Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab
Britain and the European Union are "closing in" on a withdrawal agreement, Brexit minister Dominic Raab said on Friday, ahead of a meeting by European leaders in Salzburg next week.
Britain is due to leave the bloc on March 29 but is yet to reach a full exit deal with Brussels and some rebels in Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party have threatened to vote against any agreement unless she changes her proposals.
Both London and Brussels are hoping to reach a deal by mid-November. May has said next week's informal EU summit will be a "staging post" in the negotiations that will allow the bloc's leaders to discuss her Brexit plans for the first time.
"While there remain some substantive differences we need to resolve, it is clear our teams are closing in on workable solutions to the outstanding issues in the Withdrawal Agreement, and are having productive discussions in the right spirit on the future relationship," Raab said after a phone call with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
"We reiterated our willingness to devote the necessary time and energy to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion," he said, adding that the pair agreed to take stock again following the Salzburg summit.
Barnier issued no statement and an EU official described the call as having “taken stock of the ongoing negotiations”.
European Union leaders will discuss when they meet in Austria next week whether to hold a special summit on Brexit in November, a senior EU diplomat said on Thursday.He also said, when asked by reporters, that the EU was continuing contingency preparations in the event there is no deal before Britain leaves next March.Diplomats and EU officials say that governments have been discussing holding a special Brexit summit in Brussels around Nov. 13-15 on the assumption that a regular meeting on Oct. 18 will be too early to approve a potential deal with Britain on a withdrawal treaty.The diplomat, briefing reporters, said further discussion on a November meeting would take place among heads of state and government when they meet in Salzburg next Wednesday and Thursday.Roche boss says Brexit and curbs on drug use pose threat to UK scienceAsked whether the Salzburg summit would give EU negotiator Michel Barnier a new mandate to discuss terms for Britain's future trade relationship with the Union, the diplomat said Barnier did not need such a formal mandate. He might, however, seek further guidance from leaders during the meeting.He was asked about comments from British Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab that a failure to reach a deal on the withdrawal treaty would mean Britain not paying tens of billions of euros it has so far agreed to send to Brussels.He said that if there were no treaty, many of the agreed terms would lapse. However, he said, there was a legal argument that Britain would still owe money to the EU under the terms of its existing membership obligations. EU tells Britain it won't renegotiate Brexit divorce bill
EU leaders to discuss November Brexit summit next week
Uncertainty over drug regulation and a reluctance by Britain's health service to use certain pricey modern medicines pose a threat to the country's respected life sciences sector, the head Swiss drugmaker Roche said on Thursday.With only six months to go until the United Kingdom is due to leave the European Union, the highly regulated pharmaceuticals industry still does not know exactly how medicines oversight will function.Severin Schwan, chief executive of the world's biggest maker of cancer drugs, said in an interview that Europe was already slower than the United States to approve new medicines and there are fears the UK might fall further behind, jeopardising investment."The UK would get markedly less competitive and less interesting for the industry as a life science hub," he told Reuters. "For us, this is a very relevant question and if the regulatory system should not keep up with Europe, then this would be a big issue for us."Roche employs 2,100 staff in Britain and has been in the country since 1908. Staff work not only in the commercial business but also in a substantial drug development operation."It goes without saying that we give preference in research and development activities where we bring the medicines to patients first," Schwan said."Even though we very much appreciate the science and capabilities in the UK, it is not possible to disconnect that from access to innovative medicines."Schwan noted that the UK could, in theory, use Brexit to create an independent drugs regulator that was faster than the European Medicines Agency. However, he also said this would require large government investment in both staff and resources.In addition to uncertainty over the licensing of medicines, Schwan is also frustrated by curbs on access to some treatments within Britain's National Health Service.His company is in a bitter row over the health service's refusal to approve Ocrevus, the company's new drug for treating a highly disabling form of multiple sclerosis."We now have a situation where patients in need don't get the medicine. It's as simple as that," Schwan said.In preparation for potential supply disruption in the event of Britain leaving the EU without a deal with Brussels, the government has told drugmakers to build an additional six weeks of medicine stockpiles.Schwan said that Roche is increasing its stocks in line with peers and would be able to continue to supply patients in the event of a no-deal Brexit.EU tells Britain it won't renegotiate Brexit divorce bill
Roche boss says Brexit and curbs on drug use pose threat to UK science
On Thursday the government published a set of advice notices for Britons on how to prepare for the possibility of a "no-deal" Brexit, and May held a meeting of her top team of ministers to discuss the government's plans for leaving without an agreement.
