Irish Defense Minister Leo Varadkar
Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar arrives in Brussels to meet European Union officials on Thursday as Brexit talks enter a frenzied fortnight designed to produce a divorce deal with Britain and a blueprint for future ties.
The Brexit countdown begins with Varadkar meeting EU leaders' chairman Donald Tusk and the bloc's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier later on Thursday.
Barnier will on Friday meet politicians from Northern Ireland where the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), on which British Prime Minister Theresa May relies to govern, is key to sealing any agreement to end Britain's four decades in the bloc.
"It will be long hours and it may get messy but there will be a deal. The cost of no-deal is just too big," said a senior EU diplomat of the talks, aimed at agreeing a fix to the Irish border in time for an Oct.17-18 EU summit and then the outline of post-Brexit ties by another one on Nov.17-18.
European Union leaders will meet to discuss a possible Brexit deal with Britain over dinner in Brussels on Oct. 17, the European Council said on Wednesday.The Oct. 17 night dinner of the 27 EU heads of state and government has been scheduled by summit chair and president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, ahead of a regular summit the following day, which British Prime Minister Theresa May will also attend.EU officials and diplomats say leaders hope to be able to agree a final withdrawal treaty offer to London which May can then accept in principle, paving the way for a further special summit on Nov. 17-18 to complete terms for a political declaration on a future EU-UK trading relationship.
EU schedules Brexit summit for Oct. 17
Both sides are readying concessions and will exchange papers on the main potential deal-breaker - avoiding extensive border checks between EU-state Ireland and Britain's province of Northern Ireland after Brexit - as well as future ties.
If they fail to agree, Britain is bound to leave the bloc next March with little or no agreements in place to mitigate the economic shock and broad disruptions expected from air traffic to car production to food trade.
Should the leaders of the 27 EU states remaining in the bloc have no Brexit deal to sign off in November, they are due to move into contingency mode, stepping up preparations for a disorderly British departure.
Some diplomats and officials say talks could drag on through December, or even January, but any deal must also be ratified by both British and EU parliaments in time for Brexit day on March 29, 2019.
The U.K. is “not afraid” to leave the EU “with no deal if it has to,” British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.Speaking at the Conservative Party autumn conference on its closing day, May said leaving the bloc with no deal would be tough and difficult at first with tariffs imposed, however, the U.K. would eventually prosper.She said they need to send a clear message to the EU that the two choices offered by them, which were dubbed as Norway and Canada models, are unacceptable.She said they need to send a clear message: the two choices offered by the EU are “unacceptable” for the U.K.“I passionately believe that our best days lie ahead of us and that our future is full of promise,” May said.“Don’t let anyone tell you we don’t have what it takes: we have everything we need to succeed,” she added.May argued that “Britain will be a champion for free trade across the world,” adding that “our greatest asset is our talent.”May used her speech to also appeal for unity within her party urging the members to “come together.”- No confidence letterThe British prime minister said that a Labour government would accept any deal from the EU, regardless of how bad it was for the country.Also ruling out a second referendum on Brexit, May said people voted and chose to leave the union.If the Tories don’t unite, “we risk ending up with no Brexit at all,” she added.May also signaled the end of austerity measures in near future which has been in place for the past ten years.“There must be no return to the uncontrolled borrowing of the past, but the British people need to know the end is in sight,” she said.“Our future is in our hands,” she added.Meanwhile, Conservative MP James Duddridge, submitted a letter of no confidence vote shortly before May’s keynote speech in Birmingham.In his letter to Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee of backbenchers, Duddridge said a “proper leadership election” is needed to deliver a Brexit.He said he has come to the conclusion that May seems “incapable” of securing a Brexit based on the principles of the 2016 referendum.- 'Too reasonable'At least 48 Conservative MPs must send no confidence letters to the party’s 1922 committee for a no confidence vote for the party leader.May’s leadership has come under fire since the EU rejected her Chequers deal on Brexit last month in an informal EU leaders summit.May said in her speech that the U.K. has treated the EU with respect, echoing her foreign secretary who said the country has been “too reasonable” in Brexit negotiations with the EU in the party conference on Monday.Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab had accused the EU of not matching Britain's efforts in his speech."We want the EU to match our ambition and pragmatism but that wasn’t on display in Salzburg,” Raab said, referring to an informal EU summit held in the Austrian city, where British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Chequers plan was described as “unworkable.”U.K. and EU negotiators will meet in mid-October and try to ink a deal on sticky issues such as the future of the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, citizens’ rights, and future trade relations between the sides.An emergency Brexit summit will be called if the parties progress on a possible deal, according to EU leaders.The U.K. is set to leave the EU on March 29, 2019.
May says UK 'not afraid' to leave EU with no deal
Brexit minister Dominic Raab said on Wednesday he was optimistic that Britain would agree an approach to the outstanding issues in negotiations with the European Union in time for details of a Brexit deal to be finalised in November."We're in a stage of continuous negotiation," he told Sky News after Prime Minister Theresa May's closing speech to the Conservative party conference.Raab added that if there was understanding this month on how differences with the EU over Northern Ireland and the future economic partnership could be resolved, then details would be finalised in a November summit."I'm always optimistic," he said. EU wants to get Brexit deal: spokesmanChallenging her critics, British PM May embraces Brexit 'opportunity'A 'no-deal' Brexit better than a bad deal: French minister
Brexit minister Raab optimistic about finalising EU deal in November