EU chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, will meet Tuesday with British Secretary of State in charge of the UK’s departure from the Union, Stephen Barclay, and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, who is legal counsel to the British Government, a European Commission spokesperson announced today. Early this year, the British Parliament rejected the EU exit agreement that had been negotiated for two years between the 27 and London, in particular, because of the "safety net" intended to keep Ireland’s border open after the 29 March Brexit, a disposition that is largely decried in the UK.
Prime Minister Theresa May wants the withdrawal agreement to be modified. She would like in particular either this "safety net" to be limited in time, or London allowed to terminate it at any time. These requests have been systematically rejected by the EU.
"We can find guarantees to confirm, clarify, ensure Europeans’ good will and good faith, with commitments of legal certainty because they will be ratified by both sides. We are working on it day and night, Barnier said in the press this weekend, but he excludes any amendments to the withdrawal agreement. "Specific details can be given in an “interpretative document”, the form of which remains to be defined, which would come in addition to the Withdrawal Agreement and the political declaration," he said.
The Brussels Times
