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The European negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, said on Tuesday that the extension of the divorce date "depends" on what British Prime Minister Theresa May expressed to her European counterparts at Wednesday's summit in Brussels.
"The duration of the extension must be related to the purpose, for what purpose and will depend on what May will say tomorrow to European leadersBarnier said at the end of a meeting of European ministers in Luxembourg to prepare for the summit.
Leaders must discuss the asks to postpone the date of divorce, scheduled for Friday, June 30while trying to obtain, in discussions with the Labor opposition, a British parliamentary majority favorable to the Brexit agreement.
Barnier also said that an agreement between the British government and the Labor Party was "what would make sense" to delay Brexit again.
The European negotiator said that if in this negotiation between the parties, the United Kingdom advocated that future relations with the EU include, in addition to a free trade agreement, a "true customs union"As the Labor Party demands, they would be willing to take it into account quickly.
However, Barnier warned that, in any case, London's demands must respect the integrity of the EU's single market, which includes the free movement of European citizens, one of the principles criticized by the Brexit supporters.
In the United Kingdom, European partners seem willing to extend Brexit beyond 12 April, but with strict conditions, a decision that leaders will adopt Wednesday in Brussels.
Although the agreement with the Labor Party is "what will make sense" at the request to delay the "Brexit", Barnier declined to comment on how long this extension should bealthough he said that it must be useful to achieve a majority in the House of Commons. "I just want to say that the duration (of the extension) must be proportionate to the goal," he said, warning that an exit without agreement would be "never" the decision of the European Union.
The badumption of an extension "is not automatic" said French Minister Amelie de Montchalin, for whom the request must be "accompanied by a credible political plan that explains what is will pbad "during this extension.
In an attempt to convince the heavyweights of its European partners, the British Prime Minister will meet Tuesday in Berlin with his German counterpart, Angela Merkel, and in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron.
(With information from EFE and AFP)
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