Conditions for short Brexit delay have not been met, says Berlin

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/09/conditions-for-short-brexit-delay-have-not-been-met-says-berlin#img-1

Conditions for short Brexit delay have not been met, says Berlin

Daniel Boffey in Luxembourg

Tue 9 Apr 2019 09.36 BST Last modified on Tue 9 Apr 2019 09.47 BST

Germany’s EU affairs minister has complained that “absolutely nothing has changed” in Westminster, 24 hours before the bloc’s leaders come together to decide on a possible Brexit delay.

Michael Roth said cross-party talks had not offered any hope of an imminent Brexit breakthrough, leaving the UK facing a no-deal or a long extension to its EU membership.
(snip)

But, before May’s meetings on Tuesday with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris, and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, in Berlin, Roth offered a downbeat assessment of the state of play.

“It’s groundhog day again,” he said. “Unfortunately I have to say that the conditions the European council has decided on in its last meeting have not been met. This means time will run out on 12 April.”

Roth added: “Of course the EU continues to be willing to talk, there is also a letter by Prime Minister May.

“We will very carefully have to look at this letter. We are finally expecting substantial steps in the right direction. So far absolutely nothing has changed.

“Of course we are also thinking about such a deadline extension, including a long extension of the deadline, but this also has to come with very strict criteria.
(snip)

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Barnier suggests EU might not grant long article 50 extension unless May backs customs union

He says the withdrawal agreement will not be reopened. That continues to be the case.

The political declaration (PD) can be improved, he says, if the UK wants.

He says the UK and the EU could add to the free trade agreement already proposed in the PD a customs union. This could be added rapidly, “within a few hours or days”, he says.

Barnier says the EU could rewrite the political declaration “within hours or days” if the UK chose a customs union.

But the request they await from the UK will have to respect that the EU is. He says he is talking about the integrity of the single market, the autonomy of the EU27 and the indivisibility of the four freedoms.

He says the EU is not willing to compromise on the ecosystem behind the single market.

Why is is stressing that the PD could be rewritten? Because that would provide meaning to an extension, he says.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/apr/09/brexit-latest-developments-news-theresa-may-visits-berlin-and-paris-as-gauke-plays-down-prospect-of-early-breakthrough-in-talks-with-labour-live-news?page=with:block-5cac61e28f08ce46f07ebb73#block-5cac61e28f08ce46f07ebb73

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. UK likely to be offered Brexit extension until end of year

Britain is likely to be offered a final long extension ending on 31 December after the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, failed to convince the bloc’s capitals that Theresa May has a plan to break the Brexit impasse.

A number of member states, most prominently France, along with Slovenia, Greece, Austria and Spain, remain sceptical about a lengthy extension, citing the risks to the EU of Britain behaving badly.

Barnier implored EU ministers meeting in Luxembourg to keep the pressure on MPs to back the deal by supporting May’s request for a Brexit delay only up until 30 June, a leaked diplomatic note of the debate reveals.

But, according to the note seen by the Guardian, there is instead growing support for the idea of a lengthy extension, with a Brexit delay of around nine months now looking likely, sources claimed.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/09/conditions-for-short-brexit-delay-have-not-been-met-says-berlin

An extension of 6 months or more gives a realistic space for a confirmatory public vote.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Brexit: Donald Tusk suggests "flexible" delay of up to a year

European Council president Donald Tusk has suggested offering the UK a "flexible" extension to Brexit of up to a year, with the option of leaving earlier if a deal is ratified.

He said there was "little reason to believe" a Brexit deal would be approved by the extension deadline UK PM Theresa May has requested - 30 June.

Writing to EU leaders, he said any delay should have conditions attached.
...
The BBC's Brussels correspondent Adam Fleming said the document referred to an extension lasting "only as long as is necessary and, in any event, no longer than XX.XX.XXXX and ending earlier if the withdrawal agreement is ratified".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47874367