Brexit. Michel Barnier tackles the British proposal: "It is hypothetical and provisional"

The European Union is not currently in a position to conclude a new Brexit agreement with the British government, said Michel Barnier on Wednesday. As it stands, the new proposals by the Boris Johnson government are not acceptable as they would replace a legal and viable solution with a temporary solution, explained the EU Brexit negotiator.

The European Union (EU) negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier, explained on Wednesday 9 October to MEPs meeting in plenary session in Brussels why the proposals of the government of Boris Johnson are not acceptable on the European side.

In a speech in French, Michel Barnier promised that his team and he remain "available 24 / 24h in the coming days" while remaining "calm, vigilant and constructive. He still believes that an "agreement remains possible" .

The EU negotiator has developed a relentless reasoning on the weaknesses of the British proposals presented on 2 October. "We need solutions that are sustainable," said Michel Barnier, saying that "the British proposal is hypothetical and provisional" . A few days before the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, no solution seems to emerge. "To put it simply and frankly, objectively, as I speak to you , " said Michel Barnier, "we are not at the point of reaching an agreement. Yet time is running out. "

No concrete proposal on the Irish question

The main point of misunderstanding between the British and Europeans is the question of property control between Northern Ireland, a British province, and its neighbor to the south. "What is asked of us is to accept a system that is not developed, which is not tested, controls scattered on the island of Ireland, " says Michel Barnier. "This system would be largely based on exemptions and derogations from the European customs code and technologies still to be developed. We need rigorous and serious customs and regulatory controls. In Ireland, as everywhere else, real and credible controls are needed. It is the credibility of the single market that is at stake, " he said.

For his part, Jean-Claude Juncker, current President of the European Commission until the inauguration by Ursula von der Leyen, demanded that the British "do not cast stigma" on Europeans, "that we finger pointing as London began to do. In addition, Jean-Claude Juncker reminded "our British friends that it is not only the Parliament of Westminster that must agree. The European Parliament must do it too. "

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