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney told the meeting Britain's property market would crash and mortgage rates spiral up in the event of a chaotic no-deal Brexit, with house prices falling 35 percent over three years, the Times newspaper reported.
The Co-Operative, Britain's sixth-largest supermarket group, said it could not guarantee shortages of some food products would be avoided in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Pro-Brexit rebels in May's party have become increasingly vocal in their opposition to her Brexit proposals this week, with one former junior minister saying 80 or more of May's lawmakers were prepared to vote against them.
The opposition Labour Party's foreign affairs spokeswoman Emily Thornberry told the Financial Times her party was set to vote against any Brexit deal and the lack of a viable exit from the EU would force May from office before Christmas.
The European Union will not reconsider parts of the Brexit agreement with Britain that have already been agreed on, like the divorce bill London will have to pay, a spokesman for the bloc's executive said on Thursday.Prime Minister Theresa May suggested on Wednesday London could refuse to pay a financial settlement to the bloc if the sides fail to reach a comprehensive agreement on Britain's withdrawal from the EU."We will not be revisiting those areas of the withdrawal agreement that are now settled, including the financial settlement," the European Commission spokesman told a regular news conference.UK PM May says 'position change' on divorce payment if no Brexit dealBrexit rebels make proposals on Irish border issueRejecting Brexit plan is not a confidence vote on UK PM May: Conservative lawmaker
EU tells Britain it won't renegotiate Brexit divorce bill
If Britain does not reach an exit deal with the European Union, the "position changes" on its agreement to pay a financial settlement to the bloc, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.As part of a Brexit transition deal, Britain has agreed to pay the EU between 35 and 39 billion euros ($41-$46 billion) over the coming decades."We are a country which honours our obligations, we believe in the rule of law and therefore we believe in abiding by our legal obligations," she told parliament."However ... the specific offer was made in the spirit of our desire to reach a deal with the European Union and on the basis, as the EU themselves have said, that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, without a deal the position changes." Brexit rebels make proposals on Irish border issueEU's Juncker says ties with UK will always be close but Brexit demands remainPutin says Russia knows real identity of men accused by UK over poisoningUK 'strongly' agrees with Turkey's Erdoğan on IdlibAbout 50 Conservative lawmakers discuss ousting UK PM May
UK PM May says 'position change' on divorce payment if no Brexit deal
Brexit supporting rebels in Prime Minister Theresa May's party made proposals on Wednesday which they said would allow trade to flow over the Irish border while safeguarding the integrity of the European Union's Single Market."Such measures can ensure that the trade across the Irish border is maintained," said the lawmakers from the European Research Group (ERG), a grouping in May's Conservative Party which wants a sharper break with the EU."The integrity of the EU Single Market is safeguarded," the lawmakers said. "The UK and the EU would be free to conclude a far-reaching Free Trade Agreement."EU's Juncker says ties with UK will always be close but Brexit demands remainBoth the EU and Britain want to avoid a so-called hard border between UK's Northern Ireland and the EU's Irish Republic because such a border could undermine a 1998 peace agreement that ended decades of sectarian conflict in the north.But it is still unclear how goods crossing between the EU and the UK in Ireland would be monitored if there is no border and if Northern Ireland, as a part of the UK, leaves both the customs union and the single market.Under the lawmakers' proposals, any additional declarations could be incorporated into the existing system used for VAT returns. They also said licensed customs brokers could be engaged to support businesses in dealing with rules of origin and customs arrangements. About 50 Conservative lawmakers discuss ousting UK PM May
Brexit rebels make proposals on Irish border issue