Amid Brexit deadlock, UK PM May rushes for talks with EU chief in Brussels
London, Oct 16: Prime Minister of Britain Theresa May is travelling to Brussels on Monday for dinner with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in a bid to unblock Brexit talks ahead of a decisive European Union summit this week.
They will be joined by British Brexit minister David Davis and his EU counterpart, chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, May’s spokesman told reporters.
Mr Juncker declined to answer questions about the content of the meeting ahead of time, telling reporters in Brussels: “I will meet Ms May this evening, we will talk and you will see the autopsy.”
With criticism of her Brexit strategy building up at home from both moderates and hardliners within her own Conservative party, May is hoping for a breakthrough that will bolster her position and ease some of the uncertainty around Britain’s withdrawal.
EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday are due to decide whether or not negotiators can move on to discussing post-Brexit trade ties with Britain if “sufficient progress” has been made in divorce talks.
The indication from the EU’s side is that they will postpone their decision to a summit in December as the break-up negotiations are currently deadlocked.
But Britain is still hoping for a positive signal that will ease growing concern, including from business leaders who say they will have start shifting some operations to the EU by the end of the year unless there is more certainty on Brexit. “We’ve always said we want Britain leaving the EU to be a smooth process and this is part of achieving that,” Ms May’s spokesman said.
He said the meeting was put in the diary “a number of weeks ago” even though it has not previously been mentioned either by British or EU officials. The trip takes place as economic storm clouds gather for Britain, with companies reining in spending and foreign direct investment plunging as a result of last year’s Brexit vote.
On Sunday, Ms May spoke to German chancellor Angela Merkel and they agreed “on the importance of continued constructive progress in the UK’s exit negotiations”, according to a statement from her Downing Street office.
She is also due to speak to French President Emmanuel Macron and Irish Premier Leo Varadkar on Monday, in Brussels, her spokesman said. — AFP