The United Kingdom now has until the end of October to figure out a deal for leaving the European Union, avoiding an abrupt withdrawal.
Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, said via Twitter that following hours of discussion between the 27 EU counterparts, the body had decided to allow Britain more time to come up with an exit strategy. EU officials said the date of Oct. 31 has been decided as the deadline for the U.K. to come up with a deal.
The date was a compromise. Tusk had advocated for allowing Britain a yearlong delay and Germany had suggested Britain should have until the end of the year to come up with a plan. Others, like French Prime Minister Emanuel Macron, opposed any delay for Brexit beyond the end of June.
British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal has been rejected three times by lawmakers in Britain. Some of them want a speedy and abrupt exit from the EU, while others want to try and salvage connections between Britain and the EU.
There has been concern that an abrupt exit without a plan in place could endanger the British economy. Britons voted to leave the EU in a June 2016 referendum.
