.@EmmanuelMacron comments reflect a real exhaustion in EU over #Brexit. One senior EU official told me there wd now be no appetite to open the deal again - interestingly not because of substantive concessions EU made - but bc negotiations pushed EU process close to breaking 1/
point. Text was only ready 3hrs before Council. Member states didn't feel like they got to properly scrutinise the details "line by line." Did it bc they saw @BorisJohnson wanted a deal. "We can't do more now." On A50 extension, there's been no real debate. If deal goes down 2/
tmrw & request is in line with Benn Act, @eucopresident will do a round of phone calls & if not contentious, cd agree to delay by written procedure. So "Tusk will take the temperature." If EU leaders have to meet, that will be a strong signal that there's real opposition 3/
- perhaps beyond Macron. He is keenest of all 27 leaders to begin redefining EU's place in the world with his "Geopolitical Commission." On trade, tech, climate, borders, US, China. Brexit a negative distraction "that adds no value to EU project." But FR veto still unlikely ENDS
