The German Presidency of the Council of the European Union considers that progress in the negotiations between the EU and the UK on their post-Brexit bilateral relationship has been too slow over the summer to be discussed in the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) on Wednesday 2 September, a diplomatic source said on Thursday 27 August, confirming information published inThe Guardian.
The next formal round of bilateral negotiations will take place on 7 September, after which Member States' Ambassadors to the EU are expected to take stock of the discussions.
On 21 August, EU negotiator Michel Barnier had again deplored the fact that discussions between the two sides remained deadlocked despite more meetings (see EUROPE 12544/14), as decided in mid-June by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson (see EUROPE 12506/6).
The EU continually points out that an agreement has to be finalised before the end of October in order to enter into force on 1 January 2021. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)