Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May | Justin Tallis/APP via Getty Images UK will relinquish EU presidency in 2017 Move is the first sign that the UK is scaling back its role in EU affairs as it prepares to leave the bloc.

The U.K. will relinquish its upcoming presidency of the EU Council in 2017, Downing Street said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Theresa May told European Council President Donald Tusk of the decision by phone on Tuesday evening.

The U.K. was scheduled to take over from Malta in July 2017. Estonia is planned to take Council’s helm in January 2018. But May wants to change the plans in the light of the Brexit vote.

This is the first sign that the U.K. is scaling back its role in EU affairs as it prepares to leave the bloc. May has repeatedly said that "Brexit means Brexit" even though she backed Remain in the referendum campaign.

May's spokesperson said passing on the presidency was "the right thing to do given we will be very busy with negotiations to leave the EU."

"The Prime Minister explained that we will need to carefully prepare for the negotiations to leave the EU before triggering Article 50. Donald Tusk reassured the Prime Minister that he will help to make this process happen as smoothly as possible."

"They concluded by looking forward to a strong working relationship and agreed that they should meet soon in Brussels or London," the spokesperson said.

A Belgian official said Wednesday that the country was prepared to take on the presidency.

"Belgium is ready to take over this presidency if we are asked," foreign ministry spokesman Didier Vanderhasselt told AFP.

Holding the presidency isn’t as critical as it was before 2009, when the bloc created a permanent president of the European Council to chair the leaders’ meetings. But countries that hold the rotating presidency still play a key role in helping set the EU’s policy priorities and lead key decision-making meetings of ministers.

Two of the European Commission’s highest-ranking officials, Martin Selmayr, chief of staff to President Jean-Claude Juncker, and Alexander Italianer, the Commission’s secretary general, traveled to Malta in mid-June to discuss plans for when it holds the rotating presidency in the first half of 2017.

In 2007, the Council drew up a list of presidencies until 2020. When a country is at the helm, it chairs meetings, represents the Council in talks with other institutions, and helps forge agreements among the 28 member nations. However, the EU’s treaties state that officials representing a member country heading to the exit “shall not participate in the discussions of the European Council or Council or in decisions concerning it.”

On Wednesday, May travels to Berlin for talks with Angela Merkel before heading to Paris to meet François Hollande.

"These visits will be an opportunity to forge a strong working relationship that we can build upon and which I hope to develop with more leaders across the European Union in the weeks and months ahead," May said.

"I do not underestimate the challenge of negotiating our exit from the European Union and I firmly believe that being able to talk frankly and openly about the issues we face will be an important part of a successful negotiation. I also want to deliver a very clear message about the importance we attach to our bilateral relationship with our European partners, not just now but also when we have left the European Union."