Theresa May received a polite but cool welcome on her European summit debut on Thursday, with France and Germany warning of a rough ride for Britain as it makes its break from the EU.
At her first Brussels gathering of EU leaders, the British prime minister made a confident first intervention on migration, exchanged some sharp words with the chair and turned her hand at drafting a compromise text on Russia policy. Finally, well after midnight, she made a short presentation on Brexit that ran for little more than five minutes and elicited no response.
While there was no pushback to her conciliatory Brexit briefing — reassuring the room that Britain would remain a “dependable partner” — leaders both before and after the summit made plain their concerns over the tough divorce negotiations that lie ahead.
“Basically it was a repetition of what we have heard so far. Nevertheless, it was important for us to have it repeated in that format,” said Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, as she praised Mrs May for promising not to let Brexit come at the expense of the unity of the remaining 27 EU members.
“As far as the practical terms are concerned, it is going to be rough going,” Ms Merkel added. “It will not be that easy. But what she said today is OK. It is a good foundation.”
French president François Hollande expressed himself more bluntly as he arrived at the summit: “I say very firmly: if Mrs May wants a hard Brexit she will get a hard negotiation.” He later pointedly stressed accepting free movement of people was a condition of securing access to the single market.
Mrs May’s one moment of light friction came during an exchange with Donald Tusk, the European Council president, over the EU27’s parallel discussions on the future of the union to which Mrs May was not invited.
While the British prime minister said it was appropriate for the EU to work as 27 in the context of Brexit, she emphasised Britain would need to be involved when pan-EU issues were concerned.
This drew a stern response from Mr Tusk. “We have to expect the dual reality from now on. It is a fact of life and we have to live with it.” Mr Tusk’s aides later played down his remarks.
One worrying issue for British diplomats remains the reluctance of leaders to enter detailed discussions on Brexit before Mrs May triggers the formal Article 50 divorce process, which she has promised to do before the end of March.
Mrs May and her team want informal guidance over the content of Britain’s Brexit demands so they do not fall on barren ground, as well as some assurances over the process that would help reduce uncertainty for business.
The EU27 have largely rejected these overtures, partly because the Article 50 process weakens Britain’s negotiating hand by setting an initial two-year deadline on talks. Mr Hollande repeated on Monday that France would accept “no pre-negotiations”.
Meanwhile, Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said: “Whatever is said today, the process of exiting the EU cannot start until there is an official letter.”
On arrival, Mrs May said she had “a very clear message” for the summit: “The UK is leaving the EU but we will continue to play a full role until we leave and we’ll be a strong and dependable partner after we’ve left.”
I say very firmly, if Mrs May wants a hard Brexit, she will get a hard negotiation
Mrs May had earlier sought to scotch the notion that Britain could steer away from Brexit, saying there would be “no turning back” and no second referendum.
This was particularly directed at Mr Tusk, who has suggested the UK could turn its back on the referendum decision. At the end of the evening he said the result was something the EU would have to live with.
“It is not our decision, it is not our choice. I would prefer 28 member states, not only for the next months but for the next decades. But after the decision we have to respect the referendum,” he said. The question of whether Article 50 was reversible or not was “in British hands”. “I would be happiest if it is,” he added.
Reporting by Alex Barker, Jim Brunsden, Duncan Robinson and Arthur Beesley in Brussels
Copyright The Financial Times Limited . All rights reserved. Please don't copy articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.