European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the likelihood of a lack of agreement between the European Union and the UK government was “higher than the likelihood of an agreement” on the future post-Brexit relationship, a diplomatic source said on Friday, 11 December after the European Council.
In short, Mrs von der Leyen’s briefing to leaders did not last more than 10 minutes. The situation is “difficult” and “the main obstacles remain”, she said. However, she noted a positive development regarding the UK’s withdrawal agreement from the EU, which could therefore be fully operational by 1 January.
On Sunday, 13 December, Mrs von der Leyen will brief the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on the negotiations. We will see “if the conditions for an agreement are met”, she told reporters.
At her side, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, did not have anything to say about Brexit. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, recalled that if the negotiations failed, the two parties would not find themselves in a ‘no deal’ situation on 1 January. “There was a withdrawal agreement that both sides signed. The exit of the United Kingdom will not take place in a disorderly fashion”, he noted.
Recalling the unity of the EU27 in the negotiations, Mr Macron expressed the hope that a possible agreement would “respect all the parties involved” by safeguarding European interests - “because Europeans did not choose Brexit” - and British interests so that “we can continue to live as harmoniously as possible side by side”.
For his part, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said that if we “give (the UK) full and transparent access to our market, it is clear that access on 1 January will be based on a certain equivalence between UK and EU rules”. “But the rules for getting access today are the same rules as for keeping access 10 years from now”, he also argued. According to him, next Sunday will make it possible “to understand if there is a will to adhere to these principles, if it is still possible to finalise an agreement”.
“We are anything but relaxed”, because a lack of agreement will have “a huge impact, especially in my country” and for the situation of ports “like Rotterdam”, one of the world’s largest ports, reacted the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte. “We are prepared to compromise, however, but we cannot jeopardise the integrity of the single market”, he added, convinced that “the British know where those limits are”.
For his part, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, spoke of “problems, on governance, on fisheries”. Supporting the European negotiating team, he called for “balanced” relations between the EU and the United Kingdom.
“The EU cannot give in on the issue of a level playing field and governance mechanisms in the event of disputes”, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said, adding that “we have to prepare for a lack of agreement”.
Irish Prime Minister, Micheál Martin, considered that “enormous challenges remain”, citing the establishment of a level playing field and fisheries. According to him, there is potential “to move closer on these two issues”, but “political will is needed”. “A lack of agreement would have serious implications”, Mr Martin added, after Boris Johnson deemed a lack of agreement on the future post-Brexit relationship highly likely. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with editorial staff)