Thread by @hhesterm

I agree with david. IF a deal is agreed, the technical issues can be resolved. Provisional application can be decided by the Council. BUT there‘s a really important procedural aspect concerning actors to actually get a deal /1

https://twitter.com/DavidHenigUK/status/1328306713229979650

On the EU side the Council - i.e. the EU 27 - absolutely have to be on board to get a deal. Without that a deal is categorically impossible (with that you can also get provisional application). And then... /2

there’s the EP. There’s a lot of ”they won’t vote it down” floating around. But the thing is: a) their approval is ultimately needed (even if not for provisional application) and b) unlike in the UK the Commission does not have an automatic EP majority. /3

The more you mistreat the MEPs (“oh come on, you don’t matter, everyone knows it”), the more likely you make it that they’ll surprise you. It has happened before. So consultation and updates are utterly vital. @MichelBarnier knows this, fortunately.

On the UK side, things are considerably simpler. The executive is really powerful when it comes to foreign affairs. And even if it were not it is defined by having, nay, being a parliamentary majority. So intuitions formed in the UK system might mislead commentators here.