EU negotiator and Council chief tell Britain's May: No to renegotiation

By Guy Faulconbridge and Gabriela Baczynska

 

European Union Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier speaks during a plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in Brussels, Belgium, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

 

LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The EU's chief Brexit negotiator told Britain on Wednesday that time was too short to find an alternative to the Irish border arrangement agreed in their divorce deal, as London wants, and that this deal was not open for renegotiation.

 

With only two months left before Britain is due by law to leave the European Union, a narrow majority in the British parliament instructed May on Tuesday to go back to Brussels to revise what is arguably the most intractable part of the deal.

 

Michel Barnier told France's RTL radio that the two-year divorce negotiations had looked for an alternative to the "Irish backstop", designed to ensure that the border between EU member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland, long a scene of sectarian violence, remains free of border posts.

 

"No one, on either side, was able to say what arrangement would be needed to ensure controls on goods, animals and merchandise without having a border," Barnier said. "We have neither the time, nor the technologies."

 

The 11th-hour uncertainty leaves Britain's investors and allies trying to gauge whether the crisis will end up in a deal, a chaotic 'no-deal' Brexit on March 29, a delay, or no Brexit at all.

 

In essence, May will use the implicit threat of a 'no-deal' Brexit to seek a deal from the other 27 members of the EU, whose combined economy is about six times the size of Britain's.

 

But the European response has been united, and blunt.

 

"The Withdrawal Agreement is not open for renegotiation," European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted in what he said was a message to May. "Yesterday, we found out what the UK doesn't want. But we still don’t know what the UK does want."

 

"WISHFUL THINKING"

Simon Coveney, foreign minister of Ireland, whose economy stands to suffer most from a 'no-deal' Brexit, said Britain had not offered any feasible way to keep the border open:

 

"What we are being asked to do here is to compromise on a solution that works, and to replace it with wishful thinking."

 

And Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told May by phone that "the latest developments had reinforced the need for a backstop which is legally robust and workable in practice", an Irish government spokesman said.

 

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the chances of a 'no-deal' exit had increased, and currency traders also took that view as sterling traded around $1.3070, more than a cent down from its level before lawmakers voted on Tuesday. [GBP/]

 

EU sources said additional clarifications, statements or assurances on the backstop might be possible, short of reopening the agreement.

 

But May says she needs more -- a legally binding change. She aims to get parliament's approval for a revised deal on Feb. 13. If that fails, parliament will vote on next steps on Feb. 14.

 

That deadline ratchets up the pressure on dedicated Brexiteers in the Conservative Party who fear opponents will try to delay and ultimately thwart Britain's exit.

 

Both May's Conservatives and the main opposition Labour Party are formally committed to carrying out Brexit, but internally divided over how or even whether to do so.

 

MAY MEETS CORBYN

Brexiteers accept there is likely to be some short-term economic pain but say Britain will thrive in the long term if cut loose from European rules. Pro-Europeans say Britain’s exit will make it poorer, reduce its global clout, undermine London’s position as a global financial capital and weaken the West.

 

Britain voted 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the EU in a 2016 referendum. Brexit supporters say it would betray democracy to fail to act on that mandate. Opponents say voters may have changed their minds now that the details are becoming clearer.

 

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who favours a much closer relationship with the EU, built around a customs union, met May to discuss Brexit.

 

"Jeremy made the case for our alternative plan," the spokesperson said, adding that the tone had been "serious and engaged" and that the two had agreed to meet again.

 

If May cannot get a deal agreed, the default option would be to exit the EU abruptly with no deal at all, which businesses say would cause chaos and disrupt supply chains for basic goods.

 

"This will hit Britain harder than others," German Economy Ministry Peter Altmaier said. "The coming days must be used to finally prevent a hard Brexit."

 

British lawmakers on Tuesday also approved a proposal urging the government to prevent a no-deal exit, sending a signal that a majority opposes it. However, they rejected two amendments that set out a clear path for parliament to prevent it.

 

Many company chiefs are aghast at London's handling of Brexit and say it has already damaged Britain’s reputation as Europe’s pre-eminent destination for foreign investment.

 

The investment bank Goldman Sachs raised its probability of a no-deal Brexit to 15 percent from 10 percent, kept its probability of a delayed Brexit at 50 percent, and revised down its probability of no Brexit to 35 percent from 40 percent.

 

(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Additional reporting by Kate Holton and Elizabeth Piper in London; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-01-31

 

"...In essence, May will use the implicit threat of a 'no-deal' Brexit to seek a deal from the other 27 members of the EU, whose combined economy is about six times the size of Britain's.

But the European response has been united, and blunt..."

 

Not a surprise. What possible reason would the EU have to start handing out benefits to the UK now?

 

Sadly, the UK wasted about two years doing little or nothing, and now is faced with the prospect of staying in the EU or leaving without a controlled exit. And, even knowing that both alternatives are bad, the UK is unable to choose and/or properly implement either one.

 

What a ClusterF**k.

 

My apologies to all my British friends, but you brought this on yourselves. My fondest wish is that the consequences of your actions aren't too grave and that you recover swiftly.

 

 

Recently, in an interview in Davos,

Varadkar said that Ireland is prepared to put up a hard border against, NI,

should UK  leave no-deal.

 

(I would not be surprised at all if after that he got Brussels on his neck

 and was quite strictly told to keep mum.)

 

Barnier: time is too short to amend, deal is not open to renegotiations.

 

That the deal is not open to renegotiations, OK, a statement in line with the current EU policy.

To say that the time available for amending the deal is too short is just a lame excuse

supporting the EU's dislike for altering the deal.

 

The deal is a small and reasonably straight forward text, 500 pages is small.

In Brussels there is a large team of experienced Eurocrats intimately familiar with all aspects of this deal

In London likewise, civil servants who know this text in and out.

Together they have been dotting all the is and striking all the ts over the past few months.

1 month is more than ample time to alter this text.

 

Such is happening frequently in the UN system.

 

But it seems fairly clear that the political will to alter has now gone, if it ever was there.

 

 

 

what do the bookies offer for

 

a fiver on no-deal exit

a fiver on cancel A50 and remain

 

17 minutes ago, melvinmelvin said:

what do the bookies offer for

 

a fiver on no-deal exit

a fiver on cancel A50 and remain

 

A. 13/5

B.  No 1/33    Yes 9/1

The nays have it, the nays have it.

 

Courtesy of Paddy Power

 

https://www.paddypower.com/politics/uk-brexit

 

 

15 minutes ago, vogie said:

A. 13/5

B.  No 1/33    Yes 9/1

The nays have it, the nays have it.

 

Courtesy of Paddy Power

 

https://www.paddypower.com/politics/uk-brexit

 

 

ta,

there is one more option available to parliament,

picking the ditched may-deal out of the waste bin, dust it off and accept it

 

Hard to see this not ending in street riots regardless of which way it goes. Martial Law has already been touted.

Maybe the EU can offer the UK to try no-deal Brexit first while giving a guarantee that May’s deal can still be implemented if they change their mind. The impact of a hard Brexit will likely drive May back to the negotiating table and then it would be good to have something that can immediately be agreed and implemented rather than going years in circles again while people and economy are suffering.  

Interesting to see watch the Sky News programme in Sunderland. The feeling has not changed and as a place that voted leave, the views on that programme seem stronger than ever.

 

I can see people are starting to see the EU as it really is. Bullying, dominant and inflexible.  The UK are resilient people and from anecdotal evidence from friends and programmes like these, the EU and its mannerism is creating anger and possibly hate towards it, from the UK.

 

If the EU think we with the way they are negotiating and the threats of punishing the UK will make the UK people say "we made a mistake", "let us back in". They are very much mistaken IMO.

 

I look forward to seeing the EU elections across Europe this year.

I read yesterday an article which showed lots of front pages from UK newspapers.

Amazing is not good enough to describe this. It's more like totally delirious or delusional or something like that.

How stupid and or ignorant must people be to believe something like that?

9 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Interesting to see watch the Sky News programme in Sunderland. The feeling has not changed and as a place that voted leave, the views on that programme seem stronger than ever.

 

I can see people are starting to see the EU as it really is. Bullying, dominant and inflexible.  The UK are resilient people and from anecdotal evidence from friends and programmes like these, the EU and its mannerism is creating anger and possibly hate towards it, from the UK.

 

If the EU think we with the way they are negotiating and the threats of punishing the UK will make the UK people say "we made a mistake", "let us back in". They are very much mistaken IMO.

 

I look forward to seeing the EU elections across Europe this year.

I look forward to an EU without a UK with people like you describe.

Did these people also look at their own politicians? Or was it just so much easier to blame the EU?

Please go and stay on your island. The EU won't miss you.

11 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I look forward to an EU without a UK with people like you describe. 

Did these people also look at their own politicians? Or was it just so much easier to blame the EU?

Please go and stay on your island. The EU won't miss you.

Great. Let us leave. Stop asking for our money. We have contributed for 40 plus years. Give us our assets worth. Stop fishing in our waters and we can all be friends.  Hows that.

 

By the way we can elect our leaders or not and finances are accountable. Something the EU doesn't, it is called democracy.

 

This man tells it as it his. The EU and elite are bricking themselves of what he says. They try and discredit him but still her tells it how it is.

 

52 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Interesting to see watch the Sky News programme in Sunderland. The feeling has not changed and as a place that voted leave, the views on that programme seem stronger than ever.

