The period immediately after the signing of the Rome Declaration saw little progress on the Future of Europe debate, as EU leaders anticipated two important events: the UK’s notification of its intention to leave leading to the start of the withdrawal process, and the outcome of the French presidential election. On 29 March 2017, the UK finally notified the European Council President of its intention to withdraw from the EU. At the subsequent special European Council (Article 50) meeting of 29 April 2017, the EU-27 Heads of State or Government adopted guidelines for the negotiation and conclusion of an agreement between the EU and the UK. Since then, European Council Article 50 meetings have been constant elements in the margins of all formal European Council meetings.
Following the European Council (Article 50) in April, EU leaders keenly awaited the result of the second round of the French presidential election on 7 May 2017. The victory of Emmanuel Macron, a fervently pro-EU candidate, came as a relief to EU-Heads of State or Government. President Macron attended his first European Council meeting on 22-23 June, which dealt mostly with policy issues already under discussion. Only after the summer break, when the period of anticipation was well and truly over, did the Future of Europe debate resume in earnest.
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