What EU leaders are saying about getting a Brexit deal over the line
Bloc publishes no-deal planning as negotiators head back to the table with new deadline
The future of a post-Brexit trade deal is back in the hands of negotiation officials after a face-to-face meeting between Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen failed to break the deadlock.
The two leaders talked for three hours last night over a seafood dinner that followed months of wrangling about issues including fishing rights. But the crunch dinner date in Brussels ended with a big helping of disappointment, as the two sides announced that they were still “far apart” and that “very large gaps remain”.
Johnson and von der Leyen did manage to agree a new deadline for reaching a deal, however, with Sunday now set as the cut-off point. But with just 72 hours remaining, what is the mood among Europe’s other leaders?
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.
Tempers fraying
The most vocal EU27 leader in recent months has been Emmanuel Macron, who put his head above the parapet last week to say that he would veto any deal that did not satisfy French interests.
The French leader has the backing of his counterparts in Belgium, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, all of whom have “demanded to see the full text of any agreement before Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, announces there is a deal”, the Financial Times reports.
As talks drag on about the unresolved issues of fishing, level playing field rules and the enforcement process for any deal agreed, a senior EU diplomat told the paper that the bloc’s leaders are worried about having a treaty shoved “down our throat”.
The president of Belgium’s Wallonia region, Elio Di Rupo, tweeted yesterday that he would “not hesitate to ask my parliament to use its veto power… if the future trade agreements with the United Kingdom cross the red lines set by my government”.
The mood music emanating from Italy also points to trouble for the UK, with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte telling his parliament on Wednesday that “a deal remains in the interests of all, but not at any cost”. Referring to the issue of a level playing field for business, Conte added: “The EU must not give a millimeter.”
That message was echoed by Angela Merkel, though in characteristically more diplomatic terms.
The German chancellor told the Bundestag that while a deal is still possible, “we are also prepared, if there are conditions on the British side that we cannot accept, to go down a path that is without an agreement”.
United front
Alarm bells are likely to be sounding at Downing Street over the warning from Germany - which had previously clashed with France over the level of acceptable compromise to get a deal over the line.
And ministers hoping to secure a last-minute treaty will be further dismayed by the EU’s decision to lay out the bloc’s no-deal planning. The move follows calls from member states to make public the “targeted contingency measures”.
Von der Leyen posted a press release outlining the plans on Twitter earlier today, and wrote that while negotiations were “still ongoing... the end of the transition is near”.
“There is no guarantee that if & when an agreement is found it can enter into force on time,” she said. “We have to be prepared, including for not having a deal in place on 1 January. Today we present contingency measures.”
Eurosceptics will be heartened by the move, with the Daily Express arguing that the publication of the bloc’s no-deal plan suggests the “EU finally gets it”.
But the EU’s decision may be driven more by time constraints than by a desire to see the UK leave without an agreement in place.
End of the road?
The European Council is meeting today at a summit at which the bloc had been hoping to sign off a deal. But as Politico’s Brussels Playbook reports, without no such deal on the table, “there will be no debate on the matter, let alone a vote to approve any potential pact”.
Summing up the atmosphere in Brussels, an official told the site that “there is not the intention to have a decision or a debate on the item” today.
“There is no decision or milestone at this stage,” the official added.
Negotiators are now racing to agree a future trade deal by Sunday, although as BBC political correspondent Jessica Parker notes, “Brexit deadlines have been missed before”.
“But the ticking clock of the transition period tells us this can’t go on much longer,” she adds.
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
Joe Evans is the world news editor at TheWeek.co.uk. He joined the team in 2019 and held roles including deputy news editor and acting news editor before moving into his current position in early 2021. He is a regular panellist on The Week Unwrapped podcast, discussing politics and foreign affairs.
Before joining The Week, he worked as a freelance journalist covering the UK and Ireland for German newspapers and magazines. A series of features on Brexit and the Irish border got him nominated for the Hostwriter Prize in 2019. Prior to settling down in London, he lived and worked in Cambodia, where he ran communications for a non-governmental organisation and worked as a journalist covering Southeast Asia. He has a master’s degree in journalism from City, University of London, and before that studied English Literature at the University of Manchester.
-
Saint Paul de Vence: a paradise for art lovers
The Week Recommends The hilltop gem in the French Riviera where 20th century modernism flourished
By Alexandra Zagalsky Published
-
'People in general want workers to earn a decent living'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What might a Trump victory mean for the global economy?
Today's Big Question A second term in office for the 'America First' administration would send shockwaves far beyond the United States' shores
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published