The EU Chief Negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier, warned on Thursday that nothing should justify the absence of agreement with the United Kingdom on Brexit, over its exit from the European Union. He argued, “In my eyes, there would be no reasonable justification for the ‘no deal’ scenario...there is no reason to further aggravate the consequences of Brexit. This is why we want an agreement.” He was speaking during a conference of representatives of European civil society in Brussels.
He said in French, “This is why the 27 member states and the European Parliament are seeking an agreement. I say to our British partners, a fair deal is far better than no deal.” He then twice repeated the last phrase in English, “A fair deal is far better than no deal.”
He went on, “In reality the ‘no deal’ scenario would aggravate the lose/lose situation, which is a necessary consequence of Brexit. Moreover, I believe that objectively the United Kingdom may have more to lose than its partners.”
He added, “In a traditional negotiation, ‘no deal’ would lead to a return to the status quo. This is not a tradional negotition. In the case of Brexit, ‘no deal’ would mean a return to the very distant past.”
The Brussels Times
