It was a symbolic moment. For the first time in the European Union's history, there was an empty chair at a meeting of member states, as Britain's EU partners began the task of picking up the pieces after the Brexit referendum.
David Cameron flew to back London on Tuesday night after an emotional three-hour dinner with the other 27 EU leaders, during which they reflected on Britain's contribution to the union. Among the contributors were Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who set out Ireland's centuries of ties with Britain.
While the mood was polite, Cameron said that EU intransigence over the issue of immigration had contributed to the referendum result.
Later, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker disputed that claim, instead suggesting that years of negative coverage of the European Union in Brussels had contributed to the problem.
“My impression is that if you over years, if not decades, tell citizens that something is wrong with the EU, that the EU is too technocratic, too bureaucratic, you cannot be taken by surprise if voters believe you.”
Wednesday was the first opportunity for leaders to assess their post-Brexit future without Britain.
There had been a change in tone overnight. Once Britain had left the room, it seemed, sentiment went out the door, as leaders took a very different line.
European Council president Donald Tusk was unequivocal. There will be "no single market a la carte", he said after the summit.
His comments were echoed by Juncker. “Those wanting access to our single market must implement the four freedoms without exceptions and without nuances,” he said.
Angry with Cameron
Leader after leader, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also reiterated the line that single market access depended on respecting the four principal freedoms, putting the EU at odds with suggestions from London that Britain may somehow negotiate single market access while gaining immigration restrictions.
While sources said there was a spectrum of position inside the room on Wednesday, with countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland taking a more cautious approach in terms of an EU response to the referendum result, and others such as France, Luxembourg and Belgium advocating a tougher line, ultimately all 27 were united on substance. They were united in other ways too.
“All 27 are angry with David Cameron about his idea to hold the referendum - all of them,” a senior source said. “The measures demanded from Cameron’s side were always impossible to deliver without treaty change. This would have meant ratification in all member states. From the very beginning this was impossible.”
On Thursday, the focus of activity will shift east to Bratislava, when Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico is to hold a press conference to mark the start of his country's six-month EU presidency.
On Friday, Juncker and his team of 27 commissioners arrive in the Slovakian capital for talks.
Soul searching
As the chair of the Council of the European Union, Slovakia will have a role in the EU preparations for Brexit over the next six months. As one of the most vocal of the four-strong Visegrad group of central and east European countries, which also comprises the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, the country is likely to viscerally oppose any changes to free movement rules.
But in the short to medium term, there will be no knee-jerk response from the EU to the referendum result.
While EU ambassadors and senior officials from national capitals will meet as early as this week to discuss the options open to them, with the European Commission leading the technical discussions, there will be no dramatic change in EU policy.
“The first goal is to stabilise the situation. Our only tool is to be patient” said a senior source. “There was not one single voice for treaty change at the meeting.”
Instead the soul-searching will begin at a special meeting in Bratislava on September 16th, with a more substantive policy response expected next March in Rome when EU leaders are expected to gather in the Italian capital to mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome.
As the EU focuses on consolidating its unity in the face of the decision by its second-largest member to leave the bloc, serious reform of the union will have to wait for another day.