The EU’s chief negotiator threw the red line over the Brexit process as David Davis was
accused of breaching his faith and violating the code of ethics. Moreover, Michel Barnier
once again assured Britain that the bloc of EU states would not return after the decision
was made by Theresa May. He also raised trade fairs, warning he had no opportunity
for a full deal on the future relationship that would be reached from the time that Brex
would be in March 2019. By contrast, Mr Davis suggested at the weekend that a deal
trading could be achieved ‘a minute’ after leaving the EU.
Many contradictory comments came after Mr Davis tried to calm down a fierce dispute
over his claim that UK commitments to the Irish border were merely a ‘statement of
purpose’ and had no other political purpose. Ruthless MPs were caught in an unfavourable political state that accused Great Britain of “acting like gangsters,” while an important ally of Angela Merkel offered a new idea warning that the UK should not
“assume” that there will be a transition period if it does not honour the EU’s commitments.
EU leaders responded to a crucial summit on Friday, signalling that they will speed up
the process of writing the divorce agreement – which also includes a 39 billion-pound
financial charge aimed at guaranteeing EU citizen rights – in a formal treaty. At a press conference in Brussels, Barnier once again pointed to his political views on the UK’s political behaviour and the situation in which the EU is located.
“We will have a final agreement only if we respected the political commitments taken
in May on behalf of the British Government last Friday and we will be vigilant. We
will not accept any return from the United Kingdom,” Barnier said committed to EU
political goals.
In a letter to EU prime ministers, council Chief Donald Tusk suggested that they stay
together in the second phase of the negotiations. “This will be a fierce race against
time, where our unity will be the key again,” Tusk said, pointing to this political challenge that the European Union is facing.
