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EU trying to digest this morning what exactly last night means for negotiations. Le Monde article below starts with words: « Another crazy day in Brexitland » /1
EU mood the morning after the night before is bittersweet. EU leaders glad to see rejection in parliament of no deal (+ there’s thinly-veiled Schadenfreude about Johnson’s defeat. The man who EU heard saying you just need more oomph and positive thinking to make a deal..)BUT /2
EU repeats what said last time parliament voted against no deal: the only way to ban no deal is to make a deal with EU or cancel #Brexit otherwise no deal happens by default /3
A general election, another #Brexit extension.. The EU feels it’s been round this block before. Relief at real possibility of avoiding what seemed inevitable no deal on 31 Oct balanced out by EU realisation that MPs still divided about what they DO want /4
EU business makes more money from single market as a whole than from trade with U.K. alone. General EU consensus: the economic hit of no deal would be less costly than making compromises in renegotiations that weaken single market as a whole /6
Would EU grant another Brexit extension if asked by gov? Most likely yes, despite grumblings of « never ending #Brexit « but.. /7
EU officials I speak to are already looking ahead: Deal or no deal, they say, the UK’s « exiting » was meant to be the easy bit. Trade deal negotiations that follow are when hardest trade-offs come to light ..So what will that be like?? /8
The PMs main EU envoy David Frost is coming to Brussels today. That should be interesting. Johnson gov regarded here with huge mistrust and has now lost any pretence of majority .. Though even before last night EU clear it lacked support in Parliament to guarantee anything /11
EU heard PMs declaration last night that he will now come to Brusseks and get a new #Brexit deal at the EU leaders’ summit in mid Oct.. EU leaders’ eyebrows could not be raised any higher.. They are clear: they will not directly negotiate with PM at the summit because /10
Negotiations are with European Commission, not individual European leaders. Simple reason for this: EU unity has so far been key. EU leaders often find it hard to agree with one another (eg migration , eurozone reform) so don’t want to be put on spot at summit over #Brexit / 11
