France and Germany prepare for no deal as May arrives in Brussels
EU strikes conciliatory tone amid concern over chaotic UK exit from the bloc
Theresa May arrived in Brussels for a European summit insisting that the deadlock in Brexit talks could be broken — even as Germany and France ramped up preparations for a chaotic “no-deal” exit.
The British prime minister’s decision to put Brexit negotiations on hold last weekend because of the split in her own cabinet overshadowed the start of the European Council, but the mood among the rest of the EU was conciliatory.
Ahead of the summit, Mrs May’s spokesman insisted that the two sides were “moving close to one another” — highlighting progress made before the talks broke down.
Michel Barnier, chief EU negotiator, said: “We need time, we need much more time, and we will continue to work in the next weeks calmly and patiently.”
The prime minister addressed the EU27 leaders for 15 minutes and gave “a positive assessment of the progress made and the two sides being close to a deal”, according to an official briefed on the discussions. Ms May also said the UK was “open to considering” an extended transition period, said the official.
Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament, said Ms May had brought “nothing new in content” but there was a willingness to keep negotiating with the UK and welcome “body language”.
“The content is not yet acceptable but the tone is someone who wants to continue with negotiations and not let them breakdown,” said Mr Tajani.
But while EU leaders insisted that talks in coming weeks could settle the dispute over a “backstop” to prevent a hard border in the island of Ireland — the biggest outstanding issue — they are stepping up preparations for a disorderly Brexit.
France published a draft bill to handle a no-deal exit in March 2019 that empowered the government to use emergency decrees to reimpose customs checks and impose visa requirements on British citizens visiting France.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the Bundestag that Germany was “preparing for every scenario”, including additional burdens on customs authorities and the private sector.
Arriving in Brussels, the EU leaders took pains to avoid confrontational language, fearing a repeat of the acrimonious atmosphere over Brexit at their previous summit in Salzburg last month.
Ms Merkel said: “There is still a chance that we can achieve a good and viable withdrawal treaty on time.”
French president Emmanuel Macron said: “We have made a lot of progress. But now it’s time to find an agreement.”
But Dalia Grybauskaitė, Lithuania’s president, articulated a frustration felt by many EU leaders: “We don’t know what they want,” she said. “They do not know themselves what they really want. That’s a problem.”
There was no prospect of a decisive breakthrough at the Brussels gathering, but EU leaders are expected to pencil in a possible Brexit summit in November to seal a deal, leaving a scheduled European Council in December as the ultimate deadline.
Some leaders noted that there could even be positive aspects to an disorderly UK departure.
Peter Pellegrini, the Slovak prime minister, said: “Slovakia could become attractive for companies currently residing in the UK.”