Michel Barnier has updated EU27 ambassadors on Brexit. While he didn’t use his favourite catchphrase - “the clock is ticking” - time was on everyone’s minds.
All agreed the last moment for UK to table "serious" proposals is end of next week - after Tory party conference.
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All agreed the last moment for UK to table "serious" proposals is end of next week - after Tory party conference.
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This is exactly what Leo Varadkar said on Thursday. EU diplomats are reluctant to call it a deadline, although all stressed that time is fast running out.
theguardian.com/world/2019/sep…
theguardian.com/world/2019/sep…
This was a businesslike meeting with little discussion of the incredible scenes in the House of Commons yesterday.
Barnier made some general comments that the “dramatisation” of the British debate was not helping.
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Barnier made some general comments that the “dramatisation” of the British debate was not helping.
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Outside the meeting, Brussels is aghast at what is happening in the UK.
There was already a sense that Johnson was failing to reach out to Labour to get any deal over the line. Now people think he has burned his bridges.
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There was already a sense that Johnson was failing to reach out to Labour to get any deal over the line. Now people think he has burned his bridges.
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But that wasn’t discussed in detail in today's meeting.
Barnier updated EU ambassadors on the four UK non-papers, including the latest one on moving food, animal and plant products (SPS) between GB and NI.
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Barnier updated EU ambassadors on the four UK non-papers, including the latest one on moving food, animal and plant products (SPS) between GB and NI.
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EU diplomats are scathing about non-paper 4, which is seen as both sketchy and an attempt at cherry-picking.
Diplomats feel the UK is trying to question EU's entire SPS system. There has been a “how dare you” reaction.
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Diplomats feel the UK is trying to question EU's entire SPS system. There has been a “how dare you” reaction.
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While SPS sounds technical, it touches on health and safety and EU’s reputation in the world - think of the consequences when things go wrong - BSE or horsemeat scandal. EU does not want to dilute rules for UK.
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Michel Barnier told ambassadors “the UK is basically asking us to organise imperfections and shortfalls”.
EU ambassadors shared a similar assessment said one source: “The British proposals are not sufficient and are far from solving the border conundrum.”
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EU ambassadors shared a similar assessment said one source: “The British proposals are not sufficient and are far from solving the border conundrum.”
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There was also concern (again) that EU was being used by gov to give sham impression of progress in talks.
Some diplomats were still angry about Stephen Barclay’s speech in Madrid - seen as aggressive.
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Some diplomats were still angry about Stephen Barclay’s speech in Madrid - seen as aggressive.
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