CYPRUS: President Anastasiades at EU summit as May calls for Brexit delay

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades attends European Council summit in Brussels where UK Prime Minister Theresa May will urge EU leaders to give her more time to get her Brexit deal through the door.

Anastasiades is in Brussels to participate in the European Council summit to be held on 21 and 22 March.

EU leaders will tell May on Thursday she can have two months to organise an orderly Brexit but Britain could face a hugely disruptive ejection from the bloc next Friday if the prime minister fails to win backing from parliament

EU diplomats said her request for a delay until June 30 seemed likely to be met by an EU preference for Britain to have completed formalities and begin a status-quo transition to departure before Europeans elect a new parliament from May 23.

Also, on the summit’s agenda will be Brexit, the Multiannual Financial Framework, Migration, Climate Change and EU External Relations. The Council will also make preparations in view of the EU-China Summit to take place on 9 April.

The President is accompanied by Government Spokesman Prodromos and returns to Cyprus on March 22.