French Europe Minister, Amelie de Montchalin, questioned whether an additional delay to the Brexit process was justified, after the British parliament rejected the government’s accelerated timetable to approve a deal negotiated with the European Union.
Lawmakers in Westminster backed the withdrawal agreement itself but refused Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to speed up the process, designed in order to respect the current October 31 deadline, saying it did not allow for proper scrutiny of the legislation.
On Saturday Johnson was forced by parliament to send a letter to the European Union requesting an extension. European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted on Tuesday he would propose that EU leaders accept the request.
“Some say that the situation this evening means an extension is inevitable. But my response would be: ‘To what end?’ We know that time alone will not provide a solution,” Montchalin said during a debate in the French Senate on Tuesday.
“The French position is that we cannot extend indefinitely and remain spectators of a process which is going nowhere,” she added.
