Midday brief, in brief

Today at Commission, Brexit talk and Dijsselbloem controversy

The European Commission can’t stop Brexit — but today it could hardly stop talking about it.

An hour later than scheduled, Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas delivered a short read-out of the weekly Wednesday commissioners’ meeting, which focused mainly on Brexit.

Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, provided an update on his work and the timeline for the weeks that will follow after Theresa May sends formal notification of Britain’s intention to leave the bloc on March 29. EU leaders will meet on April 29 to draft guidelines for a negotiating mandate for the Commission.

According to Schinas, Barnier “reiterated” that the U.K. would become a “third country” once it leaves the EU and the most urgent priority is “removing uncertainty early on” for EU citizens affected by Brexit — whether that is U.K. citizens in other EU countries or citizens from those countries in the U.K.

The College also decided to register two Brexit-related European citizens’ initiatives — proposed measures that the EU would have to consider if at least 1 million EU citizens from at least seven member countries register their support over the course of one year.

The two proposals seek to protect EU citizens’ rights after the U.K. leaves the bloc. The Commission ruled that both initiatives could be officially launched under EU law. A third proposal to “Stop Brexit” was, however, refused. As it said in a statement, “while the Commission regrets the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, it respects the outcome of the referendum.” Schinas added that stopping Brexit was “not in our powers.”

The Commission’s decision was not about “examining the substance” of the proposals, Schinas made clear.

Barnier remained in the Commission meeting even when the commissioners debated whether the proposals were admissible, according to an EU official.

To be considered, the petitions would need to reach the target of a million supporters by March 2018 — which would be right in the middle of the Brexit negotiations between Barnier and the U.K.

Besides Brexit: Jeroen Dijsselbloem and the anniversary of the Brussels attacks

The main drama in Brussels today is not actually about Brexit but about controversial comments by Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem, involving “liquor and women.” Southern European leaders have interpreted them as a slight and called for him to stop down.

Of course, the Commission would never call for a senior EU official to step down but Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager gave an unusually forthright response. “We do not comment on comment but I would not have said it and I think it’s wrong,” she told reporters at a briefing for reporters on new competition rules ahead of the College of Commissioners read-out.

Later, Schinas was more cautious. “Everyone is responsible for their own comments,” he said, “but “President Juncker has always expressed his respects, his sympathy and even his love for the European Southern flank.”

Schinas also noted it was an “emotional day” for the Commission, a year after the Brussels attacks. You can read Juncker’s statement in English here.