Angela Merkel
Amid impatient calls for the UK to leave the EU swiftly, the German chancellor sees “no need to be particularly nasty” in the negotiations with the British. She said she would not fight to start talks immediately, a stance that puts her at odds with her social democrat foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who wants negotiations to start as soon as possible, as well as other major EU figures.
The EU presidents
The leaders of the EU’s institutions, notably Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European commission, are taking a hard line against the British.
On Friday, Juncker bluntly told a defeated David Cameron over the phone that, as the British decision was crystal clear, the prime minister should get on with triggering article 50 to launch negotiations as soon as possible. Sharing this view is Martin Schulz, the president of the European parliament, who has voiced outrage that the Conservative party “is holding the continent hostage”.
Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, would also like the UK to start exit negotiations sooner rather than later. “If you are going to divorce, it is better to get it over and done with,” said an EU source. But he has resigned himself to the fact the EU cannot compel the UK to begin talks immediately.
François Hollande
The UK referendum has energised France’s far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, who was among the party heads called to emergency talks at the Elysée Palace with the French president on Saturday. Hollande will take a tough line against the UK, to spell out that leaving the European Union has consequences, but also to dampen momentum for Le Pen’s calls for a referendum on a “Frexit”.
Matteo Renzi
Italy’s prime minister has seized on the Brexit result to promote his agenda of ending Europe’s austerity policies, which he said on Sunday had “turned the future into a threat”. Renzi has also stepped up demands for greater flexibility on the EU budget, an idea that has not found favour with fiscal hawks in other eurozone countries, including Germany and the Netherlands.
John Kerry
The US secretary of state will visit Brussels and London for urgent talks on Monday, a last-minute addition to his European trip, where he is likely to underline that the US special relationship with the EU and Britain will continue. The White House wants to see Britain and the EU “divorce responsibly” – not least to help the fight against Islamic extremism. On Sunday, Kerry said it would be in “the best interests of our national security and international security”.
