Prime Minister Theresa May informed council president Donald Tusk in a phone call yesterday.
The presidency rotates between the 28 EU member states on a six-monthly basis, giving each the opportunity to shape the agenda.
The UK was due to hold the seat in the second half of 2017, but Ms May has decided that Britain should skip its turn in the light of last month's referendum vote for Brexit.
A Downing Street spokesman said that Ms May told Mr Tusk that giving up the presidency was "the right thing to do given we will be very busy with negotiations to leave the EU".
The PM felt it was right to give other EU nations time to make arrangements for a different country to be appointed to hold the presidency during that period.
The spokesperson said Mr Tusk welcomed the fact that Ms May had come to a swift decision on the issue.
The call was Ms May's first conversation with the European Council president since becoming PM.
Ms May meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel today and then heads to France in her first foreign trips as British prime minister.
She said before her trip that she was heading to Germany and France "so soon after taking office" because she was determined Britain would "make a success of leaving the European Union".
In a statement, she said: "These visits will be an opportunity to forge a strong working relationship that we can build upon and which I hope to develop with more leaders across the European Union in the weeks and months ahead.
"I do not underestimate the challenge of negotiating our exit from the European Union and I firmly believe that being able to talk frankly and openly about the issues we face will be an important part of a successful negotiation."
Ms May's spokeswoman said the visits were "a first conversation" and said the prime minister would not get into detailed discussions on Brexit.
But there is a clear desire for Ms May to scope out attitudes in Europe, especially with Ms Merkel.
The German leader has indicated that the EU's biggest member states - rather than its institutions - will determine the talks.
[rte.ie]
20/7/16
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The presidency rotates between the 28 EU member states on a six-monthly basis, giving each the opportunity to shape the agenda.
The UK was due to hold the seat in the second half of 2017, but Ms May has decided that Britain should skip its turn in the light of last month's referendum vote for Brexit.
A Downing Street spokesman said that Ms May told Mr Tusk that giving up the presidency was "the right thing to do given we will be very busy with negotiations to leave the EU".
The PM felt it was right to give other EU nations time to make arrangements for a different country to be appointed to hold the presidency during that period.
The spokesperson said Mr Tusk welcomed the fact that Ms May had come to a swift decision on the issue.
The call was Ms May's first conversation with the European Council president since becoming PM.
Ms May meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel today and then heads to France in her first foreign trips as British prime minister.
She said before her trip that she was heading to Germany and France "so soon after taking office" because she was determined Britain would "make a success of leaving the European Union".
In a statement, she said: "These visits will be an opportunity to forge a strong working relationship that we can build upon and which I hope to develop with more leaders across the European Union in the weeks and months ahead.
"I do not underestimate the challenge of negotiating our exit from the European Union and I firmly believe that being able to talk frankly and openly about the issues we face will be an important part of a successful negotiation."
Ms May's spokeswoman said the visits were "a first conversation" and said the prime minister would not get into detailed discussions on Brexit.
- EU leaders have said they will not enter into formal negotiations with Britain until it invokes Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to trigger the exit procedure.
But there is a clear desire for Ms May to scope out attitudes in Europe, especially with Ms Merkel.
The German leader has indicated that the EU's biggest member states - rather than its institutions - will determine the talks.
[rte.ie]
20/7/16
--
-
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