The Chancellor said that the German government will do all it can to ensure that the consequences of Brexit on EU citizens living in the United Kingdom are kept to a minimum.

On Friday morning the draft guidelines of the European Council regarding the departure of the United Kingdom was communicated to the EU member states. "All member states, including Germany, will examine these draft guidelines extremely carefully,“ said federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert in Berlin. He explained that the 27 member states will then discuss the guidelines, which are to be adopted at a special meeting of the European Council on 29 April.

Official notification brings greater clarity as to the way ahead

In Brussels, Tim Barrow, the UK’s Ambassador to the EU handed over the UK’s official notification to Donald Tusk, President of the European Council. It is the first time in the history of the united Europe that a member state has wanted to leave the EU. The British people voted in a referendum on 23 June 2016 for Brexit.

"We now have more clarity as to how the British side visualises the way ahead, and what objectives the UK will pursue in negotiations," said Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, following the British notification.

German government is "well prepared"

"The German government has prepared itself well for this process and will obviously take a stance on all issues that are raised," reasserted Angela Merkel. "We, the European Union, will conduct the talks that lie ahead fairly and constructively," she added.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, she said, had assured her during a telephone conversation on Tuesday evening that the British government is approaching negotiations in the same spirit. "I would like to see the UK and the EU remain close partners," said the Chancellor, if only because we share common values. "On the basis of these values and fair rules we now aim to achieve a balance of rights and obligations."

"We need one another," says Sigmar Gabriel

Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Sigmar Gabriel also commented. "The United Kingdom remains our neighbour, just as the European Union remains the neighbour of the British. We need one another," he stressed. "We should do all we can to maintain good and cordial relations with London in future."

It is thus good "that the British have made it clear that they want to see a strong European Union". For Germany one clear point in negotiations will be "that the 27 EU member states stick together and that we not only preserve Europe’s greatest work of unity, but that we develop it and ensure that we are equipped to face storms in future too," underscored the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Chancellor Merkel is certain that, "The European Union is a unique success story in history. It will remain so, even after the departure of the United Kingdom. We will ensure that."

Where do we go from here?

The EU must now negotiate an agreement with the United Kingdom regulating the details of its departure, if at all possible within a two-year timeframe. With the presentation of the official notification a two-year period begins, as provided for in Article 50 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. This means that the United Kingdom will cease to be a member of the EU in March 2019 at the latest, unless the European Council and the UK agree unanimously to extend the period.

In the weeks ahead, the first priority will be for the EU to lay down its own guidelines for the Brexit negotiations. These are to be adopted at a special summit meeting of the European Council on 29 April 2017, which the UK will not attend.

Preparing negotiations

Preparations for negotiations between the EU and the UK are underway. The European Commission has appointed Michel Barnier as chief Brexit negotiator.

The German government too is making preparations. On 18 January the Cabinet Committee on the Departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, commonly known as the Brexit Committee, met for the first time. It was established on 16 November 2016. It is chaired by the Chancellor; deputy chair is Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sigmar Gabriel.

The individual steps – an overview

• The right of a member state to leave the EU is enshrined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The modalities for leaving are laid out in Article 50.
• In June 2016 the British electorate voted in a referendum to leave the EU.
• On 29 March 2017 the British Prime Minister Theresa May officially notified the European Council of its intention to leave the EU. This triggers the official procedure to leave.
• The European Council will lay down guidelines for the negotiations between the EU and the UK.
• The EU and the UK now have two years in which to negotiate an agreement. At the end of this two-year period the UK will cease to be a member of the EU unless the European Council and the UK agree unanimously to extend the period. Until the date on which it ceases to be a member, the UK will remain a full member of the EU with all rights and obligations pertaining thereto.
• The European Parliament must give its consent before the Council of the European Union can conclude the agreement.