Raab meeting – Visit of the Brexit Minister to Brussels

In fact, it was always the same when the two chief negotiators met. First of all, Michel Barnier makes a harsh note of the great time pressure weighing on the Brexit negotiations:

"We have a lot of work to do, with just 13 weeks before the summit of the year. EU in October In a short time, we have two things to do: we must finalize the withdrawal agreement, and we must prepare a political declaration on our future relations. "

Dominic Raab, the new British minister Brexit who took over David Davis a. This is the first appearance of Raab in Brussels. Since the beginning of the week, Brexit negotiations have been taking place here at the civil service level. This is the first round of negotiations since the British government introduced its so-called white paper: a concept for future relations between the EU-27 and the UK. Raab came to Barnier to taste this white paper. And he promises to speed up the negotiations from now on and make sure that the best deal is achieved

Master Plan of an Agreement

The well-known problems are back on the table when this round of negotiations. How to make sure that there is no border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland? Without answering this question, there will be no withdrawal agreement. And without exit agreement also no agreement on future relations. What Barnier thinks of the British white paper, he suggests the short appearance before the press with not a single syllable. For London, it should be the plan of an agreement. However, among the Member States, it is recalled that the EU-27 had already adopted its guidelines for a partnership agreement several months earlier. According to Brussels, this is certainly not negotiated according to the British White Paper.

The London concept plunges the EU into a dilemma. The last few days have shown that Theresa May can barely keep her desk. Their fall would make a hard Brexit that no one can want more likely. It is therefore in the interest of the EU to welcome and support the month of May. On the other hand, the white paper shows exactly what the EU has always refused: a picking of British raisins. We must now explore the similarities, according to Michel Barnier:

"Our challenge is to reconcile the fundamental principles that make up the EU and the UK's positions."

Stay tuned

but also voices in Brussels warning Barnier to yield too much to London. Marcus Ferber, CSU MEP for example:

"The Brexit White Paper seems to me to be a wise choice and they want to keep the best of the EU without making new commitments, and that can not be the end Negotiations. "

Michel Barnier will today inform the EU-27 European Ministers of his first meeting with Dominic Raab. And he will explain his reading of the British white paper. Only then will it be clear if both parties are actually heading towards each other. In any case, the journalists recommended that Barnier be always listening

"Stay tuned, I want to see you tomorrow!