Brexit: EU states and Britain want to resume negotiations

The EU states have authorized their negotiator Michel Barnier diplomats to another round of intense and secret talks on a Brexit agreement with Britain.

"There is a tunnel with a very small light in the end," said one of the diplomats. However, he also hinted that there was not much hope on the EU side that a divorce agreement could be signed before the UK's planned withdrawal from the EU on 31 October.

EU Council President Donald Tusk said there was still a lack of actionable and realistic proposals from Britain. But there are "promising signals" from Ireland. "Even the smallest chance must be used," wrote Tusk on Twitter.

Green light for new negotiations

Earlier, EU negotiator Michel Barnier had had a "constructive conversation" with Britain's Brexit minister Stephen Barclay on Friday morning, both sides reported. The 27 remaining EU states subsequently gave the green light for new negotiations.

On Thursday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Irish colleague Leo Varadkar surprisingly came closer to a solution. A Deal by the Withdrawal Date October 31 is still possible, Varadkar said after a more than two-hour call with Johnson near Liverpool. At the same time he pointed out that something else could go wrong.

Tusk, in his own words, would publicly declare an agreement impossible if there were no feasible British proposals by Friday. Instead, the council president pointed out that Johnson and Varadkar himself could for the first time recognize the way to a deal. Of course there is no guarantee of success, but the opportunity must be used.

The Irish assessment is important for the entire EU. Because the crucial point is the question of how the border between the British Northern Ireland and the EU neighbor Ireland can be kept open. If there is no deal by October 19, Johnson is required by UK law to apply to the EU for a longer withdrawal period. However, the PM repeatedly announced that he would be leaving his country for the 31st of October, even without a contract.

What Johnson and Varadkar have talked about in detail was initially not officially known. But information leaked on a new possible formula for the Irish border question. The EU wants to avoid a fixed border with checkpoints on the Irish island because of fears of new turmoil in the former civil war zone. At the same time, the EU wants to prevent uncontrolled and unpaid imports from entering the internal market via the new EU external border.