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Jennifer Rankin @JenniferMerode
, 7 tweets, 1 min read Read on Twitter
Brussels Brexit latest: Michel Barnier has proposed extending the transition period until end 2022 - his offer on filling in the famous XX in the draft withdrawal agreement.

Neither agreed, nor rejected by EU27.
Not agreed by UK. EU still awaiting UK proposal.
IF it happened (a big IF) UK would be subject to EU rules 6.5 years after vote to leave.

How much would it cost? Don't know, but UK paid 9.6bn net to EU in 2016, which wd have been £14.5bn w/o rebate.
Barnier made this proposal at a meeting of EU27 ambos earlier today to discuss withdrawal agreement and political declaration.
Sounds fairly consensual, but...
1. Spain is still unhappy about WDA on Gibraltar. EU sources don't think this will cause problems at Sunday summit.
2. Differing tones over PD - France strict on four freedoms, while eco liberal MS (Dutch and Baltics) want more ambitious language.
Sounds straightforward compared to political turmoil in UK.
No great discussion on UK domestic politics, but several on EU side stressed importance of being super-careful with language. They know one throwaway word could inflame Tory Brexiteers.
Ambassadors were not given copies of political declaration, which is expected to be at least 14 pages, twice as long as last week's outline.
Some unhappiness about WDA (level-playing fields and fish), so all EU energy now focused on fixing what they don't like in PD.

Ends
One a personal note, it's also very annoying when your home internet breaks down on a Brexit Sunday.
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It's tempting to think the EU has a big plan if MPs vote down the Brexit deal.

But it hasn’t: the EU will improvise to protect its well-known positions and interests, depending on the result.

theguardian.com/politics/2018/…
There is an EU summit two days after the meaningful vote. If, as everyone expects, parliament votes no, even the British gov and MPs won’t have much time to figure out next move, let alone the EU.
In the event of a No vote, I think we could see: a special EU27 summit “for optics” that decides little but shores up unity, usual respects and regrets, step-up no-deal planning if things look bad. But summit planners say *nothing has been decided*
Read 7 tweets
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Brussels Brexit latest -- EU27 ministers met Michel Barnier and decided (no surprises) that negs on withdrawal agreement are finished.
"The question now is whether there is approval of this deal in the UK and the european parliament," said Austria's Gernot Blümel
Everyone bending over backwards not to say anything that might inflame UK domestic politics.
Barnier even used Brexiteer slogan 'take back control'
Full quote here
I am reminded of earlier EU comments: 'the UK wants to take back control, the EU wants to keep control'.

Judging by today's press conference, EU feels it has done so.
Read 5 tweets
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Brussels update: Michel Barnier's deputy, Sabine Weyand, told EU ambassadors, Barnier ready to recommend "decisive progress" IF London gives the green light on the package.
EU ambassadors have not seen the texts of withdrawal agreement or political statement. They were taken into the room, but not revealed to them.
EU27 has not signed off on Brexit deal, but that was not the point of today's meeting. It was an update on what negotiators have agreed at technical level.
EU27 will want to read that text very carefully in coming days.
Read 5 tweets

Related threads

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#Brexit thoughts this AM. The draft Withdrawal Agreement has a Northern Ireland sub-committee to the Joint Committee and sounds like there's been progress on an arbitration panel for the governance of the treaty = forum to discuss exit from a temporary customs arrangement? (1)
ANOTHER reminder of what @MichelBarnier said about the UK-wide customs idea way back in July. Note the problems he said had to be solved to make it work. europa.eu/rapid/press-re… (2)
And finally, I've now seen FIVE different dates for an extra-special Brexit summit in November. But I've been told that my trip to the German Christmas markets on 1/2 December should be safe! (3
Read 3 tweets
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EU diplomats shrug at what they view as U.K. hysteria over Canada+ or Chequers #Brexit debate. The EU says the choice was never the UK’s alone 1
EU viewsChequers as a U.K. government position. Not an end in itself. Brussels aim: to navigate between Chequers and EU red lines.. 2
Accusation I often hear in Brussels is that U.K. Brexit negotiators are fine wordsmiths but that there’s often little meaning behind the words 3
Read 19 tweets
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104 pages of the #Brexit #WhitePaper reduced to 10 slides.
Especially for those concerned for @BorderIrish, @BelfastAgmt,
& with more sense than time.

@DPhinnemore & I have scrutinised the WP in light of #JointReport commitments to NI/IRL & the UK's alternative #backstop.
1/10
A bit of context-setting (plus explanation of our imaginative colour coding).

The White Paper is in part an effort by UK govt to prove a NI-specific #backstop to be unnecessary. But remember Protocol for NI/IRL in the Withdrawal Agmt is abt much more than a customs border.

2/10
A reminder of where we are up to on that Protocol on NI/IRL in the draft Withdrawal Agreement.

With added stars 🌟 to identify which bits the White Paper attempts to address (or negate) most directly.

3/10
Read 11 tweets
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In Ireland for a two day #brexit download.

Michel Barnier already trowelling it on a bit thick with the EU family stuff... no doubt the Greeks feel that warm glow; and Mr Macron as he does his Eurozone reboot. Nord Stream II anyone?
Barnier goes on to say that the EU has so far “not received any workable solutions” so is sticking to the backstop as drafted.

That’s a goods border in Irish Sea and turning Northern Ireland into a regulatory enclave of the EU. /2
U.K. sources clear this cannot fly.

We saw what happened in Dec. DUP went ballistic and Sturgeon piled in.

So what are solutions? /3
Read 7 tweets
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1/ A quick, rough thread on what's in the Transition Guidelines, and what the text can mean. The PDF of the guidelines is here: consilium.europa.eu/media/32504/xt…
2/ "In particular, the provisions of the Citizens' rights part of the
withdrawal agreement should apply as from the end of the transition period" page 4. De facto #Brexit date for FoM is hence end 2020.
3/ Para 13. "Notwithstanding paragraph 18 of these negotiating directives, the Union acquis should apply to and in the United Kingdom as if it were a Member State." Para 18 is about institutions, hence everything else applies.
Read 15 tweets
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1. New round of #Brexit talks in Brussels today & #Prexit behind us, let's take stock of what EU papers are saying in Ep 100 of 'Nothing Has Changed.' (Thread.)
2. France's @LesEchos says TM is "increasingly fragile." Notes, "Clearly, chances that outstanding Brexit issues are resolved" in this round of talks "are close to nill." lesechos.fr/monde/europe/0…
3. @LesEchos: "The increasingly fragility of TM is a subject that's preoccupying the minds of EU leaders, who prefer to negotiate with a strong leader."
Read 21 tweets

Trending hashtags

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