Prime Minister Theresa May and President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani at Downing Street | Pool photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA EU’s Tajani: Brexit phase 1 might not be over till Christmas The European Parliament president sees little in the way of ‘sufficient progress’ but plenty of ‘foggy proposals.’

If it were up to European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, Britain would have to wait until nearly Christmas to start discussing its future relationship with the EU.

In an interview with POLITICO, Tajani said he would formally propose to senior MEPs on Thursday the postponing until December of the European Council’s assessment of whether there has been “sufficient progress” in the first phase of Brexit negotiations. The decision is currently expected in October.

The EU27 insists there must be sufficient progress on the main divorce terms, including citizens’ rights and the financial settlement, before moving to a second phase of negotiations focused on the future relationship with the U.K. In May, leaders said they would issue a verdict at a summit on October 19-20.

But, speaking over lunch of tartines and fruit in his office on the ninth floor of the Parliament building, the Italian conservative politician said it was clear to him the U.K. is not yet ready for the next phase.

The next regular summit after the October meeting is scheduled for December 14-15. That means that even if the Council judges “sufficient progress” has been achieved, the second phase of talks would likely not start until after the Christmas and New Year holiday.

"So far we have noted that no concrete proposals have arrived, only very foggy proposals" — Antonio Tajani

“We have three irrevocable priorities which are: rights for three-and-a-half million EU citizens living in the U.K.; the payment of what the EU deserves — not a euro more nor a euro less; third point, the Good Friday Agreement, that has to give us a positive solution for the border between Ulster and the Republic of Ireland," Tajani said in the interview, which was in Italian.

"Once we have reached an agreement on these three points, we can talk about the future. Without an agreement on this, we cannot talk about the future. So far we have noted that no concrete proposals have arrived, only very foggy proposals," he said.

“I will ask the Council tomorrow [to extend the deadline] but it’s not our fault, but due to delays," Tajani said. "And the Brits are the ones who will be mostly affected by it. It is not a tragedy, but we cannot postpone further than December.”

'Buying time'

Tajani, a former journalist who was a spokesman for Silvio Berlusconi when he was prime minister, accused U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s negotiators of stalling for domestic political reasons.

“I do realize we are at the gates of the Conservative Party congress and therefore they are trying to buy time,” Tajani said. “But we cannot afford to delay too much.”

While some EU officials want discussions of the bloc’s next multi-year financial plan to be delayed because of uncertainty over Brexit and the potential revenue shortfall caused by the U.K.'s departure, Tajani said he wanted the long-term financial plan settled on schedule.

Ultimately, the Parliament must approve any final withdrawal agreement with the U.K., and its Brexit steering committee this week issued a report on citizens’ rights that showed negotiators had a long way to go. MEPs on the steering committee said the U.K. was not offering sufficient protection and certainties to EU citizens living in Britain, while creating a tangle of unnecessary red tape.

Tajani made it clear that he was keenly aware of the powers that the European Parliament wields over the Brexit process, and he believed the British were similarly aware.

“The Parliament is fundamental, because if we vote no, it’s no,” he said. “We can block everything and they know it.”

The Parliament plans to issue a resolution in early October expressing its own view on whether sufficient progress has been reached. That resolution is still being drafted but Tajani said citizens’ rights would be one area of focus.

In the meantime, Tajani said he is in “constant contact” with the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier, whom he knows well from their time as European commissioners. (Tajani held the transport and industry portfolios.)

In the interview, Tajani confirmed he had invited May to address the European Parliament but there was no firm answer yet from No. 10 Downing Street.

“For sure she will not come before the Conservative congress, but I invited her before the elections, and she did not exclude the possibility of actually coming, ” said Tajani, who sees security as an area where maintaining close cooperation with Britain is vital.

“When we received the first letter from May, I said immediately we could not mix up Brexit with the fight against terrorism, because the latter is linked with the lives of human beings and has nothing to do with the U.K. leaving,” he said, adding that the EU should keep sharing information with Britain as it does with other allies in the fight against terror.