Brexit progress is 'still not sufficient for an agreement', EU leaders say

Brexit progress is 'still not sufficient for an agreement', EU leaders say
CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2019 – Source: EP

Not enough progress is being made in the Brexit negotiations to come to an agreement, the European Council concluded on Thursday.

Barend Leyts, spokesperson for European Council President Charles Michel, shared some of the conclusions on Brexit that were adopted by the Council in a tweet on Thursday.

In the conclusions, the Council “notes with great concern that progress on the key issues of interest to the Union is still not sufficient for an agreement to be made”.

In spite of the insufficient current progress, the European Union remains determined “to have as close as possible a relationship with the United Kingdom”.

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In the week leading up to the summit, multiple high-ranking EU officials have said that the EU wants an agreement, “but not at any price”.

Ahead of the European Council summit, Charles Michel stated that the EU is looking for an agreement, but also wants to “protect the level playing field” when it comes to key issues like government subsidies and protecting fishing waters.

“It's a question of fairness, it's a question of jobs, it's also the question of the integrity of the single market. We are ready to continue to negotiate with the UK. This is a difficult negotiation, we all know that,” Michel said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had to abruptly leave the Council summit after hearing that one of her members of staff had tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday morning. Von der Leyen went into self-isolation immediately after.

Amée Zoutberg

The Brussels Times


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