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EU ministers say still time for Brexit deal as failure looms
LUXEMBOURG, Oct 15, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Frustrated European ministers on
Monday insisted there was still time to reach a Brexit deal despite the
latest failed round of divorce talks, but the EU warned it was stepping up
preparations for failure.
Meeting in Luxembourg, foreign ministers from the bloc’s 28 members
admitted that no agreement will be struck this week at an EU leaders’ summit
that had earlier been billed as the “moment of truth”.
EU Brexit pointman Michel Barnier met his British counterpart Dominic Raab
in Brussels on Sunday, but they failed to agree to a draft Brexit divorce
arrangement, as EU leaders prepare to arrive on Wednesday for the summit.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, whose country would suffer the
biggest economic impact after the United Kingdom from a “no-deal” Brexit,
said the latest stumble was “frustrating and disappointing”.
And in Brussels, European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the
bloc’s own “no deal” preparations were being stepped up.
“While we are working hard for a deal, our preparedness and contingency
work is continuing and intensifying,” spokesman Margaritis Schinas said.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is facing a political high-wire act in
trying to reach a deal that is acceptable to both the EU and lawmakers at
home, where her minority government relies on the support of Northern
Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
Highlighting the challenges she faces, the DUP’s Brexit spokesman Sammy
Wilson on Monday warned it was “probably inevitable” Britain would leave the
EU with no deal.
“Given the way in which the EU has behaved and the corner they’ve put
Theresa May into, there’s no deal which I can see at present which will
command a majority in the House of Commons,” he told the Belfast Newsletter.
– ‘Difficult period’ –
But ministers in Luxembourg insisted there was still time to resolve the
outstanding issues, including the dispute over rules for trade in and out of
Northern Ireland, before a possible emergency summit in November.
“I think this is obviously a difficult period,” British Foreign Minister
Jeremy Hunt told reporters as he arrived for a scheduled meeting of the EU
Foreign Affairs Council.
MORE/SSS/1757 hrs
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“There was always going to be a moment like this, but we should remember
that a huge amount of progress has been made. There are one or two very
outstanding issues, but I think we can get there.”
Much will depend on the stance taken by the EU’s two big power players
France and Germany, with French President Emmanuel Macron insisting on a firm
line in Brexit talks.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned that “time is now pressing hard”
to reach a deal in time for it to be ratified before Britain’s departure at
the end of March.
But he said Berlin believes “it is still possible to reach an agreement…
and we will do everything in our power to achieve this in the next few days”.
Spain’s Josep Borrell said ministers were disappointed that a draft deal
had not been possible over the weekend, but added: “We don’t have to
dramatise, we still have time. We still have one month.”
Linas Linkevicus, the Lithuanian foreign minister, told AFP that after
Sunday’s setback “it is difficult to be more optimistic”, but said both sides
should redouble their efforts.
– Irish conundrum –
Sunday’s talks ended without a breakthrough on the crucial issue of trade
to and from Northern Ireland, which has emerged as a possible deal-breaker
and even a threat to May’s leadership.
London, Dublin and Brussels all say they want no checks imposed on the
land border between EU member Ireland and British province Northern Ireland,
but the problem persists of how to square that aim with Britain’s decision to
leave the European single market and the customs union.
Britain has proposed sticking with EU customs rules after Brexit as a
fallback option to keep the border open, until a wider trade deal is agreed
that avoids the need for frontier checks.
The EU’s suggestion would see Northern Ireland remain aligned with
Brussels’ rules, thus varying from the rest of the United Kingdom — which is
unacceptable to the DUP.
The British side suggested the talks broke down on Sunday because the EU
negotiators were seeking further assurances on how to avoid checks on the
land border.
A government source told AFP that the EU is now asking for a second
backstop to be put in place, very similar to their earlier proposal involving
just Northern Ireland, in case the British version is not ready in time.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1758 hrs