The European Council will probably today decide to grant UK a new and longer period of reflexion on Brexit.
This is a wise decision : brItish politicians and electors will thus have time to reconsider with more insight all implications of Brexit which were totally unknowed or even unsuspected at the time of the first referendum.
But the European Council should not ruin the positive effect of this decision by attaching to it unnecessary and vexatious conditions.
By example, French insistence on a formal UK pledge not to obstruct major EU decisions during this period is superfluous and potentially counter-productive.
Most ardent british Leavers - such as Jacob Rees Mogg - have indeed threatened to do precisely that : UK would block unanimous Council decisions on such major topics as the next EU budget.
But this rather childish and unconvincing threat is actually designed to provoque reactions like the french one which, in turn, might alienate british public opinion.
The new period of reflexion should be granted by the EU with no strings attached.
As it would have done for any other Member State, the European Council must treat the UK situation with a constructive spirit of solidarity, understanding and patience.
This is how members of a same club or family should behave.
Jean-Guy Giraud 10 - 04 - 2019