The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Wednesday that "decisive progress" had been made towards a Brexit deal - the key phrase to trigger a summit to sign it. His comments came after British Prime Minister Theresa May won the support of her cabinet for a draft divorce deal with the EU.
Under Barnier's mandate, if he reports to member states that such progress has been made, the president of the European Council Donald Tusk can then call an extraordinary summit.
Tusk and Barnier are due to address reporters together at 0710 GMT on Thursday. Officials have previously said that a summit could be held as early as November 25.
Separately, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker tweeted that he had sent Tusk a letter recommending that he "find that decisive progress has been made in the negotiations on the orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union."
This would appear to clear the way for a November summit, which in turn would give May a window to seek parliamentary approval of the deal before Brexit day on March 29.
EU Brexit pointman Michel Barnier said that British and European negotiators had done as much as they can to agree a divorce deal and it was time for all sides to get behind it.
Asked whether the draft deal approved by Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet was a "take it or leave it" choice for the British parliament, Barnier put the ball in the lawmakers' camp.
"The two negotiators, the two negotiating teams, have taken their responsibilities. The British government has taken today, this evening, its responsibility, and now everybody on both sides have to take their responsibility," he said.
Comments
Comments are closed.