Following a brief meeting on Sunday 25 August in the late morning, on the margins of the G7 summit, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, agreed to meet on the margins of the 74th meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 74), which will take place in September in New York.
This was the first official meeting between the two men. It was brief and is said to have lasted a little over twenty minutes, we were told.
During their exchange, the two officials agreed on their desire to avoid leaving the United Kingdom without an agreement. However, as the European side expected, no substantial proposal came from the British for an alternative solution to the backstop to avoid the return of a physical border between Ireland and Northern Ireland (see EUROPE 12311/1). It is true that a detailed British plan should be proposed in the coming month.
For his part, Mr Tusk reportedly reiterated the European position on the dual need to preserve the integrity of the single market and peace in Northern Ireland.
In addition, the issue of non-payment of the British “bill” due under the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020 was not discussed between the two men, we were assured. However, according to the British press, Mr Johnson was expected to announce on the same day that his country would pay €9.8 billion (£9 billion) in the event of a no-deal exit, compared to around €40 billion provided for under the agreement sealed with his predecessor (see EUROPE 12272/25, 12145/1).
Tusk and Johnson agree on major international issues, both on the Iranian and Russian question and on the need to preserve multilateralism (see other news).
Mr ‘No Deal’. The meeting was courteous and “positive”, according to one source. However, it looked like it would be tense to say the least: the day before, on his Twitter account, Mr Tusk said he hoped that Mr Johnson will not want to “go down in history as ‘Mr. No Deal’”, expecting “realistic and acceptable” ideas from London.
The British Prime Minister replied that the Union should “ get rid of the backstop. (...) If Donald Tusk doesn't want to go down as Mr No-Deal Brexit I hope that point will be borne in mind too”.
A G7 rather than a G5+2. Observers and media expected to see a divided European group, anticipating more a 'G5+2', with, on the one hand, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada, and on the other hand, US President Donald Trump alongside the British Prime Minister.
On Sunday 25 August, Mr Trump and Mr Johnson issued a joint statement in which they undertook to deepen cooperation between the EU and in the fields of defence, trade and economic affairs, mentioning the future conclusion of a “comprehensive” trade agreement and, to this end, the creation of a Special Relationship Economic Working Group.
However, according to a European source, Mr Johnson finally aligned himself with the positions of the other five Member States rather than with the US position, whether on the Iranian crisis, on the organisation of international trade or on the fight against climate change. He also participated in the coordination meeting with the European members of the G7, which was held on Saturday 24 August in the late afternoon. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)