'Furious race against time' to complete Brexit treaty - EU's Tusk

 

President of the European Council Donald Tusk listens at a news conference during the European Union Tallinn Digital Summit in Tallinn, Estonia, September 29, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Council President Donald Tusk warned on Tuesday that completing a Brexit treaty and agreeing on future relations with Britain would be a "furious race against time" where EU states would have to stick together to avoid economic disruption.

 

Writing to national leaders ahead of a summit he will chair in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, Tusk noted his plan to seek their approval to launch a second phase of negotiations, on transition and future ties, after achieving "sufficient progress" last week and agreeing an outline of the divorce.

 

"The conclusion of the first phase of negotiations is moderate progress, since we only have 10 months left to determine the transition period and our future relations with the UK," Tusk wrote. "This will be a furious race against time, where again our unity will be key. And the experience so far has shown that unity is a sine qua non of an orderly Brexit."

 

(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Editing by Gabriela Baczynska)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-12-13

Everybody do what we tell you ! With a face like that he should be wearing a black shirt.

4 hours ago, eliotness said:

Everybody do what we tell you ! With a face like that he should be wearing a black shirt.

Well someone has to tell it how it is!  The faffing about on the UK side is pathetic with in-house bickering being the order of the day, every day.