The outgoing President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, put aside diplomatic language on Tuesday 8 October and bluntly criticised British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his lack of awareness of the issues surrounding the terms of Brexit, scheduled at this stage for the end of October.
What’s at stake is not winning some "stupid" blame game that would blame the other side for the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without an agreement, Mr Tusk said via Twitter. He added: "At stake is the future of Europe and the UK as well as the security and interests of our people. You don’t want a deal? You don't want an extension [of negotiation deadlines]? You don’t want to revoke [section 50 to end Brexit]? Quo vadis?"
For the Irish Foreign Minister, Simon Coveney, this reflects a growing "frustration" in the EU with the British government's propensity to blame the EU for the failure to achieve an orderly Brexit based on conditions put forward by London. "We remain open to finalise a fair Brexit, deal but we need a UK government willing to work with the EU to get it done", he said.
The British press reported a frank telephone conversation on Tuesday morning between Mr Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in which the British authorities allegedly concluded that an agreement was almost impossible to reach because of the conditions set by the EU.
While discussions between the two sides continued in Brussels at a technical level, the Irish government announced measures worth €1 billion - including €650 million for economic operators - as part of its 2020 budget to deal with the consequences of a possible no-deal Brexit. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)