The Lunch That Could Make Or Break Brexit

A meal in Brussels could end the logjam in talks—or doom them.

- Cristina Lindblad

On Monday, Dec. 4, British Prime Minister Theresa May will sit down to what could turn out to be the most expensive meal in history. Her lunch date will be Jean-Claude Juncker, who as European Commission president has a powerful role in determining progress toward a Brexit deal. Over seasonal dishes and vintage wines in Brussels, May will seek to persuade Juncker to start discussions on a new trade agreement between the U.K. and the European Union, as well as to allow a two-year transitional period to help British businesses plan and adjust. Juncker will be expecting May to pick up the tab: The EU is demanding that the U.K. pay an exit bill of €60 billion to depart the bloc.

For May, the pressure heading into the Dec. 4 encounter is intense. If talks between British and EU negotiators beforehand go well, the dream of a successful Brexit deal will remain alive. If they go badly, the odds of a chaotic rupture with no new trade agreement will dramatically increase, as time starts to run out for meaningful talks. Under the timetable prescribed by Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, the U.K. has until March 2019 to get a new deal ratified by Parliament and all EU member states.