Brexit minister tries to put pressure on the EU

What happened?

– The British Minister of Broadcasting, Dominic Raab, reportedly wrote in a letter to a committee of the British Parliament: "I would like to testify before the committee when an agreement is ready and that, for the moment, the November 21 should be appropriate. "

– On this basis, some media have come to the conclusion that a breakthrough could be imminent in the negotiations on Brexit. The 17th and 18th of November have already been mentioned as a preliminary date for a crucial meeting on Brexite – but it is necessary to make clear progress first in the negotiations.

How should this be interpreted?

– Not like white smoke, at least. It's probably a desperate attempt to put pressure on the EU on the part of the British side as nothing currently suggests that an agreement is at hand. On the contrary, the London government is very aware that time is running out. An exit agreement must be ready by the beginning of December, if there is enough time to approve it in all the parliaments concerned, including the United Kingdom, before Brexite Day, which will begin March 29 of next year.

Has progress been made in the negotiations?

"At noon on Wednesday, the spokesman for the European Commission said there was no negotiations, only technical discussions, but that does not mean that no progress has been made. It has been done in more informal ways, but in Brussels most people seem to see this week as a sort of midweek, as British domestic politics is dominated by the new government budget.

– The stumbling blocks in the negotiations are still the question of the Irish border. It now appears that both parties agree that the "backstop" will mean that the entire United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland) will remain in the Customs Union, if no other alternative allows to keep the limit open. However, on the British side, this "backstop" wants to have a deadline – or it can easily be terminated unilaterally – which the EU is having a hard time accepting. No solution to this link was found in Raab's letter.

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