Britain’s exit negotiations with the EU may become one of the top priorities in Malta’s presidency of the European Council, according to a Brussels veteran.

Peter Agius, who heads the European Parliament office in Malta and has helped in the preparations for 10 different presidencies, says Brexit talks may very well be one of the main issues Malta has to deal with when it takes over the six-month rotating presidency on January 1 of next year.

The UK has not yet initiated the exit procedure, with British Prime Minister David Cameron telling his EU counterparts last week that he wanted that decision to be taken by his successor.

Mr Cameron resigned after the British voted to leave the EU in a referendum for which he campaigned for the UK to remain in the bloc. His successor should be known by September 9.

But Theresa May, one of the front-runners to take over from Mr Cameron, said last week that the formal request to leave the EU would not be triggered until the end of the year if she won the contest. Another leadership hopeful, Michael Gove, said he did not expect the request to be triggered this year.

EU rules do not dictate what role the presidency should play in the case of a country wanting to leave the bloc, Dr Agius says.

Exit negotiations are unprecedented, but he expects the presidency may well take on the same role as it does when negotiating an accession agreement. It will negotiate a withdrawal agreement with Britain after achieving consensus with the European Parliament.

“If that process happens at the fast pace currently being foreseen, then I should think Malta’s presidency will have a part of the responsibility in the Brexit negotiations,” he says.

If the process happens at the fast pace being foreseen, then I should think Malta’s presidency will have a part of the responsibility in the Brexit negotiations

Brexit has spawned calls for introspection by some of the leaders of the 28 member states. At last week’s EU summit, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat called for a debate on the causes that pushed British voters to reject EU membership, as differing voices emerged on the future direction of the European project.

Dr Agius says that taken at face value, the European project is an “impossible task”, because it seeks to bring together 28 member states spanning the entirety of the political spectrum and their many conflicting interests.

Progress can only be made through consensus, which is what the EU Council presidency aims to achieve, Dr Agius adds.

Most EU Council decisions can be taken using a qualified majority vote, which pushes through legislation even if a number of member states oppose it. But despite this voting system, the EU Council presidency always seeks to achieve the widest consensus possible.

Asked if he thinks this spirit of goodwill will still be present in a post-Brexit EU, where member states are increasingly sceptical of further integration, Dr Agius says that Britain’s departure may actually strengthen the EU’s resolve.

What it takes to run a presidency

At a very basic level, the role of presidency of the EU entails chairing 1,500 meetings, mainly held in Brussels.

But, says Dr Agius, chairing meetings is only a small part of a much more complex process. “This includes preparations of the policy dossiers, procedural preparations as well as all the necessary groundwork to ensure that the proposal of one member state is accepted by another.”

The spotlight will be on Malta throughout the presidency, and a number of informal meetings will be held on the island. No binding decisions can be taken during these informal meetings.

“We have to be clear that in Malta, no meeting may have a decision-making bearing on the EU and its institutions. This is an interesting procedural aspect. Any binding decision has to be taken in Brussels.

“In Malta, you will have what we call informals. Informal meetings, an informal council and informal attachés.”

These meetings serve as the building blocks towards achieving political consensus for when the big decisions are taken in Brussels.

The Prime Minister has floated the possibility of Malta stepping in to take over part or all of Britain’s EU Council presidency when its own term ends in July, although he has indicated this was not the preferred option.

Dr Agius sees an extended term at the helm as being well within Malta’s capabilities.

“From a technical perspective, once a presidency is in office, you know your responsibilities and the challenges involved. Therefore extending this term would be pretty easy, thought it would require an increased effort and additional material investment.

“Once you take over the presidency it almost becomes natural to keep on going. I have seen multiple presidencies having to be wrested away from the chair,” Dr Agius says.

Government ministers will be responsible for giving an account to the European Parliament on the ambitions of the Maltese presidency. “The European Parliament is the voice of the citizens. A minister who will be chairing the Council needs to deliver his vision to the Parliament and answer to the specific challenges.”

Asked if Minister Without Portfolio Konrad Mizzi could face a difficult time in the European Parliament, Dr Agius replies that MEPs in the technical committees conducting the questioning tend to focus on the policy areas in question rather than broad political issues.

Quick facts

• EU countries usually budget between €40 million to €60 million for the EU Council presidency role.

• A significant amount of this budget is spent on ‘marketing’ the country in charge of the presidency

• Around 1,500 meetings will be chaired by Malta during its time at the helm

• Ministers will be grilled by the European Parliament on their ambitions for the presidency.