EU sees no swift deal as Brexit talks deadlocked
Print Edition
Talks with Britain on amending its divorce deal with the European Union have made no headway and no swift solution is in sight, EU officials said yesterday, a week before British lawmakers must vote on the plan to avoid a chaotic Brexit.
Diplomats said talks in Brussels on Tuesday led by British Prime Minister Theresa May鈥檚 chief lawyer, Geoffrey Cox, failed to yield a repackaged deal, with barely over three weeks to go before Britain鈥檚 scheduled departure on March 29.
At the heart of the impasse is the Irish 鈥渂ackstop,鈥 an insurance policy May accepted in the withdrawal deal to ensure no return to a hard border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland after Brexit.
May now wants a legally guaranteed time limit to the backstop, saying otherwise Britain could be locked indefinitely in a customs union with the EU. Brussels has offered assurances the backstop would be temporary pending a future trade deal.
EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said after more than three hours of talks with Cox that 鈥渨hile the talks take place in a constructive atmosphere, discussions have been difficult,鈥 according to the European Commission spokesperson.
鈥淣o solution has been identified at this point,鈥 Margaritis Schinas told a news conference.
Cox said yesterday that discussions in Brussels the previous day were 鈥渞obust鈥 and detailed. Both sides said they would continue but the schedule was not yet clear.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unlikely there would be a deal before the weekend,鈥 an EU official said. 鈥淲e are preparing for a working weekend.鈥
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
