On Wednesday 18 September in the morning, the European Parliament will debate the progress of talks with London with the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the EU negotiator for the United Kingdom's orderly exit from the EU, Michel Barnier.
There is "agreement among the major groups on the message to be conveyed", commented S&D Group President Iratxe García Pérez of Spain on Tuesday 17 September, while the main groups will submit to a vote one single resolution (see EUROPE 12326/5).
"On 31 October, there is a risk of the United Kingdom withdrawing without a deal. We must prevent this, because it would be harmful for everyone: for the United Kingdom, for Europe, for the economic interests of Europe and of the United Kingdom", commented the Spaniard, whose group reiterated later in the morning that it would support an extension of the period of Article 50 to avoid a withdrawal without an agreement.
After a meeting in Luxembourg with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, President Juncker informed the College on Tuesday 17 September in Strasbourg of the progress in the negotiations and reiterated that London had not presented any written proposals on alternatives to the backstop.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Commission spokesperson did not set new dates for discussions between the UK and the Twenty-Seven teams, as the agenda had not yet been set, but these discussions are now expected to be held on a daily basis in order to reach a solution for the October EU summit.
In London, the British Supreme Court began hearings of the plaintiffs in the case of Boris Johnson's suspension of the British Parliament until 14 October. The Supreme Court intervened after a Scottish Court had ruled that the suspension is illegal. Its decision is expected at the end of this week, according to British media reports. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with Aminata Niang)