretary for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, responding to the questions of journalists over the latest developments in the departure of the United Kingdom from the EU.
We must wait and see how the voting in Westminster turns out, he added. Although the Brexit deal has been on the table for roughly four months, the British parliament has not agreed to support British PM Theresa May's deal yet.
Ružička also said that Brexit would not, for now, impact on the preparations for the next EU programming period.
“The Brexit saga is becoming so big that it resembles the Lord of the Rings, or rather the Lady of the Rings,” Ružička told journalists, as quoted by the SITA newswire.
As he pointed out, there are several options for Brexit, ranging from a no-deal Brexit to no Brexit at all.
In addition, on April 1, the House of Commons will have to discuss the petition signed by 5.7 million Brits who oppose Brexit but MPs will not be obliged to vote on it, as reported by SITA.
Slovak priorities on the table
The EU is also discussing its next financial framework. If the UK decides to leave after the European Parliament elections or to remain part of the EU, the negotiations on the financial framework will be affected, Ružička claimed.
“If the UK asks for an extension beyond the date of the EP elections, it means that UK representatives will be also have to be elected,” he added, as quoted by SITA. “This would result in a long extension – one year, two years or maybe an infinite number.”
As Ružička stressed, the negotiations are currently going smoothly. Everything that is of priority to Slovakia is still on the table.
In some areas, there has been an agreement reached with the EP, but 120 other areas are still sensitive, SITA wrote.
