The European Union says it has plenty on its to-do list besides managing Brexit. That could prove to be good news for Prime Minister Theresa May as she seeks a smooth U.K. departure from the bloc in March 2019.
The European Parliament, which has veto power over any Brexit agreement, is gearing up for elections in mid-2019 as a slew of other big-ticket items starts to fill the EU agenda. These initiatives, meant to show the bloc’s vigour, will give lawmakers campaign talking points, shift the spotlight from the U.K.’s withdrawal and make it politically easier for the assembly to approve any deal on the terms of Brexit.
“Even before the European elections, an important roadmap with key decisions is underway,” Maria Joao Rodrigues, a Portuguese vice-chair of the 28-nation Parliament’s Socialist group, said in an interview in her office at the assembly’s headquarters in Strasbourg, France. “While the Brexit negotiations are taking place, the EU is moving ahead with its roadmap and these two things will go in parallel. This means we’ll have a big-bang moment in 2019.”
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