Brexit deal still possible but difficult, says Michel Barnier

Brussels, October 15 

Michel Barnier, the European Union’s (EU) chief negotiator, on Tuesday said a Brexit deal could still be struck this week despite it becoming “more difficult”” to reach an agreement.

Speaking in Luxembourg, Barnier said, “An agreement will be more and more difficult but it is still possible this week.” “Reaching an agreement is still possible but obviously any agreement must work for everyone - for all of the UK and the whole of the EU... It is high time to turn good intentions into legal text,” the BBC quoted EU diplomat as saying.

Barnier is scheduled to update EU Ministers on Brexit talks at a meeting in Luxembourg later.

Discussions between EU and UK officials aimed at reaching a Brexit deal have intensified in recent days.

Hopes of a deal being agreed before the October 31 Brexit deadline were boosted after a meeting between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar last week.

The developments come as negotiators stepped up efforts to work out a way to break the deadlock over the Irish backstop, the contingency measures to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland that is seen as the key factor in the talks.

The two-day EU summit is crucial because Johnson must get a new deal approved by MPs by Saturday if he is to avoid asking for a Brexit delay. — IANS