BRUSSELS—Now that Britain has voted to leave the European Union, the bloc’s first order of business is figuring out how to get rid of it. Surprisingly, that’s a tall order.
Britain seemingly has the luxury to pick and choose when to start the laborious, intricate process of disengagement from the 28-nation group, which is expected to take years.
EU leaders exhorted Britain on Saturday to activate as soon as possible Article 50 of the EU’s governing Lisbon Treaty, which contains the exit clause and is the key to let the EU get on with its political life.
“There is urgency. There is no time to lose,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
Britain, however, saw no need for quick action.
“It is vital to stress that there is now no need for haste,” said former London Mayor Boris Johnson, the most prominent supporter of the “leave” campaign.
Prime Minister David Cameron said the process probably would not be triggered before October, when he will step down.
“There is a clear plea from the majority of member states to speed this process up,” said Foreign Minister Bert Koenders of the Netherlands, which holds the EU presidency.
On Saturday, the foreign ministers of the EU’s six founding members—Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg—were meeting in Berlin to look at the legal landscape.
At a two-day summit of the 28 EU leaders opening Tuesday, Cameron will be asked to leave the room at some stage so they can assess their future without Britain.
The 27 will find much political and legal uncertainty.
