Cynical Brussels twists the knife
Ditch your red lines, EU’s chief negotiator tells the PM
Brussels twisted the knife over Brexit yesterday, telling the Prime Minister to ditch her red lines and warning of no more concessions.
The european Commission’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said he had never been so worried about the prospect of Britain leaving without a deal following the Commons vote against Theresa May’s plan.
He suggested that she should consider abandoning her key demands in order to get a deal that would provide a soft Brexit. Mrs May’s so- called red lines include putting a stop to freedom of movement and ending the jurisdiction of the european Court of Justice.
He said: ‘If the uK chooses to shift its red lines… and it makes a choice to be ambitious, and go beyond a simple free trade agreement, which would be quite something, then the european union will be immediately ready to go hand in hand with that development and to give a favourable response.’
French president emmanuel Macron declared that the stalemate was Britain’s problem to solve and that there would only be room to change ‘one or two things’ regarding the withdrawal deal.
A presidential official added that it would be wrong for the country to think that the eu was ‘weak and febrile’ or that it would suddenly blink and climb down.
In another blunt message, Brussels chiefs warned that the controversial Northern Ireland backstop – which has been the focus of MPs’ opposition to the deal – was ‘non-negotiable’.
However, last night, some european business leaders expressed fears they would suffer if the eu ultimately fails to agree a deal with the uK.
French winemakers said a nodeal Brexit would hurt trade with ‘ serious consequences for the economies and citizens of both sides’. Antoine leccia, president of the Federation of French Wine and spirits exporters, called on British and eu leaders to ‘do everything possible’ to get a deal. Britain is the second- biggest export market for French wines.
And Joachim lang, chief executive of the Federation of German Industries, said: ‘Any uncertainty would endanger tens of thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of jobs in Germany and especially in the uK.’
Officials from the 27 countries that will remain in the eu after Brexit last night met in Brussels to discuss what concessions they may be willing to offer.
In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel provided a glimmer of hope that an agreement can be reached as she declared ‘we still have time to negotiate’ and pledged to ‘do everything’ to find a solution. But at the european Parliament in strasbourg, Mr Barnier said Brexit was ‘at a standstill’ following the defeat of the deal and it was ‘up to the British government to indicate how to take things forward’.
He added: ‘ We are only ten weeks away from the end of the month of March. We are fearing more than ever that there is a risk of a no deal.’
Frans Timmermans, first vicepresident of the european Commission and Jean-Claude Juncker’s deputy, said the Irish backstop, designed to prevent a hard border, was ‘non-negotiable’.
‘No one in the 27 capitals will throw Ireland under the bus,’ he said. ‘It is mind-boggling that so many people in Westminster would not see the essential value of Good Friday Agreement and, for their
‘Come out of the trenches now’
pipe dream, would sacrifice stability and peace in Ireland.’
Guy Verhofstadt, the european Parliament’s Brexit co- ordinator, called on British MPs from across all parties to ‘come out the trenches now’ and work together to get a majority capable of passing a deal.
‘It is an existential problem of Britain, Britain’s future and Britain’s soul. For the sake of Britain itself, it is time for cross-party cooperation in Britain,’ the former Belgian prime minister said.
Meanwhile, Germany’s foreign minister Heiko Maas said ‘the time for little games is now over’ because the clock is ticking.
The european Commission said eu leaders could decide to extend the March 29 deadline for Britain’s exit if the Government provided a valid reason to do so. Commission spokesman Margaritis schinas said: ‘There has been no uK request for an extension. should there be a uK request to extend setting out the reasons for such an extension, it will be a matter for the eu27 to decide by unanimity.’