Britain sees the progress of Brexit, again calls the EU to meet us halfway

LONDON / BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Brexit Minister Dominic Raab said he was confident on Tuesday that Britain and the EU would advance their divorce at a summit next week. but again invited the bloc to meet London "midway" in the most difficult areas.

Brexit negotiations intensified before the summit on Wednesday and Thursday, and the EU said its officials felt that an agreement was close at hand. But one of the most difficult obstacles to securing what the so-called withdrawal agreement, the Irish border, has not yet been resolved.

Just six months before Britain leaves the EU in its biggest change in trade and foreign policy for more than 40 years, both parties say they are stepping up their discussions to try to avoid a Brexit "Without agreement" that could harm the fifth largest economy.

"The October Council of next week will of course be an important step, we hope that this will be a time when we will make progress," Raab told Parliament, asking him why he was not suggesting that any more. there may be an agreement at the meeting.

"Negotiations were always difficult in the home stretch. This is all the more reason why we must keep our courage, remain resolute and focused, and I remain confident that we will reach an agreement this autumn.

Britain is keen to advance its future relations, especially after Prime Minister Theresa May's proposals, which were already raising doubts among many of her Conservatives in power, have been widely criticized at a European summit in November. Austria held last month.

During his last appearance in parliament, where differences of opinion on the exit from the EU were visible, Raab played down one of the most thorny moments of the talks: a so-called security arrangement aimed at to prevent the return of a hard border between the British province. Northern Ireland and the European Union, Ireland.

He again stated that a future partnership guaranteeing a friction free trade would mean that it would not be necessary to have such support, which would only be used if it did not exist. there was no agreement or if both parties were not ready to put it in place.

"We want to continue the trade without friction with the EU that we have now, and that is what our proposal will produce. But of course, the EU must meet us halfway, "said Raab.

"RED LINE"

How to prevent the return of a hard border, which, according to some, could revive sectarian divisions on the island of Ireland, has become one of the most difficult obstacles to cross for the two sides.

The small North Irish party that backed May's government has once again traced what it described as the "only red line" in Tuesday's talks in Brussels, ruling out any trade controls with the British mainland after Brexit .

"We can not support any arrangement that could create customs or regulatory barriers in the UK domestic market," said Arlene Foster, leader of the Unionist Democratic Party, after meeting with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier .

In Parliament, his MP Nigel Dodds insinuated that Raab should not "repeat this mistake" from December, when the DUP almost evaded an interim agreement negotiated in May by sabotaging a proposal that would have resulted in regulatory alignment between the EU and the province.

Raab reiterated that the government would do nothing to undermine the integrity of the United Kingdom, adding that officials had long warned that any agreement could be postponed to a special meeting in November.

But an EU diplomat was optimistic, saying the divorce agreement, or agreement of withdrawal, could be concluded by Monday and that officials were working on a proposal to prevent the Great Britain to propose a separate security plan as a possible solution.

For the moment, the "intense" negotiations are underway.