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BRITAIN-EU-POLITICS
Barnier open to brief extension of Brexit talks
BERLIN, Sept 2, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Sunday
opened the door to a brief extension of talks to nail down a deal with London
saying that they must be completed “by mid-November”.
Britain is set to leave the bloc on March 30, but the two sides want to
strike the divorce agreement by the October 18-19 EU summit to give their
parliaments enough time to endorse a deal.
“If we consider the time needed for the ratification of the exit agreement
by the British parliament as well as by the European Parliament, then we must
conclude the negotiations by mid-November. That is possible,” Brexit
negotiator, Michel Barnier told Sunday’s edition of the Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung.
“We don’t need more time. What we need are political decisions,” he said.
But talks are currently deadlocked on key issues, including how to avoid a
hard border between EU member Ireland and the British province of Northern
Ireland, and on the future trading relationship.
Given the impasse, both sides have begun floating the idea of extending the
discussions.
Britain’s Brexit minister Dominic Raab on Wednesday said there is “leeway”
to miss the deadline of reaching a deal ahead of the October summit.
The EU meanwhile aims to grant Britain a transition period until the end of
2020 allowing businesses and others time to adjust to a post-Brexit future.
BSS/AFP/RY/1553 hrs