by Eric J. Lyman
FLORENCE, Italy, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May used a stop in the Italian cultural capital of Florence to set out a road map for her country's departure from the European Union (EU) while promising that ties between Britain and the EU would remain strong even after the so-called "Brexit" period concludes.
May's remarks were her most detailed yet regarding the period after Britain's March 2019 departure from the EU. She proposed a two-year transition period and said it would include payments worth 20 billion euros (24 billion U.S. dollars over that span). May also indicated Britain would continue to collaborate with the EU in areas that benefitted both sides, such as security and scientific research.
May arrived amid tight security and faced protests at several spots around the city, most of it pro-European Union. Several protestors held signs featuring unflattering caricatures of May, along with critical slogans.
Hundreds of blue-and-yellow European Union flags were in evidence at every stop May made, including one hung over the podium where Florence mayor Dario Nardella formally welcomed May to the city.
"Though this is changing a little, Italy is still a very pro-European Union country," Enzo Moavero, director of the School of Law and a former Italian Minister for European Affairs, said in an interview. "That would be even more true for the arrival of a polarizing figure like May."
The prime minister's visit came just before Monday's restart of talks on terms for Britain's withdrawal from the 28-member bloc. May has said she would rather have no deal than one that would be harmful to Britain, and commentators told Xinhua that her remarks in Florence were aimed at setting the stage for less of a hardline from European negotiators who seem eager to punish to Britain at least in part to dissuade other capitals from following in London's footsteps.
Monday's talks are expected to cover an array of topics, including terms for trade between Britain and countries that remain in the European Union, the rights of EU citizens to work and travel in Britain, as well as tax issues.
"It's clear the EU wants to give ammunition to pro-European political parties making the case that distancing their countries from the EU would be a mistake," Gian Franco Gallo, a political affairs analyst with ABS Securities, told Xinhua. "I don't think the EU will make it easy."
As if to prove that point, ranking European Union officials were conspicuously absent among those on hand for May's remarks. If EU officials had made the trip, they would have heard May vow that Britain would be the EU's "strongest friend and partner" after Brexit is complete.
"If we open our minds to new thinking and new possibilities we can forge a brighter and better future for all our peoples," May said.
In the British media, there had been a great deal of speculation as to why May chose Florence as the spot for her remarks. Theories ranged from the notion that the city is a symbolic European center for culture and politics, to the idea that she wanted an excuse to leave the rainy weather in London for a few rays of sunshine on the Italian peninsula.
Whatever the case, Moavero, the former minister, said the prime minister's choice was important for Italy as well as for May herself. "I can only guess, but I see the choice of Florence as a kind of recognition of Italy's central role in the European Union," he said.