 

I can see people are starting to see the EU as it really is. Bullying, dominant and inflexible.  The UK are resilient people and from anecdotal evidence from friends and programmes like these, the EU and its mannerism is creating anger and possibly hate towards it, from the UK.

 

If the EU think we with the way they are negotiating and the threats of punishing the UK will make the UK people say "we made a mistake", "let us back in". They are very much mistaken IMO.

 

I look forward to seeing the EU elections across Europe this year.

Why? You hate the EU!

1 hour ago, DoctorG said:

Hard to see this not ending in street riots regardless of which way it goes. Martial Law has already been touted.

only after the pubs have closed

40 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Great. Let us leave. Stop asking for our money. We have contributed for 40 plus years. Give us our assets worth. Stop fishing in our waters and we can all be friends.  Hows that.

 

By the way we can elect our leaders or not and finances are accountable. Something the EU doesn't, it is called democracy.

 

This man tells it as it his. The EU and elite are bricking themselves of what he says. They try and discredit him but still her tells it how it is.

 

Nobody is stopping the UK leaving

 

You and the C2/D leavers are not interested in trade (don't understand).

 

So, off you go!

 

Ingurland, land of morons.

 

(I'm waiting for all the new jokes? Did you hear the one about the Englishman who thought........no, me neither)

12 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Why? You hate the EU!

Hate is a strong word. I do not like what the EU has morphed from the ECC. They did it by stealth too. I admit helped by UK politicians such Heath, Major and Blair. I don't like how the EU is unaccountable, hides it's finances and has become a protectionist outfit, whilst championing as been 'ultra democratic'. I feel the EU with its federalisatioin plans has prevented the UK from being able to feed itself with the agriculture or lack of it in the UK.

 

The fisheries policy is another issue. We have tried it, never really felt part of the EU. we have kept our own currency, thankfully. I believe that the EEC morphed into the now EU, grew to big with many countries, who I feel shouldn't be allowed in.

 

I like Germany of which I lived there I like France. I like all the European countries but not the organisation of the EU. it is too restrictive.

 

45 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

By the way we can elect our leaders or not and finances are accountable. Something the EU doesn't, it is called democracy.

Every position in the EU is elected, or delegated by an elected committee. Perhaps you should read up how the EU works: surprisingly she works more or less exactly like any member country individually does ... but alas "Gegen Dummheit kämpfen selbst Götter vergeblich!"

3 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Nobody is stopping the UK leaving 

Great. Can you inform Gina Miller, Bob Geldof, Blair and the MPs like them

 

4 minutes ago, Grouse said:

You and the C2/D leavers are not interested in trade (don't understand).

We do but not on all the EU's terms. It is is there way or no way.

 

5 minutes ago, Grouse said:

So, off you go!

Yes hope so. Enjoy Denmark.

 

6 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Ingurland, land of morons.

Thank you and its comments like that people want to leave the EU.

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I read yesterday an article which showed lots of front pages from UK newspapers.

Amazing is not good enough to describe this. It's more like totally delirious or delusional or something like that.

How stupid and or ignorant must people be to believe something like that?

Yes, it’s incredible that the Tory tabloids touted this as a victory or even meaningful. She didn’t actually do anything, just relied on a Tory backbencher’s non binding amendment to substitute unspecified “alternative arrangements” for the backstop that they already knew was non-negotiable. Meanwhile Labour’s non-binding amendment not to leave without a deal was also passed.

 

Fiddling while Rome burns is a phrase that springs to mind.

1 hour ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

Maybe the EU can offer the UK to try no-deal Brexit first while giving a guarantee that May’s deal can still be implemented if they change their mind. The impact of a hard Brexit will likely drive May back to the negotiating table and then it would be good to have something that can immediately be agreed and implemented rather than going years in circles again while people and economy are suffering.  

 

No need to offer this option. It already exists. Since there is no parliamentary majority for anything but fantasy solutions, the UK will crash out of the EU on 29 March causing great hardship to all. Then from a position of abject weakness the UK will be free to negotiate applying for either Canada + or Norway or can try to achieve the right wing buffoons’ dream of becoming the Singapore of Europe. Reduce tax to Singapore levels by slashing welfare and NHS and the UK government’s massive involvement in the economy. Also allow migrant workers in to account for 36% of the population. 555

29 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Nobody is stopping the UK leaving

 

You and the C2/D leavers are not interested in trade (don't understand).

 

So, off you go!

 

Ingurland, land of morons.

 

(I'm waiting for all the new jokes? Did you hear the one about the Englishman who thought........no, me neither)

What I have noticed is that yourself and Baerboxer, you seem to share the same thoughts of Parliamentary Democracy etc etc etc, but most importantly if anybody says anything derogative about the UK BB will defend it to the hilt. You seem to derive pleasure from insulting your country and your fellow countrymen..............but that is just an observation.????

