The Brexit Brokers

When Theresa May invokes Article 50, the formal trigger on Britain's exit from the European Union, multiple and multi-layered negotiations will begin. So far, the EU has maintained a united front on Brexit-"no negotiation before notification." But once the real discussions begin, facing Britain across the table will not be one person, but a set of different actors with different roles and responsibilities, and each under different pressures.

As Britain demands a previously unavailable mix of national immigration control and international trading rights, the day-to-day discussion will be managed by a trio of less familiar names, appointed by the three main EU institutions to hold the Brexit ring. Ultimately, though, the "negotiating buck" will stop with the national governments of the EU 27 and they have a range of mechanisms, both institutionalised and informal, to enable them to coordinate their positions alongside and with the key EU institutions. However, given the unprecedented domestic pressures facing many of them, they will likely be pulled in many different directions.

So what do we know about the three "Brexit leads" who could ultimately determine the UK's fate? What formal powers do they have? How will they navigate the fiendish mix of institutional and national interests that must be respected and balanced in any outcome? What are some of the national agendas and red lines that might upset negotiations? And what attitude will each adopt towards anything that sounds like British special pleading?
Continue reading...