The EU’s remaining 27 member states will consider two proposals this week for delaying Brexit that would require the UK to either pass a withdrawal deal by this Friday or face a long extension with strict conditions attached to ensure Britain doesn’t disrupt the bloc’s working.



A memo seen by BuzzFeed News sets out the bloc’s current thinking and draft terms to extend Article 50 — the framework that sets out the two-year process for the UK’s departure from the EU that was due to end last month — ahead of Wednesday’s European Council summit of EU leaders.

Its content will be discussed first on Tuesday by EU27 ambassadors and sherpas who are preparing draft conclusions for this week’s meeting, and is still subject to change. The final decision will be made by the leaders on Wednesday.

It lays out two scenarios for an extension. In the first, Brexit would be delayed until May 22 if MPs approve a withdrawal agreement before this Friday, April 12 — the date currently scheduled for Britain’s departure from the EU. The additional time would allow for ratification of the agreement.

But that is highly unlikely given the current state of play at Westminster. The memo says that if a withdrawal agreement is not passed by Friday, the 27 leaders will be asked to consider a 9- or 12-month extension, until Dec. 31, 2019, or March 31, 2020. The purpose of the additional time, the memo says, would be to give the UK the space it needs to complete its domestic decision-making process and find a majority for a deal.

The memo also includes proposals to prevent the UK from disrupting the EU’s working, for example by holding up budget negotiations. It notes that as a withdrawing member state, the UK will have an enhanced duty of “sincere cooperation”, and suggests that the EU will have the right to end the extension period, in agreement with the UK, in the event of noncompliance with this duty.

European member states are privately concerned about the prospect of a hardline Brexiteer such as Boris Johnson becoming prime minister and threatening to frustrate key decisions and veto important measures.

Last week, Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg tweeted that the UK should be "as difficult as possible" in the event of a long extension.