EU-UK Brexit talks will gain urgency

Significance

The summit represented an opportunity for UK Prime Minister Theresa May to discuss her Brexit plans directly with other heads of state and government rather than doing so via the European Commission’s Article 50 task force.

Impacts

• The negative mood music from the Salzburg summit is weakening May’s position in her Conservative Party.
• The poor personal relationship between May and her Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar is complicating discussions on the Irish border.
• The unity of the EU27 could crumble once trade negotiations bring their divergent interests to the fore.
• The EU is maintaining its insistence that there can be no ‘hybrid model’ between Norway and Canada.