Germany & France Say Brexit Delay Needs Strings Attached

BERLIN (AP) — German and French officials insisted Tuesday that any further delay to Britain's withdrawal from the European Union must come with strings attached and assurances from Britain, as Prime Minister Theresa May prepared to plead in Berlin and Paris for more time.

Britain's partners in the 28-nation European Union say they want clarity from May about what she will do to break the Brexit logjam if another delay is granted. Officials are signaling that they're not keen to give Britain a blank check, though they also want to avoid a chaotic Brexit this week.

Michael Roth, Germany's deputy foreign minister, said as he arrived at an EU meeting in Luxembourg that "we are in a very, very frustrating situation here." But he added that a disorderly Brexit would be "the worst of all options on the table."

May's Conservative government and the main opposition Labour Party have been trying to find a compromise Brexit deal before EU leaders decide Wednesday whether to grant a second extension to the U.K.'s departure. If they refuse, Britain faces a sudden departure on Friday, the deadline set a few weeks ago by the EU. The country was originally supposed to leave on March 29.

May has asked for a new delay until June 30. She is traveling to Berlin later Tuesday to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, then to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.

"We expect finally to have substantial steps in the right direction — so far absolutely nothing has changed," Roth said. "We are of course considering an extension, also a longer extension, but it must be linked to very strict criteria," he added, insisting that Britain can't speculate about not participating in the May 23-26 elections for the European Parliament.

Roth said that "within the European Union, there isn't an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side."

European Council President Donald Tusk has urged the 27 remaining EU nations to offer the U.K. a flexible extension of up to a year to make sure the nation doesn't leave the bloc in a chaotic way that could undermine trade and hurt many EU nations.

France's European affairs minister, Amélie de Montchalin, said the 27 will need commitments from May that the British government will continue to play a constructive role in EU decision-making if a long extension is to be granted.

"We have the question what role Britain wants to play" if such an extension is granted, she said. In Britain, some have suggested that the government should seek to undermine EU policymaking as a way to get more leverage for the U.K. Roth also called for "loyal and constructive behavior" by the British government.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said that officials in other EU countries "will want to encourage" the Conservative-Labour talks in London.

"But they'll also want to see a clear plan in terms of how an extension can deliver the result that we all want, which is a managed and sensible Brexit."

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