“The talks were intense over the weekend and yesterday. An agreement with the United Kingdom is difficult, but still possible this week,” reports Luxembourg EU chief negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier, engaged together with the ministers of European affairs in the discussion on the future of the negotiation with the British. Barnier took stock of the situation together with the ministers, specifying the stage reached in the negotiations to date and also specified that "it is clear that any agreement must work for everyone, that is to say for all of the United Kingdom and for the EU. I would also like to add that the time has come to transform good intentions into a legal legal text”. At the meeting in Luxembourg the British minister for Brexit is also present Steve Barclay and this indicates that the two levels of negotiation, the technical and the political, move together.
Meanwhile, work continues in Brussels to find an agreement on a technical level regarding the long-standing issue Irish border issue. At the moment, the European Union says it is dissatisfied with the British approach, not considering the conditions of customs controls in the Irish Sea to be clarified to avoid the flow of goods into the EU through the Republic of Ireland that violate single market standards . An EU source reports that "the negotiations are continuing without interruption". The aim is to seek an agreement in principle before the meeting of heads of state and government of the European Union scheduled for Thursday and Friday this week in the Belgian capital.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel commented "the UK will be a new rival of the EU after Brexit, but we will work until the last minute for an orderly British withdrawal from the Union". Finnish European Affairs Minister Tytti Tuppurainen explained: “Today we will have an update on Brexit and we must be prepared for all possible scenarios, including that of a 'no deal' and the evaluation of an extension. All options are open. We will not be discussing an extension today. The leaders at the summit will probably evaluate a possible extension, but it is a request that must come from the British government".
"Boris Johnson's British government confirms its intention to initiate Britain's withdrawal from the European Union from 31 October," said the Queen's Speech at the opening Queen Elizabeth in Westminster, yesterday October 14th.
At the end of this morning's talks, Barnier made it known on Twitter that the unity of purpose is strong and that they want to reach an agreement that satisfies everyone. On Thursday, 17 October, the heads of state and government of the 27 EU countries will decide, during the summit, how to continue negotiations with London.
