French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been firmly opposing Brexit extensions without a clear plan by London, is expected to demand the removal of the post of the UK European commissioner in exchange for a further Brexit delay at the upcoming European Council meeting, UK media reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed senior sources in the European Union.
READ MORE: Die Kalte Shoulder: Angela Merkel Snubs Theresa May at Arrival for Brexit Talks
May is unlikely to object this condition for Brexit delay, and the United Kingdom will, therefore, remain without a representative in the European Commission for the first time since joining then-European Economic Community in 1973, The Guardian newspaper specified.
"There are different legal means not to have a [UK] commissioner… The question of non-participation could depend also on the British government," an EU diplomat told the newspaper.
The United Kingdom will be asked to sign a document obliging it not to interfere in the bloc's long-term planning, as a condition for a new Brexit extension, The Guardian added, citing the draft communique of the European Council's upcoming meeting, which it had obtained.
"The United Kingdom shall facilitate the achievement of the union’s tasks and refrain from any measure which could jeopardise the attainment of the union’s objectives," the draft communique read.
The exact date of the extension has not been revealed in the draft document.
READ MORE: EU Envoys Considering Extension of Brexit Deadline to 30 March, 2020 — Report
Leaders of the EU member states are set to discuss a new Brexit deadline at their emergency meeting, which will be held in Brussels later on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the bloc, which is expected to reject the deadline proposed by Theresa May, remains split, with some EU member states supporting a Brexit delay until 31 December and other suggestions to delay Brexit until late March 2020.
The UK parliament has repeatedly rejected the withdrawal agreement, coordinated between London and Brussels, and the country, therefore, risks tumbling out of the bloc without a deal, which could affect both the UK and EU economies.