56 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Hate is a strong word. I do not like what the EU has morphed from the ECC. They did it by stealth too. I admit helped by UK politicians such Heath, Major and Blair. I don't like how the EU is unaccountable, hides it's finances and has become a protectionist outfit, whilst championing as been 'ultra democratic'. I feel the EU with its federalisatioin plans has prevented the UK from being able to feed itself with the agriculture or lack of it in the UK.

 

The fisheries policy is another issue. We have tried it, never really felt part of the EU. we have kept our own currency, thankfully. I believe that the EEC morphed into the now EU, grew to big with many countries, who I feel shouldn't be allowed in.

 

I like Germany of which I lived there I like France. I like all the European countries but not the organisation of the EU. it is too restrictive.

 

You have the opportunity to revert to essentially EEC2

 

Too blinded by ignorant hatred of the EU to understand that

 

I'm glad you enjoyed EuroDisney

 

At least your pal Vogie can present a rational argument.

3 hours ago, melvinmelvin said:

what do the bookies offer for

 

a fiver on no-deal exit

a fiver on cancel A50 and remain

 

A tenner from me on no deal, barring miracles. Better just make the best we can of it.

23 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Too blinded by ignorant hatred of the EU to understand that

Once again not hatred at all.

 

23 minutes ago, Grouse said:

I'm glad you enjoyed EuroDisney

Didn't visit it when stationed in Germany or when visiting other European countries. It isn't on my bucket list.

 

23 minutes ago, Grouse said:

At least your pal Vogie can present a rational argument.

He does give a good argument and although not pals we possibly could be with his views. Have you ever thought we just disagree and have different opinions and expectations!

 

We do agree on a few things. A certain religion and its influence over Europe. Maybe even some Yorkshire humour. Plus other things. To be civil doesn't require everyone to agree.

spent some time this morning perusing some msm, in particular Swedish ones

 

Swedish msm Dagens Nyheter, dn.se, likely the largest newspaper in Sweden,

no cheap rag, well researched and respected

(articles were entered last night)

 

DN had a handful of articles re Brexit;

pretty harsh in my view

little, if not zilch, sympathy, understanding, left for UK

 

Think its high time UK starts to think about her future after Brexit (if it happens).

The whole world has been following this, those impressed by UK are very few and very far between

 

Since I have the floor/keyboard or whatever, I repeat what has been said several times

before on these threads:

trade agreements/deals of size are largely operated on the basis of mutual trust

 

UK government is hardly inviting trust.

 

24 minutes ago, vogie said:

What I have noticed is that yourself and Baerboxer, you seem to share the same thoughts of Parliamentary Democracy etc etc etc, but most importantly if anybody says anything derogative about the UK BB will defend it to the hilt. You seem to derive pleasure from insulting your country and your fellow countrymen..............but that is just an observation.????

I am shocked to discover how far England in particular has fallen

 

The level of education combined with the obsession with celebrity and sport has hollowed out the middle class.

 

The majority of the population are now best described as moronic. I mean that technically, not as an insult.

 

The dumbing down of both TV and red top newspapers reflect this and the speed of the downward spiral is accelerated by "social media" (what a misnomer that is!).

 

The inequality is now obscene.

 

We now have Epsilons calling the shots! It really is extreme cynicism to massively divide the country in terms of wealth and then permit the spectacle of "democracy" where the huddled masses have no idea of the real reason underlying their status.

 

Some Alphas are benevolent and are altruistic enough to actually care about the plight of the Epsilons. Other Alphas are bastards and are only interested in personal enrichment at the expense of further exploitation and harm to the Epsilons.

 

Keep your BRAVE NEW WORLD!

 

[Trust me, they will be teaching this debacle in years to come as part of the European baccalaureate]

 

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Once again not hatred at all.

 

Didn't visit it when stationed in Germany or when visiting other European countries. It isn't on my bucket list.

 

He does give a good argument and although not pals we possibly could be with his views. Have you ever thought we just disagree and have different opinions and expectations!

EuroDisney is near Paris

 

I'll wave to you as you go past in your bus ????

Just now, Grouse said:

EuroDisney is near Paris

 

I'll wave to you as you go past in your bus ????

Thanks for the Geography lesson it wasn't needed.

 

Again not on my bucket list. Same as the one in Florida or Shanghai.

51 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

 

No need to offer this option. It already exists. Since there is no parliamentary majority for anything but fantasy solutions, the UK will crash out of the EU on 29 March causing great hardship to all. Then from a position of abject weakness the UK will be free to negotiate applying for either Canada + or Norway or can try to achieve the right wing buffoons’ dream of becoming the Singapore of Europe. Reduce tax to Singapore levels by slashing welfare and NHS and the UK government’s massive involvement in the economy. Also allow migrant workers in to account for 36% of the population. 555

I suggest we offer the Chinese low cost manual manufacturing facilities in former car plants