Donald Tusk: The Current Priority is to Avoid 'Chaos' During Britain's Exit from the European Union

Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, stated on Wednesday that the European Union will not offer a new proposal for Brexit and that those promoting Brexit without a proper understanding of its implementation deserve 'a special place in hell.' If Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the UK, fails to convince the EU to renegotiate the Brexit deal and secure parliamentary support, the UK will exit the EU without any agreement on March 29 this year. According to Reuters, as companies and governments across Europe prepare for the chaotic situation that may arise, diplomats and officials say the UK now faces three options: a no-deal Brexit, reaching a new agreement at the last minute, or delaying the Brexit deadline. European leaders unanimously rejected changes to the Brexit agreement. Donald Tusk, just a day before Theresa May's trip to Brussels, dismissed the UK Prime Minister's proposal for renegotiation and the possibility of changing the Brexit agreement reached between the two parties in November, stating that he has lost hope for stopping Brexit and that his current priority is to avoid 'chaos' during Britain's exit from the EU. In a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Ireland, Tusk said, 'I have been asking myself for some time what that special place in hell is for those who promoted Brexit even without any simple plan.' This statement from the President of the European Council was met with reactions from British politicians who support Brexit. Nigel Farage, a long-time Brexit supporter, tweeted: 'After Brexit, we will be free from unelected officials and bullies like you. I think it will be like paradise.' Despite emphasizing that the EU is not willing to renegotiate the Brexit agreement, Tusk added that he still believes there is a possibility of reaching a common solution in this regard. Leo Varadkar, the Prime Minister of Ireland, also stated that the Brexit plan rejected by the UK Parliament is 'the most likely best solution.' He added that the political instability in the UK increasingly indicates that considering guarantees to keep the common border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland open after Brexit is essential. This issue was one of the main obstacles to the acceptance of the agreement by the UK Parliament. Nationalists in Northern Ireland also warned the UK Prime Minister on Wednesday that if the country exits the EU without an agreement, a referendum on the unification of the two parts of Ireland must be held. Britain's decision to leave the EU has strained relations between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. In the 2016 referendum, a majority of voters in England and Wales supported Brexit, while a significant majority in Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU. On Wednesday, during her meetings in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, Theresa May attempted to clarify her views on the sensitive issue of the border between the two parts of Ireland. She stated that she would seek alternative solutions to avoid the establishment of border controls in the region. After the 1998 peace agreement in Ireland, the border, which was controlled by military posts, was dismantled. For people and economic institutions in both parts of Ireland, free movement across this 500-kilometer border is very important, and a lack of agreement on how to manage it after Brexit has become a contentious issue.