Luxembourg - Reaching a deal with Britain on changes to the
Brexit withdrawal agreement by the end of the week is looking "more
and more difficult," according to the EU's lead negotiator, Michel
Barnier.
"It's high time to turn good intentions into a legal text," Barnier
said on Tuesday in Luxembourg on his way to brief European Affairs
ministers on the state of negotiations. Reaching an agreement is
still possible, he said, but any deal has to work for everyone.
London and Brussels are striving to strike a deal by the end of the
week as the clock runs down to the deadline for Britain's departure
from the bloc, currently set for October 31.
If Britain left without a withdrawal agreement in place - a no deal
Brexit - it would be "a disaster," German Minister of State for
Europe, Michael Roth, said Tuesday in Luxembourg.
As well as being briefed by Barnier in Luxembourg, ministers from all
the EU member states except Britain are expected to discuss the
chances of striking a deal or of agreeing an extension of the Brexit
deadline.
All eyes are on the summit of EU leaders starting Thursday.
But any deal agreed between London and Brussels would still have to
make it through the British and European parliaments by the end of
the month.
Another potential option would be an extension, though British Prime
Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to resist this.