Thread by @Usherwood

A quick reminder of how the EU handles Brexit:

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(this is in anticipation of Thurs/Fri when ppl complain 'EU isn't talking much about it' (and again for Oct & Dec and even any special Art.50 mtgs)

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#EUCO meetings now only discuss Art.50/Brexit at two points:

informally when UK is present (eg at dinner)

and in formal session, when UK is absent (after main EUCO)

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So EUCO is not really the place for moving things along, but rather for confirming progress made beforehand

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Key stepping-stone here is the General Affairs Council, compromising foreign ministers, who also run the same approach as EUCO.

There's one today in fact: consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/ga…

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GAC provides preliminary text for EUCO, so what you hear this evening from it will be mirrored on Fri

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Likewise GAC will draw on previous discussions at more technical level between EU27 and COM TF50 that have been taking place over past weeks

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Key point to take from this is that last minute pushes aren't going to have much impact on this process. The 'EU' isn't homogeneous or centralised, so proposals need to work way up (and down) levels

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Which is why we can be pretty confident about outcome on Fri already.

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This matters now, but it matters more for the autumn: UK will have to get ideas into system a long time before Oct EUCO if there's to be a reasonable chance for them to be incorporated

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tl;dr summer needs to see people in offices and meetings if the Art.50 timetable is to hold.

/end