Yahoo Finance Extend Brexit talks to avoid ‘no deal’, says Austrian chancellor
Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz has said he supports Brexit negotiations being extended to avoid a ‘no deal’ scenario if a solution to the Irish border issue can’t be found before the current deadline.
A deal is supposed to be finalised at the European Council in October but EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has warned there are “huge and serious” differences over outstanding issues – primarily a backstop solution to avoiding a hard border in Ireland.
Kurz will chair the crucial summit after Austria this week assumed the presidency of the European Council, which is made up of the heads of government of the 28 EU member states.
The 31-year-old called for “every effort” to be made to resolve the issue before the October deadline as he spoke to reporters in Vienna today.
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But he added: “If this is not possible, I would be in favour of continuing the negotiations instead of a hard Brexit.”
He would not be drawn on whether that meant extending talks until December or actually delaying the date Britain leaves the EU.
“We’ll see,” he said when asked whether the Article 50 process could be extended.
Austria’s Kurz would be “in favour of pursuing negotiations rather than have hard #Brexit” If Irish border issue is not solved in time. pic.twitter.com/yJPPE8Z9fI
— Eric Maurice (@er1cmau) July 5, 2018
Speaking in the European Parliament yesterday, Kurz said he was “unhappy” about Brexit but said it is “important that this happens in an orderly way.”
“There can be no cherry picking for Great Britain, but at the same time it is equally important to establish a sound political but also economical relationship with Great Britain,” he said.
Kurz will travel to London and Dublin to speak to Theresa May and Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar about the difficult Brexit negotiations that lie ahead.
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His comments today suggest the EU is not confident Theresa May’s new white paper on the future relationship between the UK and EU will break the stalemate in negotiations.
The plan, which May will present to ministers at Chequers tomorrow, has been dubbed the “third way” because it’s reportedly a mix of two previous proposals already rejected by Brussels.
Downing Street says the plan will give the UK the “best of both worlds” – allowing it to set its own tariffs while trading freely in goods with the UK.
But Brexit Secretary David Davis has reportedly already warned it will be rejected by the EU.
