May Confront European Leaders as Brexit Talks Announce

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Theresa May will address her European Union counterparts on Wednesday in Brussels, but there is little hope of a decisive breakthrough. the end of negotiations on Brexit this weekend.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel echoed the hardening of the tone among the 27 other governments, whose leaders will meet after dinner after a presentation in May to discuss further preparations for British withdrawal from Britain without an agreement in March.

Before going to the summit, all member states must prepare for all results: "This includes the possibility that Britain leaves the European Union without agreement."

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said it was unlikely that the 27 leaders would set a date for holding a special summit to seal a deal – while Britain was leaving the customs and regulatory area of ​​the EU. was hope before the talks were blocked.

Summit Chair Donald Tusk has called on Mai to come to Brussels with new "creative" ideas to unblock the process, but the UK authorities have made little sense that she has a lot to say, while that is not the case. it fights against the deep opposition of its own allies against the type of agreement Brussels says almost its final offer.

May told the London Parliament that she wanted any treaty including the Irish border issue to be linked to a separate declaration that both parties intend to publish on their intention to enter into a trade pact between the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom after Brexit.

EU negotiators agree that close customs and regulatory relations could avoid the kind of border disruption likely to resuscitate sectarian tensions in Northern Ireland, but they want always a "security" guarantee, provided that the EU does not keep the province. in a special economic zone.

May and her Northern Irish allies reject this assumption as she may break the UK.

TRANSITION EXTENSION

European diplomats told Reuters on Monday that European negotiator Michel Barnier has offered his help to defuse the situation by extending for another year the transition period to the status quo for Britain until the end of the war. end of 2021 to give time to a trade agreement that would avoid the need to trigger a safety net for Northern Ireland.

The President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, whose chamber needs a treaty this year to have the time to ratify it by March, told reporters he would support Barnier's proposal to extend the transitional period from two to three years.

Many continental leaders involved in the process have long argued that a longer transition may be necessary to conclude a free trade agreement anyway. However, Brexit supporters may also press for cutting ties with the bloc as soon as possible.

May must address her peers at 7 pm (6:00 pm BST). It is unlikely that there is much dialogue around the table, with European leaders insisting that London negotiate exclusively through Barnier.

The 27 will go to a dinner without May to hear the reports of Barnier and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. He will explain to them how the European executive is stepping up planning and directing governments on the measures to be taken to deal with the departure of Britain on March 29 without any treaty in force.

Both parties are under pressure from companies to reach an early agreement to prevent companies from creating unnecessary costs.

A joint pre-summit call by the European automotive and auto parts industry warned that disruptions in cross-Channel supply chains would be "catastrophic" and wipe out a good quarter of a century of recovery. the English automotive industry.

May will join his counterparts on Thursday for a European summit, which will be followed in the evening and Friday by a summit with Asian leaders, including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and the prime ministers of Japan, South Korea and Russia.