The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, has rejected the British offer of Brexit. "At least in its current form, the British proposals are not even a rudimentary basis for an agreement that could be approved by the European Parliament," Sassoli told SPIEGEL. Parliament was very attentive to the proposals. "Unfortunately, the result of this first evaluation is not very positive."
The new British plan foresees that EU rules in Northern Ireland will apply not just to food and animal exports for several years, but to all EU goods exports. However, Northern Ireland should not remain in a customs union with the EU. A large part of the goods passing through the inner-Irish border would have to be controlled.
According to Sassolis, who meets British Prime Minister Boris Johnson next Tuesday in London, the proposals contain several serious shortcomings. "For example, it is completely unclear where and how exactly customs checks should be carried out," says Sassoli. "That is not an insignificant detail, but can have serious consequences, as far as the peace process is concerned."
He has "serious doubts" whether the proposals are suitable to replace the so-called backstop, the emergency solution for the Northern Ireland border. "Our aim is to preserve the unity of the single market, to secure economic unity on the Irish island and to maintain the peace process," said the Italian Social Democrat.
The European Parliament must finally endorse an exit agreement between the EU and the UK. Members of the Brexit Steering Group in the European Parliament also rejected British proposals on Thursday afternoon. The parliamentarians criticized, for example, the British government's plan for the Northern Ireland regional government to approve the agreement and then resubmit it every four years. Thus, the agreement is dependent on a "one-sided decision" and no longer offer the safety net that would have meant the backstop.
On Thursday evening, the EU ambassadors, who were briefed by Brexit's chief negotiator Michel Barnier on the proposals, got a little more positive. In the next few days they want to find out if the British want to negotiate seriously. In any case, the agreement would have to be a few days before the EU summit on 17 October. There will be no direct negotiations with Johnson at the summit.
But if there is no short-term agreement, Johnson is apparently ready to postpone the Brexit again if necessary. That would be a course change. According to a BBC report, in court documents, the PM promised to apply for a Brexit extension to the EU should both sides fail to reach a divorce agreement by 19 October. Also the British news agency PA reports about it.
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