EU negotiators to finalize Brexit strategy over next month

European Union negotiators will spend the next month finalizing their strategy for Brexit talks, which will be adopted at a European leaders meeting on 29th April, while UK is scheduled to trigger the leaving button next Wednesday.

But the formal talks could not start until June or July because the EU legislative procedures need to be followed, according to officials.

European Council President Donald Tusk announced the plan on Tuesday when he met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Brussels.

"In view of what was announced in London yesterday, I would like to inform you that I will call a European Council on Saturday 29th April to adopt the guidelines for the Brexit talks,"said Tusk.

British Prime Minister Theresa May told Tusk that she will send a letter to European Council on Wednesday (29th March) to officially trigger Article 50 of Lisbon Treaty, which starts the two-year process of UK's divorce procedure.

Tusk told May he would distribute his guideline responses to May's letter among the leaders of the EU27 within 48 hours of next Wednesday.

On Tuesday, he said a summit will be called on 29th April to adopt the guidelines of talks.

The leaders of the remaining 27 EU members will be meeting in Rome this Saturday to mark the 60th anniversary of signing Rome Treaty, which is one of the essential documents cementing the single European market.

Since the Brexit referendum last June, the leaders of the 27 countries have met several times to unify their stances while the far-right forces, nationalism and populism have threatened to destroy the process of European integration.

It is expected that the formal talks will not be held until June, though European Union and UK have both formed their teams ahead of the talks.

The guidelines on EU sides should go through European Parliament voting procedures before the talks start. The official negotiations should last only a year and half and the next half year is needed to go through legislative l procedure on both sides.

Tusk said the main priority for the negotiations must be to create as much certainty and clarity as possible for all citizens, companies and Member States that will be affected by Brexit.

"I personally wish the UK hadn't chosen to leave the EU, but the majority of British voters decided otherwise,"said Tusk.

"Therefore, we must do everything we can to make the process of divorce the least painful for the EU.”