European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier wants a few more concessions from Britain before entering the last intense phase of negotiations on a trade deal, an EU diplomat said on Friday, as an Oct. 15 deadline looms.
FILE PHOTO: British Union Jack and EU flags are pictured before the meeting with Britain's Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, September 20, 2019. Kenzo Tribouillard/Pool via REUTERS
Barnier, who left London on Friday just 12 hours after arriving, wants a few more concessions from Britain before entering the so called “tunnel” - the final stretch of highly secretive, make-or-break negotiations. “We’ve had useful discussions this week and progress has been made in some areas. However, there still remain differences on some important issues,” the spokesman said.Johnson has set a deadline of the Oct. 15 EU summit for a deal, and while his top Brexit advisers say that additional work on a text would have to follow, they have warned the EU that they will not do a deal at any price.
“You always need to do contingency planning, I mean the end of the year is approaching rapidly and we still don’t know whether there’s going to be a deal or not,” said the EU diplomat.“Companies need to prepare, but also in addition they need to prepare for a no deal. But that does not mean that we feel that a deal is impossible - I think it’s still very well possible.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
EU Approves AT&T's $1.1B Sale of Central European Media StakeThe European Union has approved WarnerMedia parent AT&T's $1.1 billion sale of a majority stake in Central European Media Enterprises, which is expected to close next week. More details:
Read more »
France, Germany push for EU sanctions on Russians over Navalny poisoningFrance and Germany said on Wednesday they would propose European Union sanctions against Russian individuals after not receiving credible answers from Moscow over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent.
Read more »
Britain will take back 'full control' from the EU on Jan. 1, says PM JohnsonPrime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday Britain would take back 'full control of our money, our borders and our laws' on Jan. 1 when a status-quo transition arrangement with the European Union ends.
Read more »
In hardening stance, France, Germany push for EU sanctions on Russians over Navalny poisoningFrance and Germany said on Wednesday they would propose European Union sanctions against Russian individuals after receiving no credible answers from Moscow over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent.
Read more »
Huawei ousted from heart of EU as Nokia wins Belgian 5G contractsOrange and Proximus have picked Nokia to help build 5G networks in Belgium as they drop Huawei amid U.S. pressure to exclude the Chinese firm from supplying key telecoms equipment.
Read more »
EU Secures Up To 500,000 Remdesivir Treatment Courses Amid Global ShortagesAfter the U.S. bought almost all of the global supply of the antiviral drug, many European countries reported shortages amid a surge in coronavirus cases
Read more »