The EU's preferred option is for Britain to stay. Failing that, Brussels would like the UK to remain as close as possible. For now, though, Europe's leaders just want some clarity on what the British government wants.
Brussels is seeking clarity ahead of Britain's March 29 exit date, insisting that the ball is in Britain's court, and not vice versa.
European leaders have urged the UK to explicitly state what it wants, but they do have preferences of their own.
What the EU's position is:
The EU has said it would ideally want Britain to remain a member of the bloc, something that would require the revocation of Article 50 which the UK invoked to leave the bloc.
Otherwise, the favored plan B would be for Britain to become a member of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), like Norway. This would keep Britain in the single market. It would have to accept freedom of movement, obey many EU rules and be obliged to make a financial contribution to the bloc while having no voting rights.
To facilitate that, Brussels would be prepared to delay Brexit day until May 26 at least, when European elections take place.
Negotiators from the bloc have said that to resume any substantive negotiations they would need the UK to alter its red lines — for example on membership of the Customs Union — something that might lead to a softer Brexit than had been anticipated under the Theresa May deal.
If Britain still wants to leave with something similar to May's unpopular Brexit agreement, Brussels has said it can clarify the terms but that it can't change legal aspects.
Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe
Britain shocked the world when it voted to leave the European Union on June 24, 2016. DW traces the major events that have defined Brexit so far.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/Y. Mok
June 2016: 'The will of the British people'
After a shrill referendum campaign, nearly 52% of British voters opted to leave the EU on June 23. Polls had shown a close race before the vote with a slight lead for those favoring remaining in the EU. Conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron, who had campaigned for Britain to stay, acknowledged the "will of the British people" and resigned the following morning.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Rain
July 2016: 'Brexit means Brexit'
Former Home Secretary Theresa May replaced David Cameron as prime minister on July 11 and promised the country that "Brexit means Brexit." May had quietly supported the Remain campaign before the referendum. She did not initially say when her government would trigger Article 50 of the EU treaty to start the two-year talks leading to Britain's formal exit.
Image: Reuters/D. Lipinski
March 2017: 'We already miss you'
May eventually signed a diplomatic letter over six months later on March 29, 2017 to trigger Article 50. Hours later, Britain's ambassador to the EU, Tim Barrow, handed the note to European Council President Donald Tusk. Britain's exit was officially set for March 29, 2019. Tusk ended his brief statement on the decision with: "We already miss you. Thank you and goodbye."
Image: picture alliance / Photoshot
June 2017: And they're off!
British Brexit Secretary David Davis and the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, kicked off talks in Brussels on June 19. The first round ended with Britain reluctantly agreeing to follow the EU's timeline for the rest of the negotiations. The timeline split talks into two phases. The first would settle the terms of Britain's exit, and the second the terms of the EU-UK relationship post-Brexit.
Image: picture alliance/ZUMAPRESS.com/W. Daboski
July-October 2017: Money, rights and Ireland
The second round of talks in mid-July began with an unflattering photo of a seemingly unprepared British team. It and subsequent rounds ended with little progress on three phase one issues: How much Britain still needed to pay into the EU budget after it leaves, the post-Brexit rights of EU and British citizens and whether Britain could keep an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Image: Getty Images/T.Charlier
December 2017: Go-ahead for phase 2
Leaders of the remaining 27 EU members formally agreed that "sufficient progress" had been made to move on to phase two issues: the post-Brexit transition period and the future UK-EU trading relationship. While Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her delight at the decision, European Council President Tusk ominously warned that the second stage of talks would be "dramatically difficult."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/dpa/O. Matthys
July 2018: Johnson, Davis resign
British ministers appeared to back a Brexit plan at May's Chequers residence on July 6. The proposal would have kept Britain in a "combined customs territory" with the EU and signed up to a "common rulebook" on all goods. That went too far for British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis, who resigned a few days later. May replaced them with Jeremy Hunt and Dominic Raab.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/G. Fuller
September 2018: No cherries for Britain
May's Chequers proposal did not go down well with EU leaders, who told her at a summit in Salzburg in late September that it was unacceptable. EU Council President Tusk trolled May on Instagram, captioning a picture of himself and May looking at cakes with the line: "A piece of cake perhaps? Sorry, no cherries." The gag echoed previous EU accusations of British cherry-picking.
Image: Reuters/P. Nicholls
November 2018: Breakthrough in Brussels
EU leaders endorsed a 585-page draft divorce deal and political declaration on post-Brexit ties in late November. The draft had been widely condemned by pro- and anti-Brexit lawmakers in the British Parliament only weeks earlier. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab resigned along with several other ministers, and dozens of Conservative Party members tried to trigger a no-confidence vote in May.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/E. Dunand
December 2018: May survives rebellion
In the face of unrelenting opposition, May postponed a parliamentary vote on the deal on December 10. The next day, she met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to seek reassurances that would, she hoped, be enough to convince skeptical lawmakers to back the deal. But while she was away, hard-line Conservative lawmakers triggered a no-confidence vote. May won the vote a day later.
Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
January 2019: Agreement voted down
The UK Parliament voted 432 to 202 against May's Brexit deal on January 16. In response to the result, European Council President Donald Tusk suggested the only solution was for the UK to stay in the EU. Meanwhile, Britain's Labour Party called for a no-confidence vote in the prime minister, her second leadership challenge in as many months.
Image: Reuters
March 2019: Second defeat for May's deal
May tried to get legal changes to the deal's so-called Irish backstop in the weeks that followed. She eventually got assurances that the UK could suspend the backstop under certain circumstances. But on March 12, Parliament voted against the revised Brexit deal by 391 to 242. EU leaders warned the vote increased the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit. Two days later, MPs voted to delay Brexit.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/T. Ireland
March 2019: Extension after second defeat
Following the second defeat of May's divorce deal, the European Council met in Brussels on March 21 to decide what to do next. EU leaders gave May two options: delay Brexit until May 22 if MPs vote for the withdrawal deal or delay it until April 12 if they vote against the deal. If the deal were to fail again in Parliament, May could ask for a long extension.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/F. Augstein
March 2019: Brexit deal rejected a third time
On March 29, the day that the UK was supposed to leave the EU, British lawmakers voted for a third time against May's deal — rejecting it this time with a vote of 344 to 286. Following the latest defeat, May approached the main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in an attempt to find a compromise, angering hardline Brexiteers in her own Conservative party.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/House of Commons/M. Duffy
April 2019: Brexit delayed until Halloween
With the April 12 deadline looming after the third defeat of May's deal, EU leaders met again in Brussels to discuss a second delay. The only question was how long should it be? In the end, the UK and EU agreed to a "flexible" extension until October 31 — which can end sooner if the Brexit deal is approved. The UK had to take part in EU elections in May because their exit wasn't secured in time.
Image: Reuters/E. Plevier
May 2019: Prime Minister Theresa May resigns
Weeks of talks between Prime Minister Theresa May and the Labour party to reach a deal proved unsuccessful and further eroded her political capital. She triggered an angry backlash from her party after she tried to put the option of a second referendum on the table. The series of failures led May to announce her resignation, effective June 7, in an emotional address.
Image: Reuters/H. McKay
June 2019: Search for a new prime minister
After Theresa May announced on June 7 that she would leave office, other members of her Conservative party began clamoring for the top job. Within a month, the leadership battle came down to Jeremy Hunt (left), an EU proponent who fears a no-deal scenario, and Boris Johnson (right), one of the main proponents of Brexit.
July 2019: Prime Minister Boris Johnson
At the end of July 2019, Johnson was officially named Theresa May's successor as British prime minister. "We are going to energize the country, we are going to get Brexit done by October 31," he said after he was elected leader of the Conservative Party.
Image: Imago Images/Zuma/G. C. Wright
September 2019: Johnson's election threat
Conservative rebels and opposition MPs backed efforts to delay an October 31 Brexit deadline in fear of a no-deal departure. In response, Johnson called for a general election, saying his government cannot rule without a mandate after he stripped 21 rebel MPs of their Conservative status. The Labour Party said it would not back elections until legislation to block a no-deal Brexit was in place.
In late September, Britain's highest court ruled that Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament ahead of the UK's planned exit was unlawful. "This was not a normal prorogation in the run-up to a Queen's Speech," said the Supreme Court. Political rivals immediately called on Johnson to leave his post. Johnson said he would abide by the court ruling, though said he "strongly" disagreed.
Image: Reuters/H. Nicholls
October 2019: A new deal
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson managed to secure a deal with European negotiators that would allow the UK to leave the EU in an orderly manner. The deal received unanimous backing from the leaders of 27 other member states. But an attempt to get the UK Parliament to sign off on the deal failed. Instead, Parliament pushed for the Brexit deadline to be extended until the end of January 2020.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/F. Augstein
December 2019: Lawmakers vote for Johnson's Withdrawal Bill
On December 22, UK lawmakers vote for Prime Minister Johnson's European Union withdrawal bill, which will see a leave date of January 31 2020 enshrined in law. Getting a majority to vote to pass the bill in the lower house has proven a major sticking point for the PM, but following a general election Johnson's Conservative party won control of the house and the bill passed with a 124 majority.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/House of Commons
December 2020: EU, UK 'finally' reach trade deal
After months of disagreements over fishing rights and future business rules, the EU and UK clinched a post-Brexit trade deal on Christmas Eve. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the deal, saying the UK has "taken back control of our laws and our destiny." The deal will allow the UK and the EU to trade without tariffs, but also impose limitations on free movement and financial services.
Image: Pippa Fowles/Xinhua/imago images
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What European leaders have said:
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has expressed his frustration with British indecision. He urged Theresa May's government to express its wishes in more positive terms on Monday. "We now know what they don't want in London," said Maas. "Now we must at last find out what they want."
Germany's Europe Minister Michael Roth echoed Maas' remarks exactly. However, he also said Britain should think about reviewing its decision to leave with a second referendum. "The door to the EU always remains open to perhaps think about it again," Roth said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would work up to the last moment to ensure that Britain could agree an orderly exit from the EU. The chancellor said on Sunday that it was incumbent on her government to help shape the process of separation in a responsible way. "We don't want people to shake their heads in 50 years' time and ask the question: 'Why weren't they in the situation to find a compromise?'"
Irish European Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said Dublin would not enter into bilateral talks with London over the backstop agreement. McEntee stressed that Ireland would only negotiate as one of the 27 remaining members of the EU. "What we can't do and what we won't do, because we have not throughout this entire process, is engage in any kind of bilateral negotiations," McEntee told Irish broadcaster RTE.
What's next for Brexit bedlam?
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What do individual member states want?
The member states of the EU all tend to want a soft Brexit, but not at the expense of compromising the EU by offering more favorable terms to non-members. That said, each country has its own big concerns. Here are a few:
Germany has been most clear about the idea that Britain shouldn't be allowed to "cherry pick" the best parts of EU membership without any of the corresponding obligations. Berlin's main concern is to protect the integrity of the single market.
Ireland is the country that would be most affected by a hard Brexit, especially economically. As the only EU country to have a land border with the UK, it's keen to ensure that there's no hard border on the island of Ireland. That's why the EU is so insistent on the so-called backstop, which has proved such a stumbling block in negotiations.
Ireland: Brexit Border Fears
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France is also concerned about protecting the integrity of the EU but it's also focused on practical concerns related to its proximity to the UK. As such, Paris is keen to ensure that trade at ports is as frictionless as possible, without compromising standards. A key concern is also access to fishing waters, something likely to come up in any future trade talks.
Spain has a border with the British overseas territory of Gibraltar and strong trade links with the UK, so it's eager for a softer Brexit. As a tourist haven, it's also keen to ensure that Brits are able to travel to the EU without too many restrictions.
Among Poland's major interests is ensuring the rights of its citizens, of whom there are more than a million living in the UK. Romania has similar concerns. Both countries are worried that the loss of the UK's financial contributions to the EU, they, as net beneficiaries, could suffer if the EU budget shrinks.
Like Germany, Sweden is a major contributor to the EU budget and it doesn't want to have to make up for a black hole in the EU budget. As such, it's keen to see that there is a deal so that Britain pays its so-called divorce bill of 39 billion pounds ($52 billion, €44 billion). Other net contributors to the EU include Austria and Finland.
Belgium and the Netherlands are also net contributors. They're also both relatively close to the UK, with strong maritime links, and they're keen to keep borders as frictionless as possible. However, each wants to ensure that EU institutions are protected, and so are not keen on a deal that favors the UK at the expense of others.
