European Union Approves U.K.’s Brexit Plan

European Union leaders have approved the U.K.’s plan to begin an exit from the alliance at the end of March 2019.

The compromise measure describes a multi-year process for fully disengaging from the EU. The plan prompted a firestorm of renewed debate when Prime Minister Theresa May announced it last week.

EU President Jean-Claude Juncker declares the plan “the only deal possible,” adding that “there are no smooth divorces.”

The 599-page plan will now go to the British Parliament, where it faces a difficult vote on Dec. 12. If it passes, the plan would return to the European Council for approval by at least 20 of its 27 states, followed by a ratification vote by the European Parliament in early 2019.

May’s proposal faces a tough sell. Britain’s Leave faction demands a full and complete exit that would immediately restore full sovereignty to the U.K.—even though it appears certain to trigger higher import and export tariffs. Carmakers have warned that a “hard” Brexit could force them to move their British operations elsewhere.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Remain faction. It seeks a new referendum to scrap Brexit and continue to accept the EU’s rules on such matters as open immigration. May contends that her plan, the result of 20 months of bruising negotiations, is the best option for an “orderly” withdrawal.