October 11, 2019–With less than three weeks to go before the United Kingdom exits the European Union without a plan to trade with the rest of Europe, new hope for a deal emerged on Friday as the chief negotiator for the European Commission indicated that talks are intensifying “in a constructive spirit.”
“We are intensifying technical discussions with the United Kingdom over the coming days, in a constructive spirit,” Michel Barnier, the European Commission’s Chief Negotiator, said today on Twitter.
Earlier in the week, Barnier suggested that an agreement would be “difficult, but still possible.”
EU Position: No Hard Border in Ireland
The European Union would only support a withdrawal agreement if it “avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland, protects the all-island economy and the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement in all its dimensions, and safeguards the integrity of the Single Market, according to the European Commission statement.
October 31 Deadline Near
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to lead his country out of the EU in a “do-or-die” style.
Without a deal to continue relations with the EU while exiting from its treaties and governance structures, the British economy could experience chaotic shocks, uncertainty over legal contracts and potential disruption for trade of goods. Talks are to continue this weekend.
According to various news reports, Johnson is making some concessions, including that there cannot be a hard customs border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Irish “backstop” has long been a key obstacle to getting a Brexit deal that both the EU and British parliaments will support.
US-UK Trade Talks on the Horizon
Meanwhile, a U.S. State Department official indicated earlier in the week that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo intends to launch “ambitious trade talks” with the United Kingdom after its departure from the EU.
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