EU warns UK against bid to divide bloc ahead of crunch Brexit summit
German minister insists that unity among the 27 members remains strong
Two leading EU officials have warned Britain to stop trying to divide the bloc during negotiations over a post-Brexit trade agreement.
Germany’s Europe Minister Michael Roth and European Commission Vice-president Maros Sefcovic criticised Britain’s tactics ahead of crunch talks at the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
Insisting that unity among the 27 members nations remains strong, the pair accused Boris Johnson’s government of repeatedly attempting to “bilateralize” the negotiations, which have been “deadlocked for months”, says Politico.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The scalding comments - at a news conference in Luxembourg yesterday - come little more than two weeks after Roth told London not to “play games”, and warned that Johnson’s efforts to override the withdrawal agreement had cast a “dark shadow” over the relationship between the UK and the bloc.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, has also weighed in with criticism of Britain, mocking Johnson for this week issuing a “third unilateral deadline” for reaching an agreement.
The Guardian reports that Barnier “suggested a deal was ‘very difficult but still possible’, according to diplomatic sources”.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday urged EU states to take a pragmatic approach to Britain’s negotiating position in the trade talks.
“We are going to continue to stand together in these withdrawal talks,” she told a meeting of European mayors. “But we also have to take into account the reality: an agreement has to be in the interests of both parties, in British interests as well as the interests of the 27-member EU.”
The German leader made the plea “as British sources blamed EU divisions and sabre-rattling from France” for the failure to agree a deal, The Times reports.
Meanwhile, Johnson told a cabinet meeting that Britain should have “no fear” of leaving without a deal when the transition period ends on 31 December.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppy
Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?
Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rishi Sunak's asylum spat with Ireland explained
In Depth Irish government plans to override court ruling that the UK is unsafe for asylum seekers
By The Week UK Published
-
Xi comes to Europe: what's on the agenda?
The Explainer China's president visiting for first time since 2019, with spotlight on support for Russia over Ukraine and trade tensions with EU
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Russia gains as Ukraine awaits US aid
Speed Read Ukrainian forces have retreated from several villages as the situation at the front line worsens
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Haiti interim council, prime minister sworn in
Speed Read Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns amid surging gang violence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Myanmar: the Spring Revolution and the downfall of the generals
Talking Point An armed protest movement has swept across the country since the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown in 2021
By The Week Staff Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is there a peaceful way forward for Israel and Iran?
Today's Big Question Tehran has initially sought to downplay the latest Israeli missile strike on its territory
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How powerful is Iran?
Today's big question Islamic republic is facing domestic dissent and 'economic peril' but has a vast military, dangerous allies and a nuclear threat
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published