Should the UK leave Europe without an agreement with the EU it would be "a disaster," the European employers' organization Business Europe, which calls on both parties to "make all reasonable efforts" to get along, warned on Monday.
"The 'no deal' is the recipe for disaster and must be definitively dismissed," Business Europe CEO Markus J. Beyrer said in a statement.
"An erratic and no-deal exit from the United Kingdom would be extremely harmful for all parties" and "would cause significant damage to citizens and businesses in the UK and on the continent," he added.
On Monday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet in Luxembourg with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier to push the talks forward — at just a month and a half from the UK’s expected departure date on 31 October.
"We urge both parties to make every reasonable effort and engage in constructive dialogue," Beyrer said in his statement, considering an agreement as "an absolute necessity".
He believes that the option of another Brexit postponement though "far from ideal", should be considered (...) if it is limited in time and if the UK offers a clear path to an agreement".
Boris Johnson is determined however for the UK to leave the EU on 31 October, with or without an agreement.
On Friday he said he was "cautiously optimistic" before his meeting with Juncker, the first since his election in July.
The European summit to be held on 17 and 18 October in Brussels could be the last chance for an agreement between the two sides.
The Brussels Times